What I Did on My Summer Vacation.....Part One

*This is the first in a series of posts about our summer vacation saga.  WARNING-Lengthy rambling ahead!*

I made my first trip to Maine in the summer of 1980.
It wasn't for pleasure but for work.
I had been accepted as an intern for the summer season at the Brunswick Music Festival Theater, located on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick Maine.

 *The Picard Theater building from the back.*
It's now called the Maine State Music Theater.  Here's their Website.

I spent the bulk of my 1st summer in Maine in the windowless basement of the college's theater building constructing costumes, wardrobing shows and doing a bit of acting..not all at the same time obviously.
At night I'd dragged my exhausted sleep-deprived carcass the 4 blocks to the wretched old beer soaked carpeted frat house where us interns were housed.  I shared a 3 room shotgun suite there with a dancer gal from NYC called Betsy and a native Mainer college student named Brenda.

Brenda and I became good friends.
And Brenda had a car.
Brenda showed me around that part of Maine on our few and far between days off and on a student's cash strapped budget.

We hit the touristy places, but more importantly I got to see the places off the beaten path too, where the tourists don't go.  And I hung out with Brenda's family too.
And yes, I made a few trips to FatBoys....

Ah, the menu hasn't changed since 1980. Literally, it's the same SIGN!....Fat Boy Burgers anyone?

This place is/was across the road from the local Air Force base runway.  Legend has it that Bill Clinton would jet up in AF1 and have some grunt run over to FatBoys for a sack of burgers every now and again, but I digress....

Over the past 30 yrs.....good gawd!?!?....has it been that long?....I've kept in touch with Brenda.  And I've visited with her sporadically over the years though she's never taken me up on my offers to stay with us here in Pennsyltucky.  I guess coal slags, strip mines and underground mine fires aren't her thing.

And after Hubs and I married, I dragged him to Maine on numerous vacation trips.
The 1st time, he will tell you, stands out in his memory because I left him to wander the streets of Brunswick Maine for an entire day alone.
Why?
Because we visited the theater where I had worked and the Costume Designer I had worked for years before was employed that summer again, and was struggling to get the costumes ready in time for opening night of Evita.  They needed extra help, so I was talked into spending one day of my vacation sewing costumes for the show in that windowless basement room again.
Of course, this time, I was free to leave at the end of the day and didn't have to collapse in the frat house, and I earned a nice little paycheck for the day's work, along with a pair of balcony seat tickets to the opening night of the show. ;-)


In spite of that trip, I dare to venture that Maine has become a place near and heart to Hubs heart as well.

For the first time since we had kids, we were able to take a week ALONE so we headed back to Maine last week.

First off, let me state that we don't vacation like typical tourists in Maine.
We don't stay where they stay.
We don't do what they do.
We don't even get to Maine like they do.

You won't find us driving up I-95 through Portsmouth, NH over the bridge to Kittery ME.
Nah, nah, nah!
Now we sneak into Maine through the local backroads across NH.
That way we avoid the parking lot of I-95 and the Mass Turnpike in the summer, especially on weekends.


Two years ago, we traveled to Maine along with #2 son.  We also took the BIL and the nephew just for fun.  We rented  a couple of RVs set up in a campground outside of Bangor Maine.

Bangor Maine is not listed in many people's book as a tourist destination.....unless you are stalking Stephen King....

*#2 son and nephew pose with Stephen's batty gates.*


Or you have a Paul Bunyan fetish....

*#2 son and nephew w/the World's Largest Statue of Paul Bunyan.*


So why stay in Bangor?
Well, 3 reasons.
1-It's not crowded with tourists.....heck, it's not crowded with ANYBODY!  Sluggy does not like crowds.
2-It's only a short drive away from the coast and on the Penobscot River so you are close and accessible to lots of local fresh seafood.
3-It's cheap.  And even better, an RV set up in a campground is a very frugal alternative to a motel room and alot easier to find available at the last minute("last minute" meaning 2 months before you plan on visiting).

Unless you are in one of the larger cities or one of the real bigtime touristy hot spots in Maine, there are not alot of chain motels/hotels.  Most of the places in Maine have small or family owned motels, b&bs, housekeeping cottages or campgrounds.  There are a ton of them but they book up fast and often the same people come back every year for YEARS so rooms never actually come available as visitors rebook for the next year as soon as they arrive for the current year.
There are also people who rent out their homes or own guest houses to rent to the vacationers but usually these are NOT a frugal option, often going for $900-$3,000 a WEEK.  Plus you have to stay a week in the same spot and we like to move around a bit.


So we booked 4 nights in the RV in that campground outside of Bangor.
Not only is it a fair price for lodging that could accommodate 4 people, but you have the woods right outside your door so your He-Man can satiate his primal need to burn stuff....

*Hubs communing with nature and enjoying his campfire.*

To Be Continued.....

Sluggy 

$30K Savings Challenge JULY 2010 Totals.....Xtra Paycheck Time!

I have posted my JULY End of Month $30K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have to report that we finished up July in the black....with a healthy addition!

The extra cash amount we ended the month of June with was.......$3,161.44.

Income
We had $3,066.46 left over of DH's salary after expenses were deducted. Add in $94.98 of Rebates applied to the food expenses and you have a deposit of $3,161.44 toward the Savings Challenge!

Seeing as our monthly target is $2,500.00 to reach our Year End Goal, this month will go a long way to keep us ahead of schedule.

Outgo
As for the expenses in July.....it was our most expensive month so far this year!

While this month saw the water bill drop to almost half and a nice decrease in the electric bill there were many 'out of the ordinary/non-repeating' bills this month.

Out-of-the-ordinary expenses in July...
Yet another car repair at $277.30.
A deposit for camp for next year for $50.00.
Dog licenses were due at $18.00.
That June Food Stamp Challange Food Bank donation for $100.00.
House insurance at $609.00.
And the whopper.....car insurance semi-annual payment of $1,482.63.
UGH!
That's $2,536.93 in out of the ordinary expenses.

The credit card bill(paid off each month)was $624.36, which was less than half of the previous month's total.

Even though July was a bad month for bills and spending, the thing that salvaged our goal this month was that extra paycheck that came this month.  If you gets paid on a biweekly basis, you know all about those 2 extra paychecks a year that sneak into 2 of your pay months.  This year for us it's July and December.  Did I mention that I love July and December?lol

The Food Budget costs for July are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in July was .94¢  under the budgeted $200.00 amount and our Savings percentage was 80.45% which is right about average for us this year so far.

Looking Ahead to August....
Well the first week of August wasn't very frugal as we were on vacation.lol
Most of the costs for the trip were budgeted for & taken out of monies we saved in last year's Savings Challenge.  No funds were taken out of this year's income to pay for this trip.  And for heaven's sake, we didn't take out a loan or use a credit card to finance this trip....but of course, you probably figure that already.  ;-)
There were some items I bought while on vacation that will come out of the food budget for August.  I'll explain fully in a later post.

August is college tuition time but that comes out of the college money account we have funded over the years.
It's still a heart stopper of a bill, even if you have the funds set aside to pay it....

Looking at last August as a guideline, I don't see any unusual or reoccurring large bills coming due this month.   We will have a large credit card bill to pay fully in August(from charges for the vacation trip)but that has been budgeted for & that part of the bill will be funded from sources besides the monthly income.  The only unusual charges will be for any of the various repairs/upgrades we need to do on the home and possibly for the purchase of a new freezer.

But I am determined to get through August frugally and meet our monthly goal of $2,500 saved this month.
It's going to be a challenge this month so cross your fingers I meet that goal!

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $19,782.91 in Savings.  To save $30K for the year, we need to put away $2,500 per month average, at this point in the year we need to have $17,500 saved. With the extra paycheck in July we are looking good for meeting our Savings Challenge for the year!

So how was your July financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!


Sluggy

JULY Budget Results....Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JULY 2010.

I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in July.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom information.

These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(between 5 & 2 at home this month) & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $16.00
Value $62.94
Savings  74.58%

BIG LOTS
OOP $31.04
Value $52.66
Savings  41.06%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $61.25
Qs/Ads $37.81
Value $99.06
Savings  38.17%

FAMILY DOLLAR
OOP $21.19
Qs/Ads $11.19
Value $32.38
Savings  34.84%

FARM MARKET

OOP  $12.55
Value  $21.89(compared to same items' prices at grocery store)
Savings  42.64%

PRICE CHOPPER

OOP  $6.95
Qs/Ads $16.93
Value  $23.88
Savings  70.90%

RITE AID
OOP $23.51 (whole amount put on Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $412.55
Value $436.06
Savings 94.41% before gift cards/ 100% savings after gift cards

WALMART("that" store)
OOP $8.96
Qs/Ads $5.00
Value $13.96
Savings  35.82%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $126.39
Qs/Ads $127.74
Value $254.13
Savings  50.26%

I don't track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN JULY

Kraft(2 different rebates)...$30.00
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR....$58.98
Subtotal........$94.98

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
MyBlogSpark Cheerios Giveaway $25 Visa Gift Card
Rite-Aid $35 in Gift Cards($25+$5 bonus Skin Care & $5?-can't remember for what)
Rite-Aid RX Transfer $25 Gift Card

Subtotal....$85.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$179.98

FREE ITEMS

Vocalpoint Crystal Lite Samples
DiGiorgno Pizza
Huggies Diapers Pack

COUPONS

$2/1 Bounty Towels
$2/1 Crystal Light (multiple)

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, Bakery Outlet at 74.58% and Price Chopper at 70.90%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$294.04
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$724,25
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1018.29
TOTAL Savings of..........71.13%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$94.98
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$199.06
TOTAL Savings of..................................80.45%

This closes out the July spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
I stayed under my $200 budgeted amount for JULY by .94¢! after rebates were applied.  It was an expensive month as I bought alot of meat in July for stocking up purposes.

What's ahead for August 2010.....

I am setting the August 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget at $300.
Why?
Because we have 4 at home now and all 5 family members by the latter part of the month.
Because there may be a family picnic lurking at the end of the month which will add to the food expenses.
Because I plan on packing the freezer with farm bought bulk buys of some veggies for the winter and this month is when things will be ready for harvesting and purchasing.

As always, any rebates received this month will be added to the food budget spending.  I have few outstanding rebates at the moment so there will be little extra cash to cover food expenses in this way for August.

With half of the year behind us, we have averaged $170.35 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens.

How did you do in July with your Food Budget?  Leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy

I'm Back....From the Sea(Food)!

       Photo courtesy of LOL Dogs(http://ihasahotdog.com/)

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

-excerpt from "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll


Yep!
Like the Walrus & The Carpenter and the pup above, I eated it......I eated allll over Maine and I eated it ALL....but it was NO Hot Dog!lol

Not quite Oysters tho.....
But....
It was clams....

and scallops....

and clams....

and haddock....

and clams.....

and lobster....

and clams....

and shrimp....

and did I mention CLAMS yet?

And not those nasty rubber band tasting/texturing clam strips you get frozen in the grocery store.

It was whole, full bellied Ipswich clams!
Mmmmmmm......


Oh and then there was the excitement on the trip home....
and then the *fun bonus* after I got home later that night, which stretched into even *MORE FUN* for the next 2 days.
I will spare you the lovely pictures of the Fun Bonus Times later in the week(when I get around to recounting the trip and it's aftermath).

So I'm back online and slowly getting up to speed and getting laundry done and my bad self's head back in the game called REAL LIFE.
And I'm doing it kicking and screaming in protest the entire way!!!
Ayuh....

So bear with me as I move rather slowly with new posts and tying up old business from last month, and most importantly as I catch up with all my online friends' blogs and lives.

It was so nice to get away but it's always nice to come home....
Stay tuned for more. ;-)

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"


"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.


"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

Sluggy

Swimming with the Loons

Hello from an undisclosed location!.....the photo & the post title should give you some hints. ;-)

I bet ya'll had thought I had fallen off the face of the Earth.
Nope.

I am alive and well somewhere near the location of the photo above.

I finally got internet access for awhile and thought I'd check in.

I still have seafood to eat and Rite-Aids to pillage but should be home and back online by Saturday.
So keep on keepin' on being frugal and I'll be seeing ya'll soon.

Sluggy

Picking Time #2....Some Variety Finally!

Go figure......as soon as we decide to hit the road on a vacation, our garden starts producing!
Ack...
Why didn't we think to tell it that we were leaving it weeks ago!!lol

We harvested our 1st whopper of a tomato about a week ago.
Here it is....

Purty, huh?
Now look at it again, with the object beside it to show the scale.....

And no, it is NOT suppose to be a cherry tomato.lol
It's an Early Girl or some such nonsense.

This BEHEMOTH added another 2 ounces to our production total.

Moving on-
Here are some goodies we picked yesterday....

4 yellow summer squash
3 tomatoes(around the size of the last one/off of the same set of plants)
1 Italian roasting pepper(or so the nursery guy called it)
1 small light green pepper(the stem broke off the plant and it was either take it now or let it rot)

All together this crop and the behemoth were 3lb. 7oz.

Since I'm leaving shortly, I'll cook up the squash today and throw everything else into the freezer and deal with it when I get back.
Some of the cauliflower needs picking soon as well as some green beans & pickling cukes.  I've got someone to pick things while I am away so nothing will go to waste.
No zucchini here....waiting on the female blooms still.

Garden Harvest Weight Total to date....15 lb. 5.4 oz.

What's new in your garden?


Sluggy

Shopping & Decluttering & Donating....Oh My!

We had a busy Tuesday here.
First off I had to go have blood drawn.  The nurse couldn't find my vein so I got stuck in both arms...ugh.

Then I finally hauled this off to the local Food Bank....

7 x Feminine Pads
4 x Kids Soap
14 x Cat Treats *Not pictured
1 x Cat Litter *Not pictured
12 x Hot Sauce
2 x Pasta Noodles
2 x Pasta Sauce
4 x Peanut Butter
10 x Canned Peas
2 x Canned Pasta
3 x Barbecue Sauce *Not pictured

Donation Total....61 Items
Plus I gave them a check for $100 per my JUNE FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE pledge.

Yearly Food Bank Donation Total....227 + $100
April....78
May....88
July....61

I didn't get a chance to lay it all out nice on the table this time before it went into the car but here is what Hubs hauled up to Salvation Army....

And more on the backseat....

ALL NEW ITEMS
9 Cube World Toys
3 packs Halloween Make-up
2 Lamps
1 Set of 4 Glass Goblets
2 Boyds Glass Xmas Ornaments
2 Boxes of Beanie Baby Cards
1 Book on Tape/Audio Book
2 Matted Art Prints
1 Homer Simpson Talking Cookie Jar
1 Small Soldiers Animated Bank

USED ITEMS
5 Halloween Costumes
Metal Folding Plant Shelf
Gettysburg Army Men Set
Baseball Glove
Dog Dish
10 Theater Books
Fisher Price Pirate Ship and Accessories
8 Stuffed Animals
10 Mark Twain Books

Total Items for this Donation....62

April Total....96
May Total....72
June Total....45
July Total....107
Yearly Total to Date....320 Items.


Yearly Total for all Donations(Salvation Army & Food Bank) so far.....547 items + $100


#2 son had a sleepover last night so I had to hit the grocery store for 'necessities' like chips, pepperoni for the pizzas I made them, milk, popcorn, to the tune of $12.20.  Add in the bag of healthy chips I wanted to try(I did have a coupon) and the bag of dog food for $1.99(again, with a coupon.lol)and the bill came to $16.42.

And a trip to Rite-Aid, probably the only one for this week's sales since we have packing and stuff to do before we leave for vacation.

2 x StayFree Pads on sale $3.00=$6.00
2 x Nivea Men's Body Wash on sale $1.99=$3.98
1 x Olay Total Effects Body Wash w/20% discount=$3.99
1 x Ivory Soap 4 pack w/20% discount=$2.63
1 x Colgate Total Toothpaste on sale $3 but 20% discount greater=$2.95
1 x Reach Dental Floss on sale=$.99
1 x Reach Toothbrush on sale $3.99 but 20% discount greater=$3.59
SubTotal....$24.13

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 Purchase AdPerks(my only one! sniff)=$5.00
1 x BOGO StayFree ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 StayFree ManuQ(from some magazine I had)=$1.00
1 x $4/2 Nivea Body Wash IPQ=$4.00*
I x $4/1 Olay Total Effects ManuQ=$4.00
1 x Buy One OlayTF/Get One Ivory Product free ManuQ=$3.00**
1 x $1/1 Colgate Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Reach Floss or Toothbrush IPQ=$1.00*
1 x $1/1 Reach Toothbrush ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total....$23.00

$24.13-$23.00=$1.13 OOP put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO out of pocket

I qualified for SCR#80 $2.99(Reach Toothbrush)=$2.99
The Reach Toothbrush, Colgate Paste and Reach Floss also qualify toward SCR #556, so I have $7.53 toward the $15 needed to earn a $5 Rite-Aid Gift Card.

I also earned +UPs in the amount of $8 for this transaction....2 x $1(Nivea), $1(Reach Tbrush), $3(Colgate), $2(J&J-StayFree).
Yes, each Nivea Body Wash triggered a separate +UP in the same transaction.

*Both the Nivea and the Reach IPQs beeped as the amount of the item was 1 cent below the coupon value. The cashier had to manually imput them into the register.
**The cashier insisted on marking the Ivory Soap Q for $3.00, even though I told her twice the soap only rang up $2.63 because of my Wellness discount.  Well you can't say I didn't try....lol

So $1.13 on gift card/oop and getting back $2.99 in rebates and $8 more in +UPs to spend.
It's a fine way to start the new SCR period for August.

MONTHLY TOTALS-AUGUST Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......1
Total Spent....$1.13--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$37.21
SCR qualified for....$2.99 in cash and $0 in Gift Cards
Other Cash....$0
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$8.00

Total 'Spent'...$1.13(on gift cards)
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$2.99
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$0
+Up Rewards left to spend=$24.00(including the $9 that didn't print last week)

Today, Wednesday, is more packing, cleaning the car EGADS!, gardening and making lists for the trip, for the kids chores and last minute checklists, cooking, cleaning, laundry and then a dip in the pool & probably a nap since nobody got much sleep here last night...hmmm, I wonder if 3 teenage boys tromping around until 3am had anything to do with that.....ya think??lol

So what do you have up on deck today?

Sluggy

For Donna....As Promised!

A few weeks ago I won a blog contest over at Donna Freedman's blog, Surviving and Thriving.
Part of my win included a cute little alien critter that says various alien-like phrases when you whack him on the head.  I sort of like that whacking on the head thing, but I digress.

I had asked Donna to autograph the Alien before she sent him packing to PA.  I have a small collection of autographs, both photos and objects.  The signatures range from famous people to the even better type of people, those I consider my friends. ;-)
I promised Donna that if she signed old green butted Alien dude I would put her/him right next to my Bruce Willis.  It's only appropriate because Donna and Bruce are fellow Jerseyites and they are both "hot" babes.

Well my Alien dude arrived late last week-Thanks Donna!-but alas, without a signature as his alien form proved to be 'unsignable'.
But he arrived holding a card attesting to his unsignability, handwritten and autographed by Ms. Freedman.  That is good enough for me and my collection!

So without further ado........Donna meet Bruce....Bruce, Donna.....

May you dwell together happily for many years to come in my dining room hutch.

Be sure to check out Donna's frugality/personal finance blog.  She's one smart tough cookie!

Sluggy

Another 2010 BORING BLOG BOX of FUN GIVEAWAY is OPEN! Box #3

This is the 3rd Sluggy's BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY for 2010!

It's time again for a Boring Giveaway.
I run a Boring Blog here so why not giveaway boring stuff, right?

Just to recap, I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.  The stuff can range from HBA, food, toys, collectibles, home decor or books.  Someday if enough people click on enough ads and this blog makes some cold hard cash, I may add a gift card, so get to clicking already!!lol

For all you Primping Princesses, here is what went into the Box today.....

1. 1 Dove Skin Vitalizer-it vibrates!lol
2. 2 Skin Vitalizer Pad Refills
3. N.Y.C. Cherry Lip Gloss

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways on THIS POST.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower---->


TIME TO ENTER.....

I entry per person on this POST.

When I post again about this BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY, entries on this Post will be CLOSED and you can post on the New Giveaway Post and enter again.  I hope this isn't too confusing. ;-)

Here are the ways to get UP TO 2 EXTRA entries PER POST.....

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with the URL of your blog. If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra comment.
2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog or on a Message Board.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST only with a link to your blog post or the message on the board.

You can do each of these 2 things once per post, so that's a total of up to 3 entries per person per post.
(*Sorry M & F...no daily entries this time because of the vacation.*)

Again, you can enter on this post until I put another Giveaway Post up and then you need to enter on the NEWER Post. 
FYI if you are new here....it generally takes 4 weeks to fill the box, so there will be 4 posts(give or take)about this Giveaway where you can enter to win up to 3 times.

Any questions?  Just email me at slugmama@yahoo.com

Oh yah, I pay for all the stuff in this giveaway and nobody(business or person) gives me stuff or pays me to hold them or promote their products.  I even pay the shipping just because I loves ya'll and....and.....that's how I roll!  ;-)

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

Lots of Rite-Aid Stuff from Last Week....And FINAL JULY SCR Period NUMBERS

I made 6 trips to Rite-Aid between 7/21 & 7/24 that I didn't post about yet.....*I hang my head in shame....for 6 trips or is it for not posting about it yet?lol*

 I had lots of $5 off $20 AdPerks Qs that were expiring on the 24th.  I also discovered a good deal using 2 of the Olay Qs from the P&G insert that is expiring on the 31st....the $4/1 Olay Total Effects and the Buy an Olay Total Effects Body Wash/Get an Ivory Product FREE(up to $3).

By using my 20% wellness discount at Rite-Aid, I could get the Total Effects Body Wash for between $4.23-$3.99(depending on which Rite-Aid I went to).  The Ivory Soap 4 packs were between $2.79 & $2.63 as well so I could get those free with the 2nd Q.  Meaning for every pair of items I bought I either paid .23¢ for both or got both free(again, depending on which store I went to).

2 x Olay Total Effects w/20% discount=$8.46
2 x Ivory Soap packs w/20% discount=$5.58
2 x Burger King Snacks on sale BOGO=$2.19
2 x TwinLabs Energy Drinks on sale BOGO1/2=$2.98
2 x Mounds Candy Bars on sale .50¢=$1.00
SubTotal...$20.21

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks Q=$5.00
2 x $4/1 Olay TE ManuQ=$8.00
2 x BOGO Ivory ManuQ=$5.58
1 x $1/2 Burger King Snacks IPQ=$1.00
1 x .50/2 Mounds Bars AdPerks Q=$.50
Coupon Total....$20.08

$20.21-$20.08=$.13 OOP put on free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket

There was a $5 +Up reward on TwinLabs supplements last week & the energy drinks qualified so I got a $5 +UP Reward for every 2 products I bought.  The drinks cost $2.98 and gave back a $5 +UPs so I was ahead $2.02 for every pair of drinks(1 pair per transaction).

Next up we have....

2 x Olay Total Effects
2 x Ivory Soap 4 packs
2 x TwinLabs Energy Drinks
1 x Oral B Toothbrush on sale=$2.99
1 x Cover Girl Mascara on sale=$6.99 *The variety I tried to buy that qualified for the rebate didn't ring up on sale so I had to get this one...poop!
SubTotal...$26.20

Coupons totaled...$24.26 including $5 in +Up Rewards I redeemed.
I spent $1.94 OOP put on a free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket.
I earned $7.50 in +UPs($5 for energy drinks, $1.50 for toothbrush).

The following day I did this....

1 x Visine Red Eye w/20% discount=$5.83
2 x Color Burst Lipsticks 40% off=$10.78($5.39 ea.)
1 x Motrin PM w/20% discount=$5.03
SubTotal...$21.64
Coupons totaled...$20.00(including a $5/$20 and a $5 +UPs redeemed)
$1.64 OOP put on Gift Card so ZERO out of pocket

I earned $7 in +Ups but only the Revlon Lipstick one printed($4).
I have a full price rebate form for the Visine so after submitting for that I'll receive $5.83 back.

I realized during the week that the 8 pack Duracell, of which the stores did NOT have but had bonus 10 packs instead were NOT qualifying for the Duracell $10 SCR.  So instead of having $20+ spent in batteries I only had $4.99 at this point, with the rebate period ending on Saturday.  So we struck out on Saturday to do 3 transactions and get enough battery credits to qualify for the rebate.

Hubs did this transaction....

2 x Duracell 20+5 packs on sale $10=$20.00
2 x Almond Joy Bars on sale.50=$1.00
Subtotal...$21.00

Coupons totaled.....$15.50(included a $5 off $20, a .50/2 candy bar AdPerks Q, a $1/1 Duracell Peelie and $9 in +UPs.
I spent $5.83 OOP put on that trusty old free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO OOP.
I qualified for $10 Duracell SCR.

Then I did this transaction....

1 Zegerid=$10.00
2 Garnier Face Scrub=$10.38($5.19 ea. w/20% discount)
1 Nut Mix on sale=$3.99
1 Lypsyl w/20% discount=$2.39
SubTotal.....$26.76

Coupons
1 $5 off $25 wellness Adperks Q=$5.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid AdPerks Q=$3.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid In-Ad Q=$3.00
1 $3/1 Zegerid IPQ from manu. website=$3.00
2 $5/1 Garnier Face stuff In-Ad Q=$10.00
1 $2/1 Garnier Face stuff ADPerks Q=$2.00
Coupon Total...$26.00

$26.76-$26.00=$.76OOP put on gift card so ZERO out of pocket
I earned $10 in +UPs but only the Garnier printed($3).
There is a TRY ME FREE rebate on the Lypsyl so I'll submit that one for the BIL for a $2.39 rebate.

And last but not least.....

1 Olay Total Effects w/20% discount=$3.99
1 Ivory Soap 4pack w/20% discount=$2.63
2 Garnier Shampoo on sale=$6.00
1 TwinLabs Energy Drinks on sale=$2.98
1 St Ives Face Wash on sale=$3.49
1 Liquid Plumr on sale=$3.49
1 Cover Girl Mascara on sale=$6.99
2 Coke 6packs(for our trip)=$6.00 **Not Pictured
SubTotal...$35.57

Coupons Used
1 $5 off $25 wellness AdPerks Q=$5.00
1 $4/1 Olay TE ManuQ=$4.00
1 BOGO Ivory Product=$4.99**
2 $1/1 Garnier IPQ(manu website)=$2.00
2 $1/1 Garnier hair product AdPerks Q=$2.00
1 $2/1 St. Ives face product=$2.00
1 $1/2 Cokes In-Ad Q=$1.00
$4.50 in +Ups used($3Garnier & $1.50 OralB)=$4.50
Coupon Total....$25.49

$35.57-$25.49=$10.08+$.29tax=$10.37OOP put on free Rite-Aid gift card so ZERO out of pocket
I earned $7 in +UPs($1 Garnier, $1 Liquid Plumr, $5 Energy Drinks).

**My total should have been higher, as it looks like the cashier took off the full price of the Olay product($4.99)instead of the Ivory product($2.63).  So I got a serendipitous $2.36 extra off my purchases this time.
In addition.....I've spent over $30 in Olay/Pantene/Cover Girl/Secret, Venus products so I can send for the $10 off $30 rebate that runs until the end of Sept. HERE.


Totals for these 4 days....
Number of Transactions....6
Value of items purchased...$203.05
Money Spent.....$19.67--all put on Gift Cards so $0.00 out of pocket
+Ups Earned....$32.50($10 of it didn't print)
SCR qualified for...$2.00-Cover Girl(since I already added in the $10 Duracell earlier this week)
Other rebates....$18.22


FINAL MONTHLY TOTALS-JULY Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......18
Total Spent....$28.58--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$669.87
SCR qualified for....$35.98 in cash and $30 in Gift Cards & 1 pack of diapers
Other Cash....$29.27(I put the $3.40 refund here.)
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$61.50

Total 'Spent'...$28.58(on gift cards)
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$65.25
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$30.00
+Up Rewards left to spend=$16.00(including the $9 that didn't print)


Sluggy

Monday Afternoon Drinks and Sit Down

It's been a busy morning here at Chez Sluggy.

It's time for a brief sit down before tackling some more chores around the house....so grab a drink and a chair.

Hubs is home from work on vacation so we are trying to get some things done....phone calls, tying up loose ends of things, like dealing with the govt. bureaucracy in regards to his mother, dealing with the high school Young Scholars Program(seniors who take college courses while in high school), and finding a missing shoe for #1 son.  Just 1 shoe is missing and we can't seem to locate it.  He's suppose to attend a wedding next weekend out near camp and Hubs is dropping off his dress clothes when he goes to pick up daughter on Thursday.  I guess I'll have to get involved in this Search & Rescue Mission shortly.....
Men will give up 4 seconds after looking for something and ask the woman in their lives where something is that's misplaced.  Why do all men think that a uterus is an internal tracking system?!?

Because the humidity broke finally, #2 son and I went to storage this morning and dug through boxes and I've come up with more donation items for Salvation Army.  I also found some more boxes of toys for eBay come September.

I also discovered that I do indeed need to do the Flea Market one more time.
This will happen after the kids go back to school in September, after Labor Day Weekend when the weather is a bit cooler.  Hubs says Sept. and don't wait until Oct. like last year because we froze our butts off then.
Even though lugging everything there is a hassle I'd much rather do that than set up in the garage and have to sit there all day waiting for people to come and buy stuff.  It goes much faster at the flea market...sell for 4 hours and bug out by noon!

The big news is that we are leaving Friday for a vacation...yay!!  I REAL vacation this year.  I can't wait!!
The trip was sort of last minute scrambling to put together but we found a place to stay plus we'll be staying with friends for part of it too.  The 1st part of the trip we are staying in an RV so I need to get bed linens, cooking items(pots, dishes, utensils, etc.)as well as coolers and food packed(thank you stockpile!lol).  First I need to empty my car out from this morning and take a load up to the food bank too.

With all that needs doing I don't know how I'm going to fit in a trip to Rite-Aid this week!lolol

I've got a ZEVIA soft drink review and giveaway on deck but with leaving town, that will be put on hold onto I return since I won't have internet while I'm away. 

But stay tuned later today for a new BORING BLOG BOX GIVEAWAY to start....woohoo!  I can start that one now and just hope Marilyn & Frances don't crash Blogger's system while I am away...lolol ;-)

Sluggy

The Holiday Spending Has Commenced!

Last Sunday, when I was at Big Lots buying food and canning jars with my 20% off coupon, I also began my Christmas gift buying.

First off let me say that we don't do a lot of commercially bought gifting at the Holidays.  I am on my 4th year as a member of The Compact Group(check them out on Yahoo Groups), so I don't do indiscriminate 'stuff buying' as a rule.  Not even at thrift stores or yard sales either.  I figure I spent the first 45 yrs. of my life acquiring 'things', so I'll spent the bulk of my time during the next 45 yrs. getting rid of stuff or using up the stuff I already have.

That's not to say that I don't buy things but it's only after a long and thoughtful process of figuring out it's really REALLY needed or wanted.

So anyway, since our kids are past the 'toy' stage, we don't buy much stuff anymore at the Holidays.  Being teens they do constantly want more expensive things but we keep the amount we spend on them turned down a few notches on the expense knob and generally they receive a few articles of clothing(which THRILL them to no end...lol!), and either gift cards, cash or 1 big ticket item.  So for the kids, I only usually buy/acquire 10 or so gift items total each Christmas.  Hubs and I only exchange a token gift or two since there is not much we need that we don't have already and if there is something we really really want, we can just go out and buy it ourselves.
We have few relatives outside of our immediate family and we generally give food items to them.  All of our friends live distances away so we send Christmas cards only if we get the energy and time.

That leaves the stocking stuffers.   I enjoy hunting around for the stocking gifts.  I don't care to just do generic stocking gifts(everyone gets the same thing kind of gifts-like a cheese log, socks, and candy canes).  I try to tailor the stuffers to the recipient.
Our stockings do have some 'traditional for us' gift requirements.
Everyone gets either socks or undies in their stocking.
Everyone gets a couple of personal hygiene items(shampoo, deodorant, make-up for the gals, combs, toothbrush, etc.)
Everyone gets a candy treat.
The rest of the space in the stockings I try to fill with interesting items I find throughout the year.  Mostly I try to find useful items but sometimes I do buy something totally wasteful, cheap and fun...gasp!
 

Here is what I picked up last Sunday for Christmas....

3 pack of Hot Sauce, 3 pack of Socks, 3 pack of Undies.  Guess which one my sons are NOT getting?lol
With the low price at Big Lots and my discount I spent a grand total of $9.60.

So I only have 2 more socks/undies gifts to acquire now for the stockings.(1 for #1 son and 1 for Hubs).

As for the personal hygiene stuffer items.....I have that MORE than covered with all my Rite-Aid free goodies!
I'll wait until closer to the Holidays to pick up their candy items(unless I see something uber cool before then that will store well).
So my stocking stuffers list is down to 2 socks/undies gifts, 3 candy/treat gifts and then the 4-8  'special' wacky gifts.

I'll be working on a list this week, of possible items to pick up in the coming months, to finish off what I need to gather for the Holiday gifting.  I'll keep my eyes peeled and try to pick up meaning items on sale/clearance/ for cheap.  Everything goes into a designated box hidden in the house so that when December rolls around I can find it all.  There is nothing worse than buying throughout the year for the Holidays and then NOT being able to FIND IT when you need it! 
Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt as they say....

I always hope to be finished or at least have all my purchases planned out by Dec. 1.(Some gift cards I wait until then to purchase but I've decided on which/what by Dec. 1.) 
That leaves me free from shopping stress in December so I can do other things during the Holiday Season besides fight someone in Macy's over who's going to buy that ugly sweater in our paws.

I usually spend around $850 total for the Holidays.  That includes $200 per kid, $50 for spouse and $200 for all other items(cards, baking, meal, decorating, etc.)  If I do mail gifts of food, this amount doesn't include postage/shipping.  This amount also doesn't include what Hubs spends on me....he is the loose canon in this budget.lol
Now our family does spend about on par with what they say the typical American family spends at the Holidays.  Let me say that we don't buy 'stuff' for our kids all year round like many parents do.  No xboxes are purchases just because someone here whines that they are bored or such and I don't lay out big money for name branded jeans, shoes, 'fill in the blank', etc.  Birthday presents are modest so Christmas is the ONE TIME in the year our kids get the neat stuff.

And since we have no debt at all, we can afford to spend this amount.
And since we budget for this expense all year($16.35 a week put away), we have the CASH and don't put any purchases on CREDIT!

And if you need to use credit for the Holidays, perhaps you should step back and consider what a bad idea that is before you pull out the Visa card again.....
Don't put your financial life in jeopardy for gifts that no one will remember a year from now and you'll still be paying for in 10 years!
Make this a CASH ONLY CHRISTMAS!  You will be so glad you did.....

Since my family doesn't read my blog, I'll post here in the coming months what I buy and keep a running tab on what I've spent.
2010 Christmas Spending Total....$9.60

Here is an interesting article on Skipping the Holidays Expenses HERE.  Let me know what you think about it.

Have you started your Holiday spending yet?  
Do you have family stocking traditions?
Do you have a budgeted amount for it or do you just buy and buy?
Do you put your Holidays on credit cards?

Sluggy

Saturday Around the Yard

For all my friends out there roasting in this awfully hot day, here is a photo you might appreciate about now......

I know *I* feel MUCH cooler now....how about you?! ;-)

Oh, what a difference 6 months makes, huh?lol


I spent the morning running around to Rite-Aids trying to use up my $5 off $20 coupons that are expiring tonight.  And 2 of my +Ups didn't print so I'll be calling Corp. Customer Service on Monday since I don't feel like hanging on the phone today in this heat.

Then to the grocery store to stock #2 son up on chicken nuggets.....well, I wanted chicken strips but they were out and a raincheck wouldn't help since the coupons expire today....ugh.....so nuggets it was...and he's rather have nuggets despite the awful way they are made....double ugh....but at least he's happy.
No marked down meats today since I went so early but that's ok since I am still fairly stocked up.  That's not to say that I didn't buy anything because my receipt says I spent $37.84!  The nuggets ended up being $3 a bag after sale and coupons but I also bought iceberg lettuce at full retail(ugh), milk, a can of crabmeat on sale and blocks of cheese on sale 1/2 price.

Then home to make an early dinner and feed any stray teens hanging around as well.  And a long leisurely float in the pool while avoiding the teens as they jump in and sling boogie boards around.
Then some watering of the garden plants and some quick photos of same....

Remember the photo of my volunteer tomato plants from June?...

Here they are now.....

And they have lots of blooms too now!
Unless we suffer some catastrophe between now and harvest time, we will be needing tons of butternut squash recipes.  The butternut vines are taking over the beds and the yard now!  Here is our largest so far....

This one is about 6 inches long now and on a vine that climbed over the netting we have strung up for fencing.  Here are two of the vines that have escaped from the garden bed....

Here's a teeny tiny squash on one of them....

Here's a shot of something I planted that the nursery guy said was an Italian Roasting Pepper....

You can't really tell from this photo but they grow upside down with the bottom toward the sky and as they get bigger they turn their bottoms toward the ground.  There is one upside down, one halfway down and the largest one is now growing right side up.  Now did that make any sense or has the heat fried what is left of my brain today?lol

Here is a cuke rainforest....

They have run amok!!!  I am scared to even look in there because I just know there is a cucumber the size of Cleveland lurking within, ready to eat us!

And here is one of the cauliflower heads.....

There are now one on each of the 6 plants, ranging from golf ball sized to water balloon sized?.....what would you say comes after softball sized?....all I could think about is a water balloon.lolol

I have seen 2 'friends' in the garden so far(not counting the Japanese beetles that just arrived or the white moth things munching on the leaves)--a nice big garter snake & a baby bunny that's been hanging around.  Though I haven't seen more than 1 at a time I can lay money that where there is 1 baby bunny, there are more brothers and sisters.lol   I've been trying to get a pic of said bunny(or is it bunnies?)but she/he is too fast or I am too slow with the camera.  I'll keep trying though.

Oh and remember my poor lemon magnolia tree that bloomed and then we got a hard frost back in April?....all the blooms and leaves turned brown, curled up and fell off......

Well, you'll be happy to know that she recovered from her springtime trauma & is looking quite glorious now.....

So how is your garden doing this week? 

Sluggy

Win Free Stuff!

Ok, now that my Title got your attention.....go on over to Lisa B's Blog-EASY FRUGAL LIVING-and enter her CSN giveaway.
The link is HERE.

Annie Jones is still on a quest to win a Gift Certificate from CSN to purchase a Sundial.
Me?....I have my eye on a few things but can't make up my mind yet.

Lisa B's Giveaway ends Sunday night(July 25th)so get a move on and go on over and enter!

Sluggy

MIA.....I'm so Glad I'm Back!

This has been me for the past 36 hours.
Stuck like a dog up a tree..me without an internet connection.....Oh my Gawd!

I just got back online this evening.  I've been going cold turkey since yesterday in the wee hours of the morning.
Did anyone miss me?
I sure missed ALL OF YA'LL!

Seriously.
Missed.
Ya'll.

I'm wading through my 150+ emails and catching up on all the blogs I read.....this should keep me busy through the weekend!lolol

We spent the first 24 hours trying to diagnose the problem....would have been quicker if our ISP didn't keep putting us on hold for hours and hours...grrrrrr!!!
The culprit this time turned out to be the wireless router.  This is the 3rd one we have "offed" in as many years!  And the last one was supposed to be the best one out there...ugh!
I am soooo tired of buying these things.

I spent the last day and a half cleaning stuff(bedroom), organizing stuff(garage & storage), taking some photos, rubbing dog bellies, running off to Rite-Aid, taking #2 son to assorted music practices/lessons and trying not to melt from the heat....oh, and cursing the computer, the ISP, the cable company, Bill Gates, and anybody else who got caught in my crosshairs.

Tomorrow the temperature is suppose to be brutal here so I'll have plenty of time to sit on the computer in the a/c'ed room and write blog posts while I'm not submerged in the pool or avoiding cooking.  I think I'll make hubs cook something outside on the grill since the deck will be scorching hot at that time of day. 

Hubs started his vacation from work this evening so he'll be around 24/7 for the next couple of weeks.  He has promised to clean his piece of the garage this weekend. 
Can I say I ain't holding my breath?lol

I've got a couple of trips to Rite-Aid and to the grocery store planned Saturday in the morning before it gets too warm to be in the car.  

Sunday I'm hitting Staples first thing for a FREE BACKPACK(after Easy Rebate/Rewards).  I get my ink there so instead of paying cash for it, when the reward comes in I'll use that to pay.  I would be spending money there anyway on the ink, so might as well get the free backpack instead of spending money on one some place else, right?

Other than that we don't have any plans.  Just keeping cool and puttering around the garden some.

What does everyone else have planned for the weekend?


Sluggy

Anti-Coupon Article + Bloggers=Much Ado About Nothing!

Ok folks.....there is a little nondescript article that popped up on Yahoo!Finance on Monday.  It is located HERE. 
Within 48 hours it went VIRAL all over Coupon/Frugal Blogland. 
All the Coupon Divas(big and small) and a fair number of the Frugalista Bloggers have posted about their outrage at this article & saying the author of said article is just so misinformed!

And all I can sit here and do is laugh.....laugh at the article and laugh at the fact that all these bloggers have their knickers in such a twist over this thing!
I don't know but it seems like everyone has taken this piece of writing as a personal affront to their philosophy and their whole way of life!
And many bloggers have posted rebuttals to this article.

Let's all lighten up, ok?
It's just one person's view.
And actually, it's NOT her view.
She's a hack writer....someone who writes online articles to make $$.  To pay her bills. 
If you do some research on her, you'll soon find that she's also written articles PRO coupons and such as well as her CON coupons stuff.

She writes whatever they want to pay her to write on.
This gives her 'opinion' NO WEIGHT on these matters in my book.
She'll go whichever way the wind is blowing the Cash!

WHO CARES what she thinks!....er, not thinks because we can't tell what she 'thinks'...who cares what she writes about is more accurate.
This article is not even worth the fuss and certainly not worth the bandwidth it's taking up.

Hey!....if you use coupons, you KNOW it's a good thing.
So stop with the knee-jerk reactions and trying to justify what you do to the world-at-large.
Be at peace with yourself and IGNORE this thing....it will be going away soon enough.

Sluggy

CHEERIOS Giveaway WINNER!

Ok, we had 69 valid entries for the Cheerios "Do What You Love" Giveaway.
I plugged in the parameters at Random.Org and it spit out number 49.

And the 49th entry belongs to.....

Kristie Kay's Blog said...

I am following you.

July 16, 2010 5:42 PM 

Congratulations Kristie Kay!

Please email me your shipping address as well as your phone number so I can forward the info. on to the fine folks at MyBlogSpark and they can get your prizes in the mail to you.

I want to thank everyone who entered, especially all the new Followers here at Don't Read This; It's Boring!.  I do hope ya'll you signed up just for the contest do try to stick around awhile and read and comment on my little blog.  You might just like it here.  Besides, I LIKE having over 100 Followers..... ;-)

And I have a new BORING BOX Giveaway all set to launch within the week, as well as another Review and Giveaway for a 'refreshing' Product.

Soooo, don't change that dial!

Sluggy

SonyaAnn's Funk has moved East...

I've got a bit of a funk going here.
We've been having issues with one of our beagles, Peanut.
He's also my eBay auction Mascot in all my listings there if you've ever perused them.
He's also one of the doggies in my Blogger and Facebook photos....

(Cherry on the left, Peanut on the right)

Anyway, he's been having urination issues in the house.  This from the dog that NEVER went in the house before! 
But he's getting old so you figure it's a medical problem. 
But he's also the Alpha dog here, has always been stubborn and getting "crotchety old man syndrome" so it could be a behavioral issue.

So we took him to the vet a couple months ago just to be sure if it was medical or behavioral.
The vet put him on antibiotics since the urine test showed he had an infection.
And then we did a second course of antibiotics since the first course didn't knock out the infection.
The third test showed he still had the infection.....and he was still peeing in the house.
At this point the vet wanted to rule out kidney stones or a tumor in the bladder.

So last week Peanut, the biggest Alpha male WIMP DOG you ever saw had to be sedated so they could x-ray him and do some tests.  This is the dog that 'stress sheds' as soon as you put him on the exam table at the vet's.  The hair literally falls off of him like dry needles off an old Christmas tree....
He is such a baby.lol

And we got to the bottom of his issue.
It's cancerous tumors of the bladder.
And surgery is Not an option because it's not just 1 or 2 little tumors.....there are more tumors than you can count on both hands spread throughout the bladder lining.

So he is on some medications to slow the growths down but it's just a matter of time for him.
I can deal with the daily accidents as long as he is still eating & I know he is not in pain.

We found out the prognosis on my oldest son's birthday....and Peanut is his dog.
I just hope he hangs on until #1 son gets home from his summer job....

Sluggy

Oh Goody....a Coupon in the Mail!

I hope you read the above title with a heavy dose of sarcasm in your mind.
I did receive this big glossy note with a coupon on it in yesterday's mail.....

It's a $2 off Q for a newish Nature Made natural sleep aid called...."SLEEP".  Rite-Aid went to all the trouble & expense to send out this cool fancy coupon that I should take to their stores to go buy this product.
One little teeny tiny itsy bitsy problem though....
Well I'll give you a hint since my camera sucks at taking clear close-up shots.....

The coupon expiration date is July 15th.
Yesterday was July 19th.
And this mailer came ALL THE WAY from Harrisburg PA.....under 100 miles away!
Imagine if it went across country!

All that wasted money to send me an already expired coupon.....
Thanks Rite-Aid for thinking of me!!! 8-(

Sluggy

Good Deal on Blink Tears at Rite-Aid

Ok...if you can find the Blink Tears container with the 25 single-use vials at your Rite-Aid and if it has a $4 Peelie on it, and if this is a product you use or can use, for gosh sakes buy it!

Why?
Because there is a $5 SCR on it(#28)this month.
So after you pay the $10.99 price, use the coupon and get the rebate back, it will cost you $1.99.
Even better....if you have a 10% Wellness discount, it will cost you $.89.
And if you have a 20% Wellness discount, it will be better than free...$8.79-$4/1Q=$4.79 and you get $5 Rebate back!

Sluggy

#2 & #3 Rite-Aid Trip this Week... Crazy Coupon Lady Drama!

So it was back to Rite-Aid Monday evening as I had to stop and gas up the SluggyMobile anyway.

1 x Zegerid on sale=$10.00
1 x Rembrandt Toothpaste w/Wellness Discount=$6.63
1 x Duracell Batteries(10 pack-8 pack w/bonus 2) w/Wellness Discount=$7.19
SubTotal...$23.82

**Ok, first off I didn't realize that the 8pack batteries w/the 2 bonus batteries wasn't going to ring up like the 8 packs advertised on sale for $4.99.  I didn't realize until after I gave the cashier all my coupons and paid the balance with my gift card.
It was suppose to be a SubTotal of $21.62, and I had a total of $21.00 in Qs to use, for a balance of $.62 to put on a gift card.
So when my balance was higher after handing over the Qs I added a Wellness/+Up I had, but the balance still seemed 'off'.

Used Coupons....
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks Q=$5.00
1 x $3/1 Zegerid IPManuQ(from website)=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Zegerid In-Ad Q=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Zegerid AdPerks Q=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Rembrandt ManuQ=$3.00
1 x $3/1 Rembrandt AdPerks Q=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Duracell ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $1 +Up Reward=$2.00
Coupon Total...$23.00

$23.82-$23.00=$.82 OOP.

I did notice that I didn't get a $1 +Up Reward for the battery purchase before leaving the store, so I brought it to their attention.  That's when we all noticed that the batteries hadn't rung up for $4.99.
***So if your store has the Bonus packs of 10 batteries and not the regular 8 Packs, they will NOT trigger the +Up Reward!!***
I told the evening Manager that I wanted the pack that got the +Up so she went over and couldn't find any and then remembered that the warehouse had only shipped them the bonus 10 packs so there were no packs in the store that gave you the +Ups.

I wasn't too happy at that point.....and you have to keep crazy couponing customers who carry scissors in their purses happy so she said she'd let me return the $7.19 batteries and then re-ring them for the sale price of $4.99-the $1 +Up which it wouldn't give me, paying $3.99 and not getting the $1 +Up.  That was the same difference to me so I said ok!
So I got a price adjustment of $3.40 BACK in Cash(diff. between $7.19 & $3.99 w/tax) and kept my 10 pack batteries.

Sooooo, I went into the store and gave them .82¢ off my gift card and left with $3.40 in cash and 3 items.
Yes, it all makes sense because of the extra couponage I was able to use when I was charged $7.19 for the batteries but walking out with cash instead of my coupons back sounds soooooo awesome!lolol

This morning was the dreaded Orthodontist appointment for #2 son.  Afterwards, I drug him over to my other fav. Rite-Aid to do my 3rd shop for the week.

2 x Finesse Shampoo on sale $2.50=$5.00
2 x Garnier Shampoo on sale $3.00=$6.00
1 x Rembrandt Toothpaste($7.99)w/Wellness discount=$6.39
1 x Duracell Batteries 8pack on sale=$4.99
1 x Starbucks drink(to placate #2 son)$2.69 w/Wellness discount=$2.15
SubTotal...$24.53

OK, so this store didn't have any reg. 8 packs of batteries as well, only the 10 bonus packs.
Ugh....more battery drama!  Why can't I buy stuff without drama attached?lol

PLUS they had the batteries sale signage up on the battery hooks($4.99 + gives $1 +Up Reward).  And I waited for her to ring the batteries up and they again, rang up $7.19--reg. price with my Wellness discount price, not $4.99.
Soooo I brought the price problem to her attention before I handed over my coupons, and she called over the manager for a consult.  And there was no drama this time and I didn't need to put on my Crazy Coupon Lady face, as the Manager right away said to give them to me for $3.99(the price -the $1 +Up it should have generated).
So my transaction looked like this instead.....

2 x Finesse Shampoo on sale $2.50=$5.00
2 x Garnier Shampoo on sale $3.00=$6.00
1 x Rembrandt Toothpaste($7.99)w/Wellness discount=$6.39
1 x Duracell Batteries 10/8 pack=$3.99
1 x Starbucks drink(to placate #2 son)$2.69 w/Wellness discount=$2.15
SubTotal...$23.53

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks Q=$5.00
1 x $1/1 Finesse Shampoo ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1/1 Garnier Shampoo IPQ from Garnier website=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Garnier AdPerks Q=$2.00
1 x $2/1 Rembrandt Toothpaste ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $3/1 Rembrandt AdPerks Q=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Peelie Q Duracell Batteries=$1.00
1 x $7 +Ups Reward=$7.00
Coupon Total....$23.00


$23.53-$23.00=$.53OOP put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO out of pocket
SCR qualified for...$10(Duracell), $1(Finesse)=$10.00
+Ups earned....$1(Finesse),$1(Garnier)=$2.00

These 2 Trips....
Total Spent...$1.35 put on Gift Card?....or $3.40 profit?...you decide!lol
Value of Items purchased...$66.50
SCRs earned....$10(Duracell complete)
+Ups earned....$7.00(Zegerid), $1(Garnier), $1(Finesse)

In other news......
I can't find a space in any Rite-Aid for the Smooth Move Tea.  Where do they hide it in your Rite-Aid?
And I just noticed that the Corned Beef Hash is on sale again too.....#2 son's favorite! I'll check my Qs and see if I can come up with 1 more trip to Rite-Aid for cheap and free!! ;-)


MONTHLY TOTALS-JULY Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......12
Total Spent....$8.91--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$466.82
SCR qualified for....$33.98 in cash and $30 in Gift Cards & free diapers
Other Cash....$11.05(I put the $3.40 refund here.)
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$27.00

Total 'Spent'...$8.38(on gift cards)
Total Cash I'm getting Back=$45.03
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$30.00
+Up Rewards left to spend=$5.00


Sluggy

"THAT" Place....A bit of Food Shopping

I had to take #2 son for marching practice shoes and we ended up at Walmart.
Monday afternoon is not as bad as the weekend at least...lol

I still had some $2/1 Pamper Wipes Qs expiring the end of the month to use.
#2 son found his cheap shoes and I found a few things too....

3 x Pampers Wipes $1.97=$5.91
2 x Tostitos $2.48=$4.96--lowest price I've seen around here for tortilla chips
1 x Jimmy Dean breakfast Sausage 2lb roll on clearance=$4.00
SubTotal....$14.87

Coupons Used
3 x $2/1 Pampers Wipes adjusted down=$5.91
Coupon Total...$5.91

$14.87-$5.91=$8.96

The sausage roll was on clearance, down from $5.98.  At $2 a lb., not a bad deal since the 1lb. rolls go for almost $4 here anyway.  I may have DH pick up some more tomorrow on the way home.


July Food Spending to Date....$159.86.

Sluggy

#1 Rite-Aid Trip this Week....Here Comes that Crazy Coupon Lady!

I stopped by Rite-Aid when I took #2 son out for marching shoes this afternoon, since it was on the way and I had all my Qs ready.lol

I would have been in and out quickly since I had planned what I was getting but the line at the register was 9 people long!  It was around 1pm and the only cashier was the Manager-the one who I intimidate.
I know....you're thinking no way I intimidate her.  We had an 'incident' once and I have waaaay overcompensated for it by being overly nice/profusely apologetic if it's my bad/kind/accommodating/jovial/etc. every time I deal with her.  I'm like a manic/depressive on a manic high with her...happy and friendly but a touch on the border of lunatic.  I bet she thinks I am crazy and she doesn't want to be the one I go off on.....and it helps to know that they all know I carry a pair of scissors in my purse at all time.  lol

She also knows that I KNOW what I am doing and I am not shy about speaking up if things go badly and she KNOWS I am a regular caller to Corp. Customer Service.  I think all of that just makes her flustered any time she has to wait on me.  Hey, it sure beats being harrassed and snarled at by the employees, right?! lolol

Well, as expected the transaction flew off the tracks right away......I grabbed the wrong diapers, she forgot to scan the $5 off $20 first and had to redo the whole thing, then I came up short and she couldn't use a coupon so had to give me back a different coupon because the one she used but should have given back to me was a serialized AdPerks and was now "dead".....oh, it was bunches of all kinds of fun!!!
But we got through it and came out aok on the other side....and I never stopped smiling...once!   ;-)

1 x Huggies on sale=$8.99
1 x 20 ct. Motrin PM($6.29)w/Wellness discount=$5.03
1 x Duracell Batteries 8 pk. on sale=$4.99
1 x Apricots on sale=$1.99
SubTotal....$21.00

Coupons Used
1 x $5 off $20 AdPerks Q=$5.00
1 x $1.50/1 Huggies ManuQ=$1.50
1 x $3/1 Mortin PM In-AdQ=$3.00
1 x $1/1 Motrin PM AdPerksQ=$1.00
1 x FREE Huggies Diapers SCR Q=$8.99
1 x $1 +Ups Reward from Tresemme=$1.00
Coupon Total....$20.49

$21.00-$20.49=$.51 OOP put on free Rite-Aid Gift Card so ZERO Out of Pocket

+Up Rewards earned....$2 MotrinPM, $2 Huggies, $1 Duracell=$5.00
$4.99 toward the SCR #10($10 Duracell)for BIL.



The batteries had a $1 Peelie that I got back since it would have put me over, so I'll use that next time.
And yes, she was just fine with using a $1.50 off Huggies ManuQ  & using my FREE Diapers Q too but she wouldn't let me stack a ManuQ, Adperks Q & a In-Ad Q on the Motrin PM.  Go figure....


I'll go back tonight for another round of goodies. 8-))

This Trip....
Total Spent...$.51 put on Gift Card
Value of Items purchased...$31.26
SCRs earned....$0(working on Duracell one)
+Ups earned....$5.00

MONTHLY TOTALS-JULY Rebate Period

Number of Transactions......10
Total Spent....$7.56--all put on free Gift Cards/Certificates 
Value of Items purchased....$400.32
SCR qualified for....$22.98 in cash and $30 in Gift Cards & free diapers
Other Cash....$7.65
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0
+Up Rewards earned=$18.00

Total Cash I'm getting Back=$29.63
Total Gift Cards I'm getting=$30
+Up Rewards left to spend=$5.00


Sluggy