Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Rite-Aiding....But Were Afraid to Ask

 So you want to be a Rite-Aid Diva but you aren't sure about how to go about it.
I'm here to tell you that you CAN learn the Rite-Aid version of the DrugStore Game!
Now I know lots of you already know all this.  This post is for anyone who wanders over here who is just getting into couponing at the Drug Stores.


2010 was a great year to shop at Rite-Aid!
Why?
Because besides having a rebate program in place, they rolled out another chainwide program call Wellness Plus.
Between these 2 programs, it was kind of like Walgreen's back when they had Mail-in Rebates(MIRs) AND Register Rewards(RRs).

Plus 2010 was the year Rite-Aid released all kinds of $X off a $XXX purchase coupons.

And they started the AdPerks/Video Values Program which gave you either $X off $XX purchase coupons or coupons for specific items that you could stack with your Manufacturer's Coupons(ManuQ).




First let's cover some basics........like some Common Couponing Abbreviations.

Coupon Lingo
Q=coupon
IPQ=internet printed coupon 
ManQ or ManuQ or MQ=manufacturer's coupon 
CRT=Cash Register Tape=your store receipt
RA or R-A=Rite-Aid
MIR=Mail-In Rebate
SCR=Single Check Rebate
Wellness=Wellness Plus(or Wellness+) Program
+Ups=+Up Rewards
AdPerks/VV or AdPerks or VV or ValVid=AdPerks/Value Videos Program
AdPerkQ or VVQ=a coupon earned from the AdPerks/VV Program
WellnessQ=a coupon that either prints on your cash register tape(CRT) when you use your Wellness + Card OR a coupon Rite-Aid emails you if have joined Wellness + and link your Wellness + Card to an account on the Rite-Aid website.



Rite-Aid currently has available these Programs.....

*Single Check Rebate Program.
   Each month Rite-Aid has available a rebate catalog(both a paper on you can pick up in the store and one online at their website HERE).  Their are Rebates you can earn on certain products you purchase that month.  The items with rebates will be marked both on the shelves at the store and in the weekly sales flyer.  You purchase a rebate item and you have 2 options to apply for your rebate.....
1. You can mail your receipts in to Rite-Aid when the month is over.
OR
2. You can submit your purchase information online at the Rite-Aid website.


Personally, I prefer the online submission for 3 reasons.
1. It is faster and easier than waiting to mail in a submission.
2. It is cheaper since you don't have to buy envelopes or stamps.
3. If you purchase 2 or more items on the same receipt that qualify for a NON-Rite Aid MIR as well as a RA rebate you can submit for the RA rebate online and use your CRT for the other Non-Rite Aid MIR submission.

It's called a Single Check Rebate because you get one check back no matter how many rebates you apply for.  1 check instead of a stack of checks, one for each qualifying item.


SCR items can be either a cash refund, a gift card or a special promotional item.   It's not unusual for me to get a SCR check, a gift card and a promo item in the same month.  It all depends on what I decide to buy.

You can cash your SCR check at Rite-Aid or use it like cash to pay for purchases.
I take mine to the bank.

* Wellness +Up Rewards
   To get the rewards, you need to sign up for this Wellness Program.  It's free.  You give them your contact information and they give you your very own Wellness Card.  You have the cashier scan it every time you buy something at R-A.  It automatically gives you the discount prices on sale items in the store.  If you don't use your card, you won't get the sale prices.  Every week there are certain items in the sales flyer that generate +Up Rewards.  +Ups are coupons that are worth $ at R-A that are printed at the bottom of your receipt.  You cut them off your CRT and use them like cash to pay for more items you purchase.  Each +Up has an expiration however.  The weekly sale items +Ups are generally good for 2 weeks.  Items that are month long +Up deals generate +Ups that are good for 2 weeks beyond the expiration of the month long deal. (IE-Pilot Pens are a month long deal until Jan. 22nd.  They generate an +Up that is good until Feb. 2nd, which is 2 weeks after the monthly deal expires, no matter when during the month you buy the pens.)

*AdPerks/Video Values
   This is a program where you watch short videos online to earn coupons.  They can call them videos but what they really are are commercials.  You can access this site through the Rite-Aid website or directly HERE.  You will need to sign up for this in order to use it.


The coupons you earn watching these videos are Rite-Aid Qs and can be stacked with a ManuQ to lower the price on an item even more.  You sign up for an AdPerks/VV account on the R-A website.  Besides Qs for specific items, there are also Qs available for $X off your total purchase at R-A if you watch those particular commercials/videos.  Most(if not all at this point)of the AdPerk/VV Qs are serialized.  This means they have a barcode and a unique to that Q serial number on it.  Don't bother printing multiple of these Qs out as you will only be allowed to use it once.  On occasion an AdPerk/VV Q will NOT be serialized.  You can tell because the last numbers under the barcode will be the end date for that SCR period when the Q is earned. (IE-if the AdPerk/VV Q is available to watch for the Jan. SCR period and is NOT serialized the last numbers on it will be 1222011....Jan 22, 2011.)

AdPerk/VV Qs are generally valid for 2 months or 2 SCR periods. (IE-Qs earned/watched from Dec.26/2010 until Jan.22/2011 will have an expiration date of Feb.26/2011.  They can be used during the Jan. SCR period and the Feb. SCR period.)
But you must watch the Video during the month it's made available.  The videos disappear on the last day of the SCR period when they were released.  You don't need to print the Q until you need it....the Q will sit in your account until you need to print it.  But be sure and watch the video before it's taken down.


You can save additional money by utilizing any or all 3 of these Rite-Aid Programs.



Sluggy

A Thursday Chuckle

It's no news to y'all that I grew up in the south.
But I've lived above the Mason-Dixon Line for 26+ years now so I have had my fair share of dealing with northern winters.

This clip is in tribute to my bloggy friends FRANCES and LISAPIE.




Enjoy and remember to Wrap Your Pipes!....

Sluggy

2010 Donations....And Looking Ahead to 2011

Last year, thanks partly to coupon usage, rebating and stockpiling items when at rock bottom prices, I was able to feed my family of 4-5 on a total of  $2,291.67 for a retail value of $18,932.69 worth of groceries/toiletries.

Ok....so my 'actual' costs are really higher than $2,291.67 when you add in the gas for the car to go buy the food, the cost of Sunday newspapers or eBay purchases to get coupons, the cost of printer ink and paper to make my own internet coupons, etc.  But let's use that number for arguments sake. ;-)

And not only did we feed our family on this amount, we donated over $700 worth of food to our local food bank.  That's 366 items over the course of a year.  It worked out to just about 1 item per day for a whole year.
I kept track of it all on the blog.

Here are the photos--

April's haul....

May's lot...

July's contribution....

 December's donation....

December's load was mostly toiletries but I had some other food that I didn't get a picture of....I was sort of rushed to get it all up to the food bank before the month ended, so no pictures of nice neatly laid out stuff this trip. 8-)

Add in the cash donation we made as part of participating in the June Food Stamp Challenge over at the Non-Consumer Advocate Blog as well as the food I gave to family members which we estimated to be in the $500 regular retail ballpark and we were able to make our $2,291.67 out of pocket expenditure stretch quite far!

I'll be taking up another load of food and toiletries on Friday to our local food bank.  I'm hoping that this will be just the first of many trips my strategic way of shopping will allow me to share with my local community in 2011.

So what is the point of this post?
It's not to show-off what we did last year to give back....though y'all know I am not above showing-off sometimes. ;-)
It's to show that everyone is capable of finding ways to help in their own community.  And that ALL donations are appreciated....from the largest to the smallest.
And to bring awareness that many Food Banks struggle with lack of donations, especially in-between the Holidays.  People get all compassionate and giving around the Holidays but the donations tend to dry up at other times of the year.

I often get items for free at Rite-Aid.  Ok, so I don't necessarily NEED that item for my family.
But I get it anyway because I know there is someone in my community who doesn't know to or care about taking the time to get it for free even though they really could use it.
So I get it and donate it at the food bank.
Someone who needs it and can't afford to pay for it gets the item and I get Karma points, Brownie points, Credit with the Man Upstairs, a good feeling in the pitt of my stomach, et cetera knowing I did something to help someone else.

If your soul is feeling out of whack, try a little giving and see how much better you feel!
It's better than Crack!!....or so I've heard.....


I'd like to Challenge all of you dear readers to make 2011  the Year you GIVE!

*If the Boy Scouts or some other Service Organization comes around door-to-door asking for food, open your pantry & give if you have something to spare. 
*If the local drug store chain has some freebie available, go get it and start a donation pile for your local homeless group, domestic abuse shelter, church food pantry.
*If you have a few extra coupons, clip them and pair with some sales at your grocery store to get a few extra items of food for a neighbor who is struggling to feed their family due to an unexpected job loss.
*If you don't have a pet but get great pet food coupons in your paper, pair those with a sale/deal at your local store to get items to donate to your local animal shelter....or pass along those coupons to the shelter if they can use them.

So let's hear some ways you plan to give back to your community in 2011.

Sluggy

Who Wants a $25 Shop-Rite Gift Card?

Doing your part to help local participating schools through Box Tops for Education and donating to ShopRite’s Partners in Caring, a community-based, hunger fighting initiative that works to provide $2 million annually to charities that aid those in need, can be as simple as your everyday food shopping.

Now through September 30, 2011 visit ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com to register your ShopRite Price Plus Card. Check back each month for participating products and great savings. When you purchase any 5 participating products on or before the end of the month using your ShopRite Price Plus Card, let the giving begin. 

With a qualifying purchase of 5 participating products you earn 5 Bonus Box Tops to be electronically added to your school, and $0.55 will be donated to the ShopRite Partners in Caring Fund. 

A few of the great items for February include some of your favorite products like, Cheerios, Wheaties, Nature’s Valley Granola Bars, Fiber One Bars, and Fruit by the Foot. 
You can find the whole list of participating products on the Shop-Rite website HERE.


My BlogSpark and Shop-Rite sent me a $25 Gift Card so I could go show you how easy it is to participate in this worthy cause and get some great food deals for your family.
They also enclosed a sheet of coupons for a variety of General Mills family of products.  I took some of my own coupons too and here are the 5 participating products I bought.....

I know it's shocking but we were almost out of cold cereals here!
The horrors.....
So I bought some favorites of my family.
The Kix and Cocoa Puffs are on sale this week at Shop-rite too for $2.49 a box!
And even if they aren't on sale we have to have our Cheerios.  I had coupons and the gift card to cover the cost of all so I am not very broken up about paying regular price on the Cheerios.lol
The coupons & sale prices on some brought my costs down to $2.48 a box, before applying the gift card...and I had half the gift card left to get other items on my list.

Free cereal for my family and 5 bonus BoxTops for Education for my selected school and $.55 donated to the Shop-Rite Partners in Caring Program.
A big Win/Win/Win all around!
*The Partners in Caring Program does have some restrictions and limitations.  Visit www.shopriteshoponcegivetwice.com to obtain all of the details about the program.*

And if that’s not enough, be sure to enter the ShopRite “Shop Once. Give Twice.” Sweepstakes* by filling out the form on ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com for your chance to win one of 10 Grand Prizes of 5,000 Bonus Box Tops for the school of your choice! 
*No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes.  Go to ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com for all the details about the sweepstakes, prizes, and instructions on how to enter.*

My General Mills, Shop-Rite & MyBlogSpark have agreed to furnish a second $25 Shop-Rite Gift Card for one of my readers!
So if you would like to win this prize, here is how to enter......

**Go to ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com to see the list of particpating food products.  
Then leave a comment on this post about which product you are most excited to see as a participating item in this program.**  Be sure to leave your email address in the comment especially if you don't have a google account or are posting your comment Anonymously.


This Giveaway will be open until next Wednesday, February 16th at 11:59pm ET.  I'll draw a name randomly and post the winner the following day, on Thursday.


So go enter the Giveaway and register your Shop-Rite Price Plus Card and get ready to shop!

**This is where I disclose that the gift card, information and additional gift card to give away were all given to me from General Mills and ShopRite through MyBlogSpark.**


Sluggy
 

Music is Ageless and Timeless......Let our Kids Know That!

Sluggy loves all kinds of music.
I grew up listening to everything I could get my hands on.
Music was my escape from a less than nuturing, crummy childhood.

I find it sad that many people in our culture are so locked into only appreciating one type of music or another. They hear a song is labeled as rap, or country western, or techno, or classical, etc. and they just tune it out automatically.

I see music as being fluid.....it flows from one genre into another. Each takes something from the other style and is richer for it.

I see kids these days who get no exposure to classical music. Well, actually they ARE exposed to it indirectly.

Those background themes and tunes they hear in commercials, or in some of the popular songs they think their current favorite bands 'invented' sometimes are really just recycled themes and movements from music that was written a generation or two ago or even centuries ago.
But not being taught anything about the 'classics' or where these tunes came from and they are losing out culturally.

That's why it's so important to see that music programs in your kid's schools are NOT disbanded! Stand up for musical education in the schools. But don't leave it the education system in this country to expose your kids to music...start young with your kids and take them to concerts, choral shows, etc.
Play them cds and talk to them from an early age about music.

Ok, off of my soap box now.....

I really enjoy finding when someone takes some piece of music and adapts or changes it so it speaks to their generation.

Take this classical piece of music by 19th century Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. If you have seen American tv ads, listened to popular music, watched cartoons, movie trailers or played video games, you KNOW this tune.
Watch "In the Hall of the Mountain King" played as it was written for an orchestra....




Now here is a Techno version of the musical themes and how a group of kids has interpreted it in a homemade You Tube dance video....

I just love this but I wonder how many of these kids know from where their cool song originated?

If they had had musical education in school they would know....

Sluggy

Sluggy's Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway Post #7....Time to Enter Again!

I'm a day late with this Giveaway Post....oh well.
It's been just one thing after another around here this week!

Time for Post 7 for the Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway!

If this is your first time here, get up to speed on how this Giveaway works by looking HERE.

Check out the rules.....
The Rules
1. You must be a "Follower" of my blog to enter and still be a Follower if/when you win.  Lookie on the right sidebar and press the big ol' FOLLOW button if you are not already a follower.
2.  Sorry but this Giveaway is open ONLY to those with a mailing address within the USA.  Hate to have to do that but the postal rates outside the country are KILLER.
3. 1 vote/entry per post with 1 exemption.  You can leave more than 1 comment per post but only your 1st vote/comment will count.
 

The 1 Exemption....You can earn EXTRA ENTRIES this way....
*If you get someone to become a Follower and enter this giveaway you can earn an Extra Entry for each person you bring on board.  You can blog about the giveaway or email people or post about it on a message board or call your neighbor on the phone....whatever way you want to recruit them, I don't care.  Just make sure that they mention in their vote/comment/entry that You(your name here)told them about the blog/giveaway and you get an extra entry that post.


As always, this is not a company sponsored or company supplied Giveaway.  Any costs associated with this Giveaway are coming out of my pocket because I'm just that kinda gal.  Please patronize our blog ads....I'm just sayin'.... ;-)


Now down to the business at hand.

Here are your 3 items to choose from today....

1. 2 pack of Pilot EasyTouch Pens-blue ink
2. a pack of 65 Envelopes  *great for sending in those rebate forms*
3. an enameled collectible Betty Boop Pen


Just leave a comment on this post within the next 3 days with your choice of #1, 2 or 3.
Additional praise for me on the anniversary of my birth is welcomed but won't earn you any Brownie points for the Giveaway. ;-)

Sluggy

Done for the Week Maybe....at Rite-Aid, Where Else?lol

I hit up most of the Rite-Aids within a 15 mile radius here within the last 2 days....not all but most.
This is in addition to the trips on Sunday to my usual store.

Here's the loot.....

16 Welch's grape juice
8 Bounty basic paper towels
3 BC cake mix
3 BC cookie mix
2 BC frosting
2 Rite-Aid coffee
2 Rite-Aid soup
1 Dark Snickers candy bar
4 Gillette Body Wash
2 Dixie paper plates
13 Biotrue contact lens solution
7 Excedrin PM
1 LipSmackers lip gloss

Freebies after +Up Rewards....
All the Betty Crocker items
Biotrue  w/20% wellness disc.

Better than free after +Up Rewards....
Coffee(ringing up $1.99 instead of 2/$5)
Excedrin PM
Gillette Body Wash(after using BOGO Q found in Gillette Clinical Deo I bought a few weeks ago, paired with $2/1 Gillette BWash Q from P&G insert)

After sale and Q the paper towels were .29¢ per 2 rolls.
After sale and Q the soup was .19¢ a can.
After raincheck sale and Q the paper plates were .99¢ for 2 packages.
After sale and Q the juices were $1.50 each.  Yes, I actually spent down my +Ups to get juice. I "heart" grape juice. ;-)
The candy bar and lip gloss in separate transactions were 'filler' of sorts.  If my change is over .50¢ after using +Ups, I will add something to bring my change to under .50¢ to preserve my gift card....ie, my total was $18.69 so I added a candy bar for .50¢ to bring my total up to $19.19, using $19 in +Ups and putting .19¢ on the gift card, instead of using $18 in +Ups and putting .69¢ on my gift card.

I've got everything rolled to this point but I might get a few more SCR items to convert some of these +Ups back into cash monies. ;-)
I've got a $20 from the first Resolution Reward +Up Rewards to roll by the 21st so I might use that to buy some SCR items this week.


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....5
Total Spent....$1.84 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$230.60
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$83.00
+Up Rewards spent...$96.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$184.99 

GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......20
Total Spent....$7.39 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$1,012.52
SCR qualified for....$38.98
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 2/6.....$197.99
+Up Rewards spent....$302.94
+Up Rewards earned....$331.93
+Up Rewards left....$184.99 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy

M&M Frugality.....Baking Out of the Box, er....the Bag

Every since I was a kid, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, chocolate chip cookies have been the undisputed King of the Sweets Snacking Universe.  What could be better than a warm baked goodie with melted gooey chocolate chunks in it?
And one version of a chocolate chip cookie that has been popular for a long while is to substitute the plain chocolate morsels with M&M candies.
Not only do the cookies taste like heaven but they are a feast for the eyes with those pops of candy coating colors in them.

But using M&Ms in your chocolate chip cookies can get costly if you are buying bags of the candies for full retail price.  Around here a bag of M&Ms goes for $3.99 or more.

All you frugalistas know you can usually snag bags of Holiday colored M&Ms on clearance after a Holiday for half off or more.
But putting them away until the following year's Holiday to make cookies with can lead to less than fabulous cookies.

Here is how I get my M&Ms for cheap AND still get to use them for Holidays.....

1.  Wait until the After Holiday Clearance Sales.  Buy your Holiday M&Ms for cheap.
In this case I got 2 bags of Christmas colored M&Ms.  These were $1 a bag at 75% off at CVS.

2.  Grab 2 Ziploc or similar plastic or brown paper bags and a large bowl.

3.  Open your bags of M&Ms and dump them into the bowl.

4.  Now sort your red Ms into one bag and the green Ms into the other bag.

5.  After all the Ms are sorted, close up your bags and if they aren't see-thru plastic, label the bag as to the contents within.
**If you have small kids who could use some practice with their numbers, make a game out of sorting those M&Ms.  Be sure to allow for some "disappearing" candies however....lol

Now you have a bag of red Ms and a bag of green Ms.
When Feb. 14th rolls around next week, take the bag of red Ms and make Holiday appropriate red M&M cookies.

Then in March, around the 17th, take the other bag of green Ms and make Holiday appropriate green M&M cookies.

You've gotten your candies for cheap, used them up in a short span before the candies got old, and you had special Holiday festive cookies!

Remember to grab those clearanced M&Ms after Easter for some fun frugal baking in the summer time.
You can use those pastel candies in cookies for the summer months.  For an added frugal touch, you can bake in your own personal mobile solar oven like I did HERE.
Just be sure to denature the eggs in the recipe first so you don't poison anyone if your solar oven doesn't get above 180 degrees...

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday, Weird Weather & What I'm Working on This Week

I am trying not to grocery shop this week unless it's something I really need.  I was good with staying out of the grocery stores last week, until I hit Friday.  Had to take BIL to the store so I was forced, forced I tell ya!, to go into the store so I bought a few things.  I picked up some Kielbasa for $2.50 lb. after holding out for months to find my rock bottom price of $2 lb.....sigh.....salad greens for $1.99 a bag x 2, a carton of OJ for $1.99, some bananas, and a Quaker Deal--buy 5 items, get $3 instantly off your order.  I got 3 boxes of the new Quaker cereal for $2.50 ea. and 2 bottles of pancake syrup since I had none left in the stockpile, so $12.50 for all 5, $3 off and $3 more off because I had $1/1 Qs for the cereal.  The 5 Quaker items ended up costing me $6.50 which is very good for around here.

Then Saturday I went back to that same store...ugh....did another of the Quaker deal(cost me $6 OOP for 5 items this time), more Kielbasa(I have come to gripes with the fact that my new rock bottom price for this is $2.50lb.), got a 2lb. tub of Ricotta for $3.24 w/Q and sale price, and a 1lb. bag of mozzarella cheese for $3.50 since Hubs said I was out of that in the freezer.  Hubs picked up coffee filters since he was out and I bought the kids a container of Nestle Quik since they have been whining for it(and it was on sale, but I think they figured that out themselves lol).

Between these 2 trips and the one to pick up milk last week, I went for spending $0 at the grocery store to $44.96 spent by Saturday.
Ugh.

That is why I am trying to stay out this week and eat from the freezer/stockpile.

I'm having trouble this week coming up with a Meal Plan/Menu.
Just mental menu fatigue I guess.....

Here's what I've got so far--
Monday-Pork Chops, Rice, Veggie
Tuesday-Eat Out...my last birthday gift card
Wednesday-Fish, Crabcakes, Veggie, Coleslaw(leftover)
Thursday-Ravioli, Salad
Friday-Tacos, Corn, Chili(leftover)
Saturday-?? Maybe a big pot of Boston Baked Beans and cornbread
Sunday-Leftovers

I've got to dig around in the fridge and if I find any other leftovers I'll work them into one of my meals.
I've got some potatoes I need to use although I don't feel like having spuds.  I'm sure if I fry them up the kids will suck them down, right?lol

In other news....
The Snowpocalypse never materialized here.  We got about 6 inches of snow, then 2 inches of sleet and ice the following day, which encapsulated all the snow.
The ice was so thick over the snow that #2 Son was out in the yard snowboarding in Chuck Taylors.  He could 'skate' around on the ice and don't break through to the snow layer....

 The sloped part of the yard here was akin to a luge track.  He has pretty good balance to stay on his feet all the way down to the bottom....

Between the snow and ice and the squirrels raiding the suet feeder at the end of the deck, the Beagle was having a great week outside.....

We finally got the last piece of the tax info we needed to do all the tax forms today.
Rah!

Guess what is on my agenda for the rest of the week now? ;-)

First I have to do our State taxes, so I can get that info I need to do the Schedule A for the Federal taxes.
Then I get to calculate all the charitable donation amounts(Sallie's, Food Bank, Car Donation).
Then I get to see if we can file the Schedule A or just take the Standard Deduction.
After the taxes are finished, I get to start on the FAFSA x 2.
And on and on and on......
Are we having fun yet???!!! 8-)

I didn't get to the Food Bank to drop off the donation on Friday as I had wanted to because I had to take BIL out to do errands.  There is a very small window of time on Fridays where I can drop it off so this week, unless the weather intervenes, I'll make a point of getting there.

I'm updating my "To-Do" List on the blog this week as well.  I won't be putting more books on my list since I have tons of taxes paperwork to do this month.  Besides the paperwork, I'll be trying to finish the items carried over from January's list.

Dentist appointments are also on the schedule for this week.
Oh....and runs to Rite-Aid of course!lol

What is everyone else up to this week?

Sluggy

Are You Ready for Some Rite-Aid?......Non-Super Bowl Sunday

I have no love for football so I don't watch the Super Bowl.
Yes, I am so UN-American, aren't I?

Instead, I take advantage of everyone else being glued to the TV to go to Rite-Aid.lol

Transaction #1....

1 x Newspaper=$1.00 *not pictured*
2 x Fritos on sale=$3.98 *only bought 1/charged for 2 and it's not pictured*lol
4 x Welch's Grape Juice on sale $3 ea.=$12.00
2 x Finesse 'Poo on sale $3 ea.=$6.00
2x Excedrin PM on sale $1.99 ea.=$3.98
2 x Rite-Aid Coffee on sale $2.50 but rang up $1.99=$3.98
SubTotal....$30.94

Coupons Used
1 x $2 any Purchase Adperks/VV Q=$2.00
4 x $1/1 Welch's Grape Juice ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $2.50/1 Excedrin PM TearpadQ=$5.00
2 x $2/1 R-A Coffee Wellness IPQ=$4.00
Coupon Total....$15.00

$30.94-$15.00=$15.94+$.16tax=$16.10
Used $16 +Up Rewards and .10¢ put on free Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $8 +Up Rewards back(2 x $1 Welch's, $1 wyb 2Coffee, $5 wyb 2Finesse).

I only bought 1 Fritos.  Sometimes the scanner wand is sensitive and as they bag stuff too close to the scanner it scans again and me nor the cashier didn't catch it this time, so I had to go back in to get $2 back.  So I 'converted' $2 in +Ups to cash on that. ;-)

The Rite-Aid coffee is ringing up $1.99, so after coupons and $1+Up it's better than free!  Not sure how long that will last however....

Transaction #2....

2 x BC Cookie Mix on sale $2ea.=$4.00
2 x BC Frosting wellness disc. less than sale price $1.99=$3.98
2 x Finesse 'Poo on sale $3 ea.=$6.00
1 x Biotrue wellness disc. is less than sale price=$3.99
1 x Excedrin PM on sale=$1.99
1 x Chestal child's on sale=$4.99
1 x Coldcalm child's on sale=$6.99
1 x Oscillococcinum adult on sale=$8.99
2 x Cella cherries w/wellness disc. $.26=$.52
SubTotal....$41.45

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any Purchase AdPerks/VV Q=$1.00
2 x $1/2 BC items AdPerks/VV Q=$2.00
2 x $.40/1 BC cookie mix IPQ=$.80
1 x $1/1 Biotrue IPQ=$1.00
1 x $2.50/1 Excedrin PM TearpadQ=$2.50
1 x $3/1 Chestal child's IPQ=$3.00*
1 x $3/1 Coldcalm child's IPQ=$3.00*
Coupon Total....$13.30

$41.45-$13.30=$28.15+.04¢tax=$28.19 OOP
I used $27.98 and put the .21¢ left on my free Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $17 in +Up Rewards($5 wyb2 Finesse, $4 BioTrue, 2 x $2 wyb2 BC, 4 x $1 on select food items-bc items I bought).
I also qualified for $18.99 in SCRebates($8 Oscillococcinum, $6.99 childs Coldcalm, $4 child's Chestal).

So all totaled, I spent/rolled $43.98 in +Ups, got $25 in +Ups back and converted $20.99 of +Ups into cash(via SCRs and return/refund of phantom item I paid for).
$45.99(scrs/+ups got)-$43.98(+ups spent) means I had a $2.01 moneymaker when all is said and done.

I am down to my last .62¢ on my gift card.  But don't worry about me.....I have another $5 gift card at the ready. 8-)



THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....2
Total Spent....$.31 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$117.19
SCR qualified for...$18.99
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...15.00
+Up Rewards spent...$41.98
+Up Rewards left to spend....$197.99 

GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......15
Total Spent....$5.55 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$781.92
SCR qualified for....$38.98
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 2/5.....$224.97
+Up Rewards spent....$206.94
+Up Rewards earned....$248.93
+Up Rewards left....$197.99 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy

Got all my +Up Rewards rolled at Rite-Aid.....Finally!

I managed to get all my +Ups rolled on Friday that were expiring on Saturday at Rite-Aid.
That was a relief!lol

Since the Deals are over, here are the abbreviated details.
$39.74 subtotal
$10.50 after coupons
$10 +Ups used
$.50 on gift card
$85.32 value of items
$33 +Up Rewards received(including BIL's $20 Winter Reward)
This transaction was a $13 moneymaker.


Now I had $29.93 expiring on 2/12.....and another HUGE $ amount expiring on 2/19.....so I bopped up to Rite-Aid Saturday before the rain turned to nasty stuff to begin rolling the 2/12s.

Since the Deals are over, here are the abbreviated details.
$30.38 subtotal
$8.88 after coupons
$7.96 +Ups used

$.92 on gift card
$57.19 value of items
$13 +Up Rewards received
This transaction was a $5.04 moneymaker.

As of Saturday night I have $141.97 +Ups to roll before 2/19.
ACK!!!

My "These Trips" includes the trip on 2/3 that I posted earlier this week but didn't include that information....

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....3
Total Spent....$1.51 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$173.15
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$55.00
+Up Rewards spent...$23.96
+Up Rewards left to spend....$224.97
 
GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......13
Total Spent....$5.24 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$664.73
SCR qualified for....$19.99
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 1/30.....$193.93
+Up Rewards spent....$164.96
+Up Rewards earned....$233.93
+Up Rewards left....$224.97 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy

Sluggy's Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway Post #6....Time to Enter Again!

Are y'all getting bored with these giveaway posts yet?lol

Time for Post 6 for the Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway!

If this is your first time here, get up to speed on how this Giveaway works by looking HERE.

Check out the rules.....
The Rules
1. You must be a "Follower" of my blog to enter and still be a Follower if/when you win.  Lookie on the right sidebar and press the big ol' FOLLOW button if you are not already a follower.
2.  Sorry but this Giveaway is open ONLY to those with a mailing address within the USA.  Hate to have to do that but the postal rates outside the country are KILLER.
3. 1 vote/entry per post with 1 exemption.  You can leave more than 1 comment per post but only your 1st vote/comment will count.

The 1 Exemption....You can earn EXTRA ENTRIES this way....
*If you get someone to become a Follower and enter this giveaway you can earn an Extra Entry for each person you bring on board.  You can blog about the giveaway or email people or post about it on a message board or call your neighbor on the phone....whatever way you want to recruit them, I don't care.  Just make sure that they mention in their vote/comment/entry that You(your name here)told them about the blog/giveaway and you get an extra entry that post.


As always, this is not a company sponsored or company supplied Giveaway.  Any costs associated with this Giveaway are coming out of my pocket because I'm just that kinda gal.  Please patronize our blog ads....I'm just sayin'.... ;-)


Now down to the business at hand.

Here are your 3 items to choose from today....

1. A Candle-cinnamon scented
2. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea-Chamomille
3. Glade Candle/Oil Tin w/oil candle-fresh linen scent


Just leave a comment on this post within the next 3 days with your choice of #1, 2 or 3.
Additional praise for me on the anniversary of my birth is welcomed but won't earn you any Brownie points for the Giveaway. ;-)

Sluggy

Keeping Your Eyes Open for Deals in The Stores

While I DID succeed in blowing up my Food Budget for January, I don't consider it a total FAIL.
I didn't go over by a large amount(thank you rebate checks!)and I did manage to pick up some very nice deals, both planned for and not planned.

Some deals I got were intentional.  Like this one.....

I saw that the local chain market was running a special on the veggie Ronzoni pasta...$1 a box.  I jumped on eBay and found a deal for 20 $1/1 coupons.  After they arrived I managed to get my hands on 18 boxes of the pasta.  With shipping the coupons cost me $2.28.  Not a bad price for 18 boxes of noodles.

Here's some of the 14 boxes of dishwasher detergent I talked about earlier this week, that I picking up at CVS as well....

Between CVS, Wags and Rite-Aid I got 20 boxes and am set for another year.

And here is another deal I saw and jumped on.....

Weis markets had these croutons for $1 a bag.  I was almost out of croutons so I picked up a stack of $.50/1 coupons.  Weis doubles(to $1) up to 4 of an alike coupon per transaction, so I spent that week buying 4 bags at a clip so the coupons would double and they would all be free.  Now I am set for croutons for another year.

But there are always unexpected deals that pop up if you look around the store sometimes.  Keeping your eyes open can reap rewards like this.....

I found these cans of Comstock Pie Filling at CVS on the After-Christmas Clearance shelves.  There were only stocked for Christmas so went to 75% off with the bows and paper and candy and such.
Though not an extremely great price at .69¢ per can, I had 3 .55¢/1 coupons for Comstock pie filling from the Sunday inserts, so I paid only .14¢ for 3 of these cans.  Not a bad haul for $2.49, right?

And how about these....

I was walking around the local grocery store since I had to drive my BIL there to do his shopping and spotted these bottle of olive oil on clearance marked down half price to $3!
I showed BIL the great deal and after he took as many as he wanted, I grabbed the rest.
Being a good person can reap unusual rewards....lol

And here was another Jan. unexpected deal.....

The day I was in Redner's market they were clearancing these yogurt packs for .99¢ since they were going out of date soon.
Great price.
But even better because I had GM inserts in the car with $1/1 coupons for these....woohoo!
Free yogurt!

So just in Jan. I got enough pasta, croutons, dishwasher detergent to last me a year.....olive oil and pie filling to last me at least 6 months, and yogurt to last a few months or longer(yogurt is great frozen too).
And now I can mark those items off my stockpile shopping list for quite some time and concentrate on other items.

I am usually one to quickly get my items, get through the store and get out.  But sometimes it does pay to take your time and wander slowly through the grocery store looking for unexpected deals, markdowns, clearanced items and even tearpad or blinkie box coupons.

Remember those croutons?  Every trip to buy 4 bags I picked up a few blinkie box coupons for Hormel Compleats at the other end of that aisle in the store.
Hubs likes to take those Compleats to work for lunch and you know that Rite-Aid puts them on sale fairly regularly so I can use those coupons I gleaned for more free Compleats! 8-)

Do you wander the grocery store aisles looking for coupons or unexpected deals?

Sluggy

A Quickie at Rite-Aid on Thursday

I ran out between storms tonight to get the shelf numbers so I can go back tomorrow during the day to get some rain checks on things on sale this week but are sold out.
If you missed some of the goodies this week, be sure and get your rain checks!

I also found a couple of things to roll my +Up Rewards on.....

2 x Edy's Ice Cream $2.99=$5.98  They restocked!! **not pictured**
2 x K-Y product on sale BOGO50% $4.49=$6.73
2 x Rite-Aid soup on sale .69¢=$1.38
2 x Stayfree Pads BOGO=$3.99
SubTotal....$18.08

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any Purchase AdPerks/VV Q=$1.00
2 x $3/1 K-Y item IPQ=$6.00
1 x $1/2 Rite-Aid soup IPQ=$1.00
1 x Stayfree BOGO IPQ=$3.99
Coupon Total...$11.99

$18.08-$11.99=$6.09 OOP
I used $6 in +Up Rewards and put the .09¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $9 in +Up Rewards back....2 x $2 Edy's and $5 for buying 2 select K-Y items.

Spent $6, got $9 back made this a $3 moneymaker.
And I have $8 in +Up Rewards left to spend/roll by Saturday....and a new storm is due here that morning so I'll be going to Rite-Aid today.

I've also hit $102.64 in Buy& Save purchases, so I got the $20 Winter Resolution Reward +Up Reward.

Yay me!lol
 

Sluggy

$32K Savings Challenge of 2011.....January's Totals

Since I foresee food prices, as well as other expenses/costs/taxes to rise in 2011, I am only upping my Savings Challenge Goal by $2,000.  While I hope to bring in more income this year, I feel we will be spending more on necessities in 2011, thus the small increase in goals.

So I present to you the beginning of the 2011 $32K Savings Challenge!

I have posted my JANUARY End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals really each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up January in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of January with was.......$2,293.97.

Income
We had $2206.37 left over of DH's salary after our expenses were deducted. Before you decide that we are idle rich folks here, remember that we have NO mortgage or car payment, having paid off both of those debts.  Oh, yah....and we hardly ever buy "things".   I will say that Hubs has a very generous paycheck. ;-)
Add in $87.60 of Rebates applied against the food expenses and you have a deposit of $2293.97 toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal so we didn't meet our 2nd monthly goal in Jan. bleh

Outgo
As for the expenses in January....there were a couple large bills.  The credit card bill(which is paid off each month)was over $1700.  Then the electric bill came in VERY high this month since we lost our off-peak rate discount at the end of 2010.  There was also a smaller payment, the garbage bill which is paid quarterly due in Jan.

The good news in January is that the cable bill did Not go up as it usually does each Jan. and we were able to reduce our cash withdrawals by about $300.  Hubs spending other than gasoline purchases, is mostly through cash bank withdrawals and he does NOT keep/give me receipts.  He is my Wild Card in trying to keep spending down and staying on a tight budget.  It drives me nuts but there is little I can do about it other than give him the stink eye.... ;-)

The Food Budget costs for January are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in January was a smallish disaster....ugh!

What's ahead for February.....
Looking back at last year's check register, I see we are bound to have another whopper of an electric bill this month and we have the semi-annual Car Insurance bill due.
Bleh.
I know our rates aren't as high as many areas of the country, given we have 3 cars on the road at present and 2 teenage drivers on the policy(one of them is also male which is even worse!lol), but it's still a LOT of money to shell out and I write that check under great duress! 8-P

On the bright side, I am going to try to keep a closer eye on Hubs cash withdrawals and question expenditures he makes more and I am hoping to SLASH the food spending budget in February by half.
Just call me crazy now and get it out of the way.....


YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
Being the 1st month of the year, our Savings total to-date is $2,293.97.

And if you need to start putting money into savings......What's that you say?  You don't have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!!??....consider playing along in 2011 with me and Challenging Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal!
Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Ooo, that sounded kind of creepy didn't it? ;-)

So how was your January 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

Monday.....Before the Snowpocalypse Rite-Aid Trips

After Sunday's 5 trips...EGADS!....I still had $52 in +Up Rewards to roll before this Saturday.
With the "Historic" Storm bearing down on us, I ran errands on Monday and did 3 more transactions to roll some of those reward monies.
I also had some coupons expiring Monday night(Jan. 31st) so there were 2 reasons for the trips.
Yah....that's my story! ;-)

Transaction #1
1 x Gillette Razor on sale but 20% wellness disc. was lower=$8.79
4 x Edy's Ice Cream on sale $2.99=$11.96 **not pictured**
SubTotal.....$20.75

Coupons Used
1 x $4/1 Gillette Razor ManuQ=$4.00 expiring 1/31
Coupon Total....$4.00

$20.75-$4.00=$16.75 OOP
I used $16 +Up Rewards and put the .75¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received $13 back in +Up Rewards....4 x $2 Edy's and $5 Gillette Razor.
**Remember, there is a limit of one Gillette +Up Reward per card.**


I spent $16 +Ups and got $13 back so I am 'down' $3 +Ups for this transaction.

I found the Neuragen Gel at this store so I rolled some +Ups into SCR $....

Transaction #2
1 x Neuragen Gel on sale=$19.99
1 x Olay Bar Soap w/20% discount=$2.79
1 x Secret Deodorant w/20% discount=$2.63
SubTotal....$25.41

Coupons Used
1 x $5/1 Neuragen IPQ=$5.00
1 x $2/1 Olay product(includes bar soap) ManuQ=$2.00 expiring 1/31
1 x Free Secret Deo when you buy Olay product(includes bar soap) ManuQ=$3.29 *cashier put it reg. price tho I got the 20% off price even tho I told her my price was less.
Coupon Total....$10.29

$25.41-$10.29=$15.12 OOP
I used $15 +Up Rewards and put the .12¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received ZERO +Up Rewards back but I qualified for a $19.99 SCR.

I spent $15 in +Ups so I have less to roll now but I am getting back $4.99 MORE in cash instead. 8-))

Then later that night up to my favorite Rite-Aid....

Transaction #3
6 x Bounty Basic Towels on sale .97¢=$5.82  **for my Hubs, the PT addict**
2 x Precise Patches on sale $4.99=$9.98

2 x Motrin PM raincheck $1.00=$2.00


2 x Olay Bar Soap packs w/20% discount $2.87=$5.74 **This store's reg. price is higher.**
2 x Secret Deodorant w/20% discount $2.79=$5.58 **This store's reg. price is higher.**
1 x Total Toothpaste on sale=$2.99
3 x Sierra Mist soda w/20% discount $1.27=$3.81
SubTotal....$35.92

Coupons Used
1 x $1 any Purchase AdPerks/VV Q=$1.00
3 x $1/2 Bounty Towels ManuQ=$3.00 expiring 1/31
2 x $6/2 assortment of McNeil items(Precise & MotrinPM)ManuQ=$12.00
2 x $2/1 Olay products(includes bar soap) ManuQ=$4.00 expiring 1/31
2 x FREE Secret Deodorant when you buy Olay product(includes bar soap)ManuQ=$5.58
1 x $1/1 Total Toothpaste ManuQ=$1.00
3 x $.55/1 Sierra Mist soda 20 oz. TearpadQ=$1.65 expiring 1/31
Coupon Total....$28.23

$35.92-$28.23=$7.69
I used $7 in +Up Rewards to pay and put the .69¢ on my ever present Rite-Aid gift card.**This gift card has $2.26 left on it.  I may be breaking out another gift card later this week. ;-) **
I received $4 in +Up Rewards back....$2 Colgate and 2 x $1 Precise.
I spent $7 +Ups and got $4 +Ups back so I am 'down' $3 in +Ups this transaction.

**Those $6/2 McNeil Qs pair well with my $1 Motrin PM rainchecks(it was $3 w/a $2 +Up, so $1 on raincheck!)and the Precise being $4.99 this week.  One of each comes to $5.99, so the $6 Q covers it plus you get a $1 +Up for the Precise.

At this moment, after having spent $38 +Ups, I have $14 +Ups left to use by Saturday.
As long as I can find some of this week's deals still on the shelves after tomorrow, I shouldn't have a problem using these up in time.


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....3
Total Spent....$1.56 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$130.74
SCR qualified for...$19.99
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$00.00
Resolution Reward....$00.00
+Up Rewards earned...$17.00
+Up Rewards spent...$38.00
+Up Rewards left to spend....$193.93
 
GRAND TOTALS--February Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......10
Total Spent....$3.73 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$491.58
SCR qualified for....$19.99
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for Feb. SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 1/30.....$214.93
+Up Rewards spent....$141.00
+Up Rewards earned....$178.93
+Up Rewards left....$193.93 includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period


Sluggy

Sluggy's Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway Post #5....Time to Enter Again!

Time for Post 5 for the Birthday Boring Blog Giveaway!

If this is your first time here, get up to speed on how this Giveaway works by looking HERE.

Check out the rules.....
The Rules
1. You must be a "Follower" of my blog to enter and still be a Follower if/when you win.  Lookie on the right sidebar and press the big ol' FOLLOW button if you are not already a follower.
2.  Sorry but this Giveaway is open ONLY to those with a mailing address within the USA.  Hate to have to do that but the postal rates outside the country are KILLER.
3. 1 vote/entry per post with 1 exemption.  You can leave more than 1 comment per post but only your 1st vote/comment will count.

The 1 Exemption....You can earn EXTRA ENTRIES this way....
*If you get someone to become a Follower and enter this giveaway you can earn an Extra Entry for each person you bring on board.  You can blog about the giveaway or email people or post about it on a message board or call your neighbor on the phone....whatever way you want to recruit them, I don't care.  Just make sure that they mention in their vote/comment/entry that You(your name here)told them about the blog/giveaway and you get an extra entry that post.


As always, this is not a company sponsored or company supplied Giveaway.  Any costs associated with this Giveaway are coming out of my pocket because I'm just that kinda gal.  Please patronize our blog ads....I'm just sayin'.... ;-)


Now down to the business at hand.

Here are your 3 items to choose from today....

1. Halls Refresh Drops-tropical wave
2. Hershey's Kisses with almonds
3. LifeSavers-Pep O Mint


Just leave a comment on this post within the next 3 days with your choice of #1, 2 or 3.
Additional praise for me on the anniversary of my birth is welcomed but won't earn you any Brownie points for the Giveaway. ;-)

Sluggy

January Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2011.

I have posted January's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in January.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 14.
******************
AMELIA'S FOOD OUTLET
OOP  $32.80
Savings  over Reg. Retail $26.85
Value  $59.65
Savings  45%

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $24.67
Savings over Reg. Retail   $53.57
Value $78.24
Savings  68.47%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $75.53

Qs/Ads  $37.93
Value  $113.46
Savings  33.43%

CVS
OOP $42.00
Qs/Ads  $211.93
Value $253.93
Savings  83.46%

DOLLAR GENERAL
OOP  $3.85
Qs/Ads  $8.02
Value  $11.87
Savings  67.56%

GERRITY'S
OOP  $20.36
Qs/Ads  $38.10
Value  $58.46
Savings  65.17%

KEYCO(Restaurant Supply Store)
OOP  $23.60
Savings over Reg. Retail  $28.40
Value  $52.00
Savings  54.61%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $17.03
Qs/Ads  $25.42
Value  $42.45
Savings  59.82%

REDNER'S(does not double coupons)
OOP  $45.96
Qs/Ads  $37.35
Value  $83.31
Savings  44.83%

RITE AID
OOP  $19.62 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads  $1,445.55
Value  $1,465.17
Savings  98.66% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WALGREENS
OOP  $4.36
Qs/Ads  $19.37
Value  $23.73
Savings  81.62%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $67.43
Qs/Ads  $124.15
Value  $191.58
Savings   64.80%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor 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 JANUARY
Heartguard Dog Meds....$18.00
Pepperidge Farm TMF Rolls...$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR...$48.98
Sure Deo RMF...$2.63
TENA TMF...$11.99

Subtotal........$87.60

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Office Depot Online win...$30.00

Staples Ink Rewards Credit...$6.00

Subtotal....$36.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$123.60

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Coke Rewards....Free bottle

Coke Rewards....Free 12 pack

Excedrin....Free Bottle ManuQ x2

Garnier....Sample and $1/1 ManuQ x2

Lowe's....Assorted Qs

McNeil....2 x $1/1 Motrin ManuQs

Purina...Free bag of Dog Food ManuQ

Ruffles....Free bag of Chips ManuQ

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 83.46% and Walgreen's at 81.62%.
Yep....a drug store clean sweep...lol

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$357.59
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2,076.26
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2,433.85
TOTAL Savings of...................................85.30%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$87.60

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$269.99
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$2163.86
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$2433.85
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................88.90%

This closes out the January spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-

I went over my budget of $250 per month.  The month I take part in a Money Diet I bust the budget bigtime!
Go figure.....
But I can take solace in the fact that after rebates were figured in I broke budget but a mere Andy Jackson!
I found a few nice stockpile opportunities in January along with some really good deals on meats so I am not gnashing my teeth over what I spent.  It's not like I overspent on crap like chips and soda....ok, maybe a teeny tiny bit.lol

What's ahead for February.....
I would really like to eat down some things we have here this month.  I am taking this week to eat from the pantry and not go grocery shopping(unless it's a bit of free food from Rite-Aid)beyond milk and a couple of needed items.....all totaled about $10 worth of stuff.
The weather is facilitating me staying out of the grocery stores most of this week.  I am going to try for a second week of no shopping later this month as well.
I'll shoot for spending half of my usual budget, or $125.00 for February.


How did you do in January with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for February?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  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

The Minimalist Mindset in Blogland

I've been a fan of a blog/website for some time now.  It's located HERE.
This guy is a true Minimalist believer.
Minimalism as a movement is hot right now...especially with the techno generation.

It's drawing many people into it's ranks.
Some of these folks and their blogging efforts are fabulous and thought provoking....others not so much.
Embracing true, full-frontal minimalism as a way of life is not for the faint of heart and not for most people....including me!
What I do is draw lessons from this path and apply them to my own life as I see fit.
Even if you think these minimalist people are froot loops, some of the ideas are valid and CAN enrich your own life. 

Here is a brief wishlist/ to-do list to get to a minimalist state....

Stop buying unnecessary things.
Toss half your stuff, learn contentedness.
Reduce half again.
List 4 essential things in your life,
stop doing non-essential things.
Do these essentials first each day, clear distractions
focus on each moment.
Let go of attachment to doing, having more.
Fall in love with less.

 This list sounds a lot like just decluttering and simplifying your life, right?
True minimalism takes it a step further until you strip away all but the bare bones of possessions, money as well as doing(working and other doing that isn't working for pay).

Now on the other hand, many out there in cyberspace are calling themselves Minimalists.
They have taken some of the concepts/theories and applied them to their lives.
That's a good thing.
But....they still embrace other concepts/behaviors that are in complete conflict with true minimalist insight.
Some are just Posers and some are what I refer to as Minimalist-Lite.
I'm not there yet, but I may end up living a Minimalist-Lite life.
Except for the giving up money thing.
I have a problem with that one....lol

A very popular concept right now among the Minimalists is this notion of  Only Owning 100 Things.
I get why you limit yourself to a certain number.  But owning 100 things is an arbitrary number that doesn't "One Size Fits All"!
And by trying to put every minimalist follower into the same slot like that makes for some funny as shit incongruities!

Here's another Minimalist devotee's blog GET OFF THIS WHEEL.
He made a hilarious video about "minimalists" and posted it on the blog.
Please go check it out.
If you have been hanging around minimalist blogs or groups, you will SO get this! ;-)



Sluggy