An Ode to My Daughter on Her 20th Birthday

Today is my favorite Daughter's 20th Birthday.....ok, she is also my ONLY Daughter. ;-)

I can't believe I have 2 kids now who are past their teenage years!
I feel so decrepit.....

Daughter has had a challenging year.
Lots of changes in her life the past 12 months.
School.......What direction to go in life......Health.......her Love Life.......Relating to her Family.....Friends.....Money.
We have been through it all this past year with her!

So on her 20th Birthday, I am looking back over how she....WE got to this day.

• This was the baby who despite a 4 day Blizzard in December of 1992 and a father with the flu, decided she needed to be born NOW!  6 hours to get out of the driveway and to the Hospital.  5 hours after arriving, Daughter made her appearance with one big push.  The doctor almost dropped her.

• This was the baby who didn't want to miss Christmas(presents) by arriving on her due date of Jan. 1st, so she decided to come 3 weeks early.

• This was the baby who was born premature with a hole in her heart, that we had to spend many hours in hospitals having tests done for her first few months of life, until the hole closed up spontaneously.

• This was the girl baby who arrived with little hair(unlike both her brothers who were born with long dark full heads of hair!)and probably still has glue on her scalp from many MANY bows being taped to her head so people would know she was a girl

• This was the baby who resembled Mr. Magoo until she was 6 months old and you have to work VERY hard to get her to smile.

• This was the baby who I could hold in one hand, like a football she was so tiny.

• This was the baby born with the under-developed nervous system who cried for 5 months non-stop.

• This was the baby who HATED having her head touched(still does)and would scream for an hour afterwards if you did.

• This was the baby who caused my brother to nickname me "Slugmama".

• This was the toddler who told me to send her baby brother back after his first 2 weeks home from the hospital.

• This was the toddler who talked rings around her older brother.

• This was the toddler who potty trained quickly and then decided she had had enough of being toileted and went back to diapers.

• This was the toddler who was eventually potty trained again and by my oldest bachelor brother, not her parents.

• This is the toddler who insisted the world was tactile and had to be experienced through touch and taste.  She put everything in her mouth until she went to school(including gravel, which she said didn't taste good but had a pleasing feel to it). She teethed on pork chop bones given to her by her beloved grandmother and she still has to touch everything she sees.

•  This was the little girl who had a special bond and went on "special vacation" with that grandmother.

• This was the little girl who we realized quite young that she was much deeper than most little kids because she said things that sounded like old men philosophers.

• This was the little girl who was the family instigator.

• This was the young girl who almost got asked to leave her parochial school in Kindergarten.

• This was the young girl who almost led a classroom coup and took over teaching her 1st grade class.

• This was the young girl who was painfully shy yet craved attention.

• This was the young girl who I was told had a promising career in....wait for it!.....bowling at a bowling birthday party.

• This was the girl who tested in school at genius levels.

• This was the girl who was accepted into the Gifted Program(even though the one here really had nothing to offer her).

• This was the girl who was too embarrassed by her "unorthodox" mother to have her be the classroom mom.

• Did I mention that she had a really special bond with her Grandmother?  This was the girl who had a hard time after her Grandmother died.

• This was the girl who placed into the C-Mites(it's a Carneige-Mellon program for advanced grade schoolers)for Math and Science.

• This was the girl who was/is the tallest in our family and towers over her siblings.

• This was the girl who was always on every Honor Roll, Honor Society, Special Achievement thing, etc., and got A's with little effort.

• This was the girl who was almost expelled from the public Middle School for being creative and not having any discretion and bad judgement in regard to people.

• This was the girl who felt deeply yet didn't let anyone see her emotions.

• This was the girl who joined the chorus even though she couldn't sing....well.

• This was the girl who took lead roles in Middle School musicals(how did she win them is my question?lol)and got up there and sold her performances. Every. Time.

• This was the teen girl who has had a hard time finding boys who weren't scared of her in her podunk little town.

• This was the teen girl who couldn't wait to get out of here and away from her parents.

• This was the teen girl who had a hard time admitting when she was wrong to anyone.

• This was the teen girl who fought a weight problem, even though she was just chunky and awkward for a few years when puberty hit.

• This was the teen girl who had a hard time sticking with a decision because so many options looked good.

• This is the teen girl who learned the value of a dollar after she got her first job.

• This is the teen girl who went many years avoiding having her picture taken until she got her braces off.

• This was the teen girl who could make an argument over ANYTHING and often did.

• This was the teen girl who we believe missed her true calling in life--to be a trial lawyer.

• This was the teen girl who had a memory like an elephant and if you ever wronged her, she never forgot.

• This was the teen girl who can kick my ass giving answers while watching Jeopardy!.

• This is the teen girl who thought the internet was an acceptable way to find boys to date.

• This was the teen girl who was very VERY challenging to parent and was anything but a normal kid to raise.

And a delivery man brought these to my door this morning.....

 They are from a boy in Louisiana, for my beautiful, fearless, smart, funny Daughter who is 20 today.

I can't wait to see what the next 20 years brings.
Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom

This is Why You Always Get Rainchecks

I still had Gum Qs expiring today, 12/12/12, so I went up to Rite-Aid.
I also had $3 Conair Vibe Brush/Scunci hair items R-A Q(released thru their FB page-The 12 Deals of Xmas).
You can get 1 Q per account/Wellness card/email addy, so I had 2(1 for me, 1 for BIL).

I bought this.....

1 x Conair Vibe hairbrush W/Gold discount=$2.63
2 x Trident Gum on sale $1.00=$2.00
SubTotal.....$4.63

Coupons Used
1 x $3 Conair Vibe hairbrush R-AQ=$3.00
1 x BOGO Trident gum IPQ=$1.00

$4.63-$4.00=$.63 + $.01=$.64
I put the .64¢ on my Rite-Aid gift card.

I paged through the Weekly Sales Flyer again and saw that the flash drives were on sale so I took a stroll over to the "electronic stuff wall".   After seeing signs for stuff % off this week and other stuff giving $5 +Ups when you spent $25.00, I had a crazy idea.
I whipped out my flash drive raincheck I got from the Black Friday sale and then I went about buying more stuff like this......

1 x Hormel Compleats(the hubs likes these for lunches sometimes)on sale=$1.99
4 x Ricola drops on sale 2/$3.00=$6.00
1 x Conair Vibe hairbrush w/Gold discount=$2.63
2 x Pentel Pencils w/Gold discount $3.99=$7.98
2 x Stride gum on sale $1.00=$2.00
2 x Trident gum on sale $1.00=$2.00

2 x SanDisk 8Gb flashdrive reg. $27.99/raincheck price $3.99=$7.98
3 x Magnetix Nail Polish reg. $7.99 clearanced $1.99 ea.=$5.94
SubTotal.....$36.52

Coupons Used
1 x $1/1 Hormel Compleats IPQ=$1.00
1 x $1/1 Hormel compleats Load2Card Q=$1.00
1 x $3 Conair Vibe Hairbrush R-AQ=$3.00
1 x BOGO Stride gum IPQ=$1.00
1 x BOGO Trident gum IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$7.00

$36.52-$7.00=$29.52 + .28¢ tax=$29.80

I used $29 in +Ups to pay and put the .80¢ on my gift card.
I got back $24 in +Ups(6 x $1 Ricola, 2 x $4 Pentel, 2 x $5 SanDisk).
And those 3 clearanced nail polishes can be submitted to the SCRebates, so I'll get $6 back for those from Rite-Aid.
Basically, I "spent" $29 and I'll get $30 back(after $6 rebate).
I also have $5.26 tracking toward a $5 +Ups(wyb $10 in Conair/Scuni hair items), so if I buy another $4.76 in items I'll get $5 +Ups, which would make it free.

Those flashdrives are rung into the register first at their regular price and then price adjusted to $3.99, so it must trigger the computer to think I am spending $27.99, thus triggering the $5 +Up Reward.
So I "spent" $3.99 on flash drives and got $5 +Ups back, making them free and giving me a $1.01 profit each....before tax of course.

I had a hunch and it worked out this time.  ;-)
The funny thing is that I also have a line of tracking labeled "$25 Photo Items-$5 +UP and $7.98 spent toward that goal.
$7.98 is what the flashdrives came to, so it looks like this is a Double Dipportunity!  If I found $17.02 more that qualifies, I could get another $5 +Up but I am not even going to try.

There is a Home Improvement Card(it's a Discover Card really)Deal that gives a $10 +Ups back(limit 2 per Wellness card) this week.  I'll probably convert some dollars earmarked for home improvement into a couple of these gift cards/Discover cards and add the +Ups into my stash as a bonus.  I'm loving all the bonus +Ups I can take advantage of this time of year.  It's a way to put some of that spare cash we have sitting around to use.
The local market is doing a gift card Deal too--Buy $100 in any sort of card/denominations and get a $X bonus chit to spend in the grocer's.  I've been buying up gift cards to places we go anyway--Subway, KMart, etc.  Might as well get the Bonus of free groceries if I am going to spend the money at those other businesses anyway, right? ;-)


These trips to Rite-Aid--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$118.90
+Ups coming into this trip....$51.00
+Ups used....$29.00
+Ups earned.....$24.00
+Ups at the end.....$46.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$450.12
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$8.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....101.78 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$155.00+
+Ups received...$154.00+
+Ups currently...$46.00+  

Sluggy

What Is That I Smell?

Tuesday was all about stinky stuff for me.
There were deals to be had(or so I thought), so I headed out to do some damage to my wallet.
Ok, not toooo much damage since I was after DEALS and I had my trusty coupons in hand.

First stop--Rite-Aid....of course!
My Rite-Aid store doesn't carry any cheap Calgon items, so I went out in search of them at 2 other stores.
I also had BOGO Stride and Trident gum Qs expiring 12/12 to use....

2 x Calgon bath beads BOGO50%($2.99 reg.)=$4.48
2 x Ricola cough drops 2/$3.00=$3.00
1 x Pentel Pencil Gold discount=$3.99
1 x Almay eye pencil 75% off ($7.49)=$1.87
2 x Trident gum on sale $1.00=$2.00
2 x Stride gum on sale $1.00=$2.00
SubTotal.....$17.34

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Calgon product IPQ=$2.00
1 x .75¢/1 Ricola cough drops ManuQ=$.75
1 x BOGO Trident IPQ=$1.00
1 x BOGO Stride IPQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$4.75

$17.34-$4.75=$12.59 + .05¢tax=$12.64

I used $12+Up Rewards and put the .64¢ on my gift card.
I received back $11+Up Rewards($4 wyb2 Calgon, $4 Pentel, 3 x $1 Ricola). * 2 of the Ricola +Ups printed as "Ricola", 1 printed as "Halls/Ricola", so I think the last one is the weekly Deal +Ups($1 wyb2)so these others must be a hidden or monthly Deal on just Ricola?
At any rate, with $3 in +Ups printing, the Ricola drops are free after +Ups!

I can also submit for a $2 Almay SCRebate for the eye pencil that I "spent" $1.87 on.

So I used $12 in +Ups and I got back $11 +Ups and $2 cash.

I also had some more $2/1 Dana fragrances IPQs to use(mine expire on 12/12)but neither this store of the next store had ANY of the $2.99 size bottles.


Here's the only thing I could scare up at the other Rite-Aid......

2 x Speed Stick Deodorant on sale $2.99=$5.98
1 x Cella cherry w/Gold discount=$.26
SubTotal...$6.24 + $.02 tax=$6.26

I used No coupons....ok, don't faint!lol

I paid with $6 in +Up Rewards and put the .26¢ on my gift card.
I received back $4 in +Up Rewards(2 x $2 Speed Stick).
Not free but .99¢ each after +Ups and it's the kind Hubs likes.

Then I hit the Dollar General Store because I had these....

 A DG $2 off Axe Gift Set Q and a $3.75/1 Axe Gift Set ManuQ to stack.

1 x Axe Gift Set=$10.00
2 x Stride gum on sale .90¢=$1.80
1 x Birthday card(Daughter turns 20 tomorrow)=$1.00 *I sprung for the expensive card! ;-)
SubTotal...$12.80

Coupons Used
1 x Dollar General Q $2/1 Axe Gift Set=$2.00
1 x $3.75/1 Axe Gift Set ManuQ=$3.75
1 x BOGO Stride gum IPQ=$.90
Coupon Total.....$6.65

$12.80-$6.65=$6.15 + .31¢tax=$6.48 OOP

Then I hit KMart.  Have I mentioned that both my sons are crazy for this Axe stuff?
Here is the ad that got me into the store....

Use your Shop Your Way Rewards Card and Spend $20 on Axe products, get a $6 Catalina(technically it's not a Catalina since it prints from the register tape thingy but it spends like a Cat).
I also saw this in the ad....

 Axe Gift Sets that "looked like" they were priced at $10.  So 2 Gift Sets, 2 $3.75 Qs and I'd get a $6 Cat, so $6.50 after Qs and Cat for 2 sets.
Nice, right?

Well if you could read the fine print, the Axe sets were NOT $10.
They were....ready for this?.....$9.99.
Making me 2 CENTS short of getting the $6 Cat.
Making me have to buy another Axe item.
And did I buy the Shower Gel that was on sale for $3.99?
No!
I bought a full priced body spray.
Ugh.
But it's a body spray #2 likes and I can't find.  And it's Christmas so I'll spring the extra buck(diff. between price of shower gel and body spray)and not complain too much .

2 x Axe Gift Sets on sale $9.99=$19.98
1 x Axe body spray=$4.99
SubTotal....$24.97

Coupons Used
2 x $3.75/1 Axe gift set ManuQ=$7.50
1 x $1/1 Axe item ManuQ=$1.00
Coupon Total.....$8.50

$24.97-$8.50=$16.47 + $1.50 tax=$17.97
I used a KMart merchandise return card(I found it laying on the ground a few weeks ago in a parking lot)that had $3.95 credit on it.
$17.97-$3.95=$14.02
I received a $6 Catalina for spending $20 or more on Axe items in 1 transaction.
Goodness!....$1.50 in tax??!  I am getting spoiled at Rite-Aid using +Ups to pay and paying tax only on the little OOP I put on my gift card there.

After Qs, Kmart credit and Cat, I spent $8.02 on these 2 sets and body spray.


All in all, not a bad shopping day.
I got everything pictured above and I'm out of pocket after Qs, Cat, $2 SCR and tax.....$12.50

Lots of stuff to either make you stinky or take away the stinky & More!


Here are the Rite-Aid Numbers.....

These trips--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$36.91
+Ups coming into this trip....$54.00
+Ups used....$18.00
+Ups earned.....$15.00
+Ups at the end.....$51.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$331.22
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$2.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....100.40 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$126.00+
+Ups received...$130.00+
+Ups currently...$51.00+  

What kind of deals have you gotten this week?
Anything good!?!?

Sluggy

Can You Say Peterson Brothers?

This just in.......


Gangnam Style has hit the Midwest!

More of those wacky Peterson Farm Brothers here.....




Now I ask you.....what is sexier than a young working man in a big green machine?


Sluggy

Food Spending DECEMBER Week 1, Meal Planning Week 2

This nifty little gadget gives a whole new meaning to the term "Guitar Shredding".

***********************************

And here is what actually got served last week.... 

Sunday--Everyone was sick but Hubs, he had soup and sammie

Monday--Lasagna Casserole, Salad

Tuesday--Chicken and Gravy over Fried Stuffing, Cali blend Veggies

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--Tuna Sub Sandwiches

Friday--Going Out for Dinner....woohoo!

Saturday--Breakfast for Dinner

Yes, we pretty much ate every meal I planned(except for the Rigatoni which moves to this week's plan) but we may not have had them on the designated day above.

The food spending last week was massive.  $110.48 in 3 trips to the local grocery stores and throw in that stock-up trip to Ollie's for olive oil and other sundries at $54.90 and I blew through $165.38 of the month's food budget. 

***********************

Going into this week, I have leftover Lasagna Casserole to use up.  I'll take care of that for lunch one day.

This week's menu....

Sunday--Rigatoni w/Meat Sauce, Salad

Monday--Chicken Parmesan, Mashed Potatoes, Beets

Tuesday--Halushki and/or Leftovers

Wednesday--Salmon, Coleslaw, Green Beans

Thursday--Hot Dogs, Beans, Potato Salad

Friday--Beef Pie with carrots, green beans and cornbread

Saturday--Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner

Last week was crazy here because of the school musical and Daughter finishing her college classes.

This week will be crazy here because of rehearsals for jazz and concert bands, music lesson, college finals and my own personal eBay Hell.  The evening schedules aren't conducive to having everyone sitting at the dinner table at the same time.  I've planned accordingly by having 3 casserole type meals that can be eaten whenever, 2 meals that can be made quickly by whomever is hungry.  The salmon night will be whichever night we can get everyone to eat together since reheating fish isn't how you want to eat it. 

I'll be glad when all this extra busyness is done and we can go back to the normal level of insanity in our home. ;-)

What I need to buy for this menu?

Cabbage, Potatoes, Carrots(I think?).  Everything else is on hand.

A quick glance at the ads and there isn't much I want this week other than what is needed for the menu.  Daughter will be spending about $15 on lunch items to take to work.  I hope to get by this week spending $30 or less.

What are your menu plans for this week?

Sluggy

It's a Shining Miracle!

I'm a night late but I want to give a shout out to my Friends who are MOT and celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah.
It's a great holiday.....all about the underdog defeating the mighty, freedom from tyranny, and celebrating your culture, your religion and a miracle.
Even if you aren't Jewish, there are lessons to take away from this celebration of the Festival of Lights.
And the food!......Paula Deen has nothing on the deep fried latkes and doughnuts and chocolate gelt that are part of the celebration.

What's not to like?!?

So on this the 2nd night of Hanukkah, I wish you freedom, may your oil supply never run dry and may your latkes be the fluffiest....except for those nice crispy edges....Mmmmmm

Chag Sameach y'all!

Sluggy

Cookie Mix Fixed & The Rest of What I Got at Rite-Aid Last Week

Here is some more Rite-Aid shopping from last week.
I talked about the BC Cookie Mix/+Ups printing problem I had but I neglected to post that trips total/spending....

2 x BC cookie mix on sale $2=$4.00
1 x Pentel Mechanical Pen $4.99 but w/Gold discount=$3.99
SubTotal....$7.99

I used a $1/2 BC Cookie Mix IPQ=$1.00

$7.99-$1.00=$6.99+.04¢tax=$7.03
I used a $6 +Up Reward to pay and put the $1.03 in my gift card.
I received a $4 +Up Reward back for the Mechanical Pencil, which made the pencil free.
Didn't get the $2 food +Ups however as you all know already.

*The Pentel Pencil Deal is a monthly one.  The "Twist Erase" Mechanical Pencils are one of the varieties that gives the $4 +Up Reward.  I found Bonus packs of them at one store....2 Pencils and an ink Pen.  They or the regular pack with just 1 Pencil are both part of the Deal.  If you have a Gold Wellness discount, after +Ups this makes them free.  There is also a Pentel Gel Pen that goes for $3.19 after Gold discount that is generating a $3 +Up Reward, so that's a cheap, but not free pen after rewards.  The Limit on the Pencils is 4 per card and it goes all month so keep that in mind if you have a week where you need to roll +Ups and there is little else you need.

On Friday I also did this transaction....

1 x BC Cookie Mix on sale=$2.00 *not pictured, you saw it already
5 x Dana brand Fragrances $2.99 but w/Gold discount $2.39=$11.95
1 x Pentel Mechanical Pencil $4.99 w/Gold discount=$3.99
SubTotal....$17.94

Coupons Used
1 x .50¢/1 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix IPQ(smartsource dotcom)=$.50
5 x $2/1 Dana brands fragrance IPQ(from their website)=$10.00
Coupon Total....$10.50

$17.94-$10.50=$7.44+.01¢tax=$7.45
I used $7 in +Ups and put the .45¢ on my gift card(had to break out a new gift card finally).
I received back $4 in +Ups($4 Pentel) and then when I returned and rebought the cookie mixes Saturday evening, I got my $2 +Ups for that, so I received $6 +Up Rewards in total.

I also bought a $50 Kohl's gift card on my Wellness card and another on the BIL's card on Saturday evening.  The $100 I spent for those comes out of a fund for clothing, so basically it was just converting $100 of that cash into gift cards, which will be spent in 2013 on regular clothing needs for the family.
This wasn't regular Rite-Aid shopping.
But.....buying them at Rite-Aid did give me 2 x $5 +Up Rewards for the purchases.
These are a "bonus" and get rolled into my pile of +Ups. 8-)


These trips--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$34.50
+Ups coming into this trip....$47.00
+Ups used....$13.00
+Ups earned.....$10.00
BONUS +Ups for buying gift cards for Kohl's.....$10.00
+Ups at the end.....$54.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$294.31
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....100 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$108.00+
+Ups received...$115.00+
+Ups currently...$54.00+ 

Sluggy

I Need A Little Christmas

What a busy day Saturday was!
I am pooped.
Going to Rite-Aid(to rebuy cookie mix...oy!), Christmas shopping with Hubs(2 places and then I said, "Enough!"), the Grocery store(for the 3rd time this week!), writing and posting eBay listings, packing eBay items that sold, dealing with eBay Deadbeats(already?!), filing receipts, putting away all this stuff I've "bought" at Rite-Aid lately, straightening the garage stockpile, dealing with the dogs and the teens.
I was so ready to put my feet up, pop open a Woodchuck Hard Cider and watch a little tv.  Nothing on but Suze Orman(those "Can I Afford It?" Segment people are a hoot!).

Where did the day go?

And as for Christmas here?
Well all I can say is that the tree is up and is no longer 'totally' nekkid......

Perhaps some ornaments will make an appearance soon.  Not that anyone other than Hubs and I even care to decorate the thing. 
If Santa doesn't see the youngins around here scare up a little more enthusiasm than they are displaying now, he might just take a pass at our house this year.

I'll be breaking out the fruitcake tomorrow.
I have self-diagnosed myself and the result is that I am suffering from a candied fruit and nut deficiency.

That and this clip should get me right......


Lucy is no Angela Lansbury but it will have to do. ;-)

Sluggy

Well Color Me Informed, If NOT Annoyed with Rite-Aid

You may recall that I bought 2 pouches of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix the other day at Rite-Aid.....

These pouches are part of a Food Deal at R-A this week....."Spend $6 on select Food items, Get $2 +Up Reward back" Deal.
These mixes are $2 a bag this week, so I had spent $4(before Qs)for these 2 and I was expecting my $2 +Ups to print out after I bought 1 more bag.
Famous last words, right?

Well I sashayed(yes, us Southern gals sashay!)back up to Rite-Aid today to buy a third pouch of cookie mix and claim my $2 +Ups.

Only, that danged +Ups had the Audacity to NOT print out!
So I had me a nice little online chat with Corporate CS when I got home to see if they could mail me my +Ups.

And that is when I found out something.
First off, the CS gal was NOT going to mail me my $2 +Ups!
Further more, she told me that if I wanted my +Ups I would have to go back up to Rite-Aid, return the 3 bags of mix and then rebuy them in a single transaction.
Well, THAT was my suggested solution anyway.
Miss CS didn't seem to care one way or another if I got an +Up Reward or not.
She was Miss "they don't pay me enough at this job to make me want to care about you and your +up reward" about the whole thang.
I can't blame her really but I was very pleasant the whole time and didn't talk in CAPS to her at all.
8-(

So you know that some times at Rite-Aid, when they have these +Up Reward Deals that make you buy multiple items as in multiples of an assortment of items to choose from(I don't mean the Deals where you buy 2 or 3 of one particular item to get an +Ups). 
And you know that sometimes these larger Deals will track because R-A figures you have to purchase everything to satisfy the Deal in MORE than one transaction(especially since R-A is known for not having enough stock on the shelves to satisfy demand for +Up Reward Deals MANY MANY TIMES!), but other times these larger Deals don't track at all and you wonder why it doesn't and why you never get your +Up Reward(s)?

Well, I may be the last person on the Planet Earth to learn this but, straight from the mostly unengaged and BORED CS person to my monitor screen, I learned that.....

In order for a Rite-Aid +Up Reward Deal to track, it has to be one where you are required to spend $10 or MORE to get the Reward.
If a Deal requires you to spend $10 or MORE, you can buy the items in multiple transactions and the Reward will print after you hit the spending requirement.
If a Deal requires you to spend under $10, you have to buy the items in ONE transaction to get the Reward to print.

When I learned this on Friday, the skies parted and I heard angels sing.  Finally, a definite rule from Corporate on which Deals track and which don't.
Definite until it doesn't happen that way in real life when I go back to the store. ;-)

So I'll be hauling these mixes back up to my Rite-Aid to return and rebuy and get my $2 +Ups.
Really, how difficult would it have been for the CS to mail me that Reward?
So I get to let my store's employees generate more paperwork and work for themselves, during the Holiday season when they have NO time for extra work!, instead of making an online CS person, who has no customers lined up 20 deep at a register glaring at her/him like the store employees do, put my name/addy on an envie and stuffing a $2 +Up into it and dropping it into the "outgoing" mail pile.

Geez.
Ho-Ho-Ho Rite-Aid......

Sluggy

$20K Savings Challenge.....NOVEMBER Update

Ok, here is my NOVEMBER Savings Challenge Update post for 2012.

This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against "unconscious" spending.

Just to update, My Savings Goal for the Year in 2012 is $20,000.  It's well below what I've saved in previous years I know.  But we also have a goal of paying for 4 home improvement projects at Chez Sluggy this year.  We plan on cash-flowing these projects with the additional money we save and/or our income tax refund.
Our background info--We are a family of 5(kids are 21-16)with one living away from home.  We have 2 dogs. We own 4 cars at present and live in/own free & clear a 4 bedroom house in a small town.

On to the November report.....

I have posted my NOVEMBER End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals 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 $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up November in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of November with?.......$6,762.91

Income
We had $6,752.37 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted. 

Add in a teeny bit of interest at $.54 from the interest bearing checking account and a rebate check worth $10.00 and it brought our gain to $6,762.91 for November.

Outgo

As for the expenses this November......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

* The water bill was the same as last month.

* The credit card bill decreased by $270.
* The cash withdrawals were $50 lower.

*  Music lessons went down.

And the big one....

* There were NO car maintenance/repair bills in November.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The medical/dr. bills were $125 higher than last month.

*  The electric bill went up by $72, mostly due to the heat being on fulltime now.

The Food Budget costs for NOVEMBER are in another post, which is located HERE. 

We managed to stay within our $400 food budget in November.

YEAR-TO-DATE GRAND TOTAL.....
With 11 months behind us, our Savings Grand Total for 2012 is at  $26,351.38!

We have hit our target for the year and then some.  That 3 paycheck month in November put us well over the top.

And there is one more month to go!   Even though we have passed the Challenge Goal, I'm going to keep with it to the end of the year.  Maybe I can add another thousand or two to my Grand Total for 2012.
 ***************
I'm so happy we hit the Goal before we end the year.  We were lagging behind on the targets for each month so many times earlier in the year.
And don't think I didn't have one BIG URGE to just take that extra 3rd paycheck in November and not count it and put it toward this savings challenge!
With Christmas so close, I could have seen myself take that big wad of paycheck cash and blow it on one massive Mother Of All Christmas Spending Sprees!  Like a blast from the shopping/Xmas spending past it would have been!
So sweet.....especially with where financially things are heading for us little guys after we jump off the fiscal cliff in 2013 and beyond.  It would have been a last hurrah of blatant consumerism, right? ;-)

But I kept it together and didn't go back to those old ways and kept my grimy little fingers off that check and sent it to savings to keep us that much more solvent in the coming years.
It's not as flashy and fun but it helps me sleep well at night, which is worth all the new trinkets and gadgets in the world. 8-)

*******************

As for a look ahead at DECEMBER.......

*  No irregular bills are due this month.

*  Normal monthly bills only are expected.
*  We may have a car repair bill this month.

Be sure and check back with me after 2012 ends on our final tally for this Savings Challenge.  Let's see if I can run through the tape at the finish line! 8-)

So how was your November financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
How much of your income did you save in November?  And did you use it to pay down debt or build your Emergency Fund?

Even if what you are able to save each month doesn't look like a lot of money, figure out what percentage of your income you saved.  You might feel that it's a more substantial amount in those terms!

We saved approx. 74% of our take home income in November.  My goal is to shoot for 50% each month but that extra paycheck made my percentages shoot quite high.  It's too bad I can't get it that high in a normal month.  We do have 2 kids in college and another one headed there in another 18 months.....so we NEED to be saving like crazy.

But most months aren't this insanely good.

Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.
Did you have debt you were able to pay on?
Did you pay off a car, a house or a credit card?
Did something financial blow up on you last month?
What are you doing financially to change your life?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too and cheer you on!

Sluggy

It's Only THURSDAY?!?

I have been operating on the premise that it's a day PAST what day it actually is.
I hate when that happens, don't you?

While I go off and try to get my head back into the present, enjoy this Classic, all gussied up for the Holidays.



And hopefully I'll be back tomorrow....on Saturday.  No wait!  I meant Friday.
Ya see what I'm talking about? 8-)

Sluggy

Can You STAND Some More Rite-Aid?!

I am a glutton for punishment......so I went back to Rite-Aid today.

5 x Simplify Napkins and/or Foil $1, w/Gold discount .80¢=$4.00
1 x Lemon Juice on sale=$1.00
2 x White Shoulders Cologne BOGO50% Sale($7.99)=$11.98
2 x Gillette Fusion/ProGlide Razors on sale $9.99(but Gold discount $8.63=$17.26
2 x Gillette Women's Disposable Razors(Venus) Gold discount $9.59=$19.18
2 x English Leather Cologne reg. $2.99, Gold discount $2.39=$4.78
SubTotal....$58.20

Coupons Used
2 x $10/1 Gillette Fusion/ProGlide Razor WYB Gillette Disposable Razors pack ManuQ(12/2 RP)=$20.00
1 x BOGOFree Gillette women's Disposable Razors pack ManuQ(Dec. P&G)=$9.59
2 x $2/1 Dana brands Fragrance IPQ(Dana Webstie-take a survey, they send you a link to the Q)=$4.00
Coupon Total....$33.59

$58.20-$33.59=$24.61

I paid with $24 in +Up Rewards and put the .61¢ on my gift card.
I received back $20 in +Up Rewards($10 WYB 2 Fragrances reg. $7.50 or over, 2 x $4 Gillette, $2 R-A napkins/foil).

I "spent down" $4 in my +Ups and got all the stuff above.

If you got the $10 Gillette Qs in your inserts and have the Dec. P&G insert, go get some razors  as this will be a moneymaker for you.  You can also get the Gillette disposable razors instead of the Venus ones...that Q was also in the Dec. P&G insert.  There is a limit of 2 $4 +Ups on the Gillette Fusion Razors per card.

If you go do the survey and print the Dana fragrance Q, it will be good for 7 days only so you have a short time to use it.
There are also Dana branded fragrance gift sets at Rite-Aid for the Holidays.  Some are $9.99 and if you have a Gold Wellness discount and the $2/1 Dana Q, you could get them for $5.99 + tax.  Not bad for a nice holiday present. 8-)

After sale and +Ups, these cost me .99¢ each.  I love White Shoulders.  These are the very small bottles but a little of this scent goes a long way.  The other scents were all $9.99 or higher so would cost you $1.99 each after sale and +Ups or higher.

There are also small bottles of Dana scents at Rite-Aid priced at $2.99.
With Gold Wellness discount they are $2.39 and use the $2/1 Dana Q and pay .39¢ + tax each.  My store had English Leather and Chantilly.  These would make nice little stocking stuffers.  They don't qualify for the "Buy One, Get One 50% and the $10 +Ups wyb 2" however since they are under $7.50 reg. price.

I think I am finished with Rite-Aid for this week.
Or not...... lol

My gift card is down to it's last .61¢.  Going to have to break out another one soon.....


This trip--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$74.21
+Ups coming into this trip....$51.00
+Ups used....$24.00
+Ups earned.....$20.00
+Ups at the end.....$47.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$259.81
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....100 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$95.00+
+Ups received...$95.00+
+Ups currently...$47.00+ 

Sluggy

Shopping Ollie's for Food....Good Stuff Cheap!

Yes, our regional discounter Ollie's is near and dear to my heart.
I love their motto....."Good stuff cheap!" 8-))

I had earned a 10% off coupon from them and since I seem to be in shopping mode lately, I went to see if there were any deals to stock up on.
Here is what I found.....

5 x Assorted Juices (100%)$1.99 or $1.79 w/discount=$8.95
2 x Parmesan Cheese $2.19 or $1.97 w/discount=$3.94
2 x Vanilla Extract(real) $4.49 or $4.04 w/discount=$8.08
1 x BBQ rub  $1.99 or $1.79 w/discount=$1.79
2 x Mustard or Chicken Bouillon $.99 or $.89 w/discount=$1.78

Stocked on Juice, shaker Cheese and Vanilla.  These extract bottles are HUGE.....

16 oz sized and NOT imitation!
$4.04.
That's cheaper than making my own. 8-)

And here is my real stock up.....5 huge bottles of Olive Oil....

1 x Apple butter $1.79 or $1.61 w/discount=$1.61
2 x Olive Oil(Tunisian-1 liter) $4.99 or $4.49 w/discount=$8.98
2 x Olive Oil(Pompeian Extra Light-48 oz.) $6.99 or $6.29 w/discount=$12.58
1 x Olive Oil(Pompeian Classic-48 oz.) $7.99 or $7.19 w/discount=$7.19

Total Out of Pocket....$54.90
The Total Value if I had purchased all this at retail elsewhere.....$101.93

They also had the 48 oz. bottles of Pompeian blend of Olive Oil and Canola Oil for $5.99, which after discount would have cost me $5.39.
But I don't use Canola Oil.

I may go back Sunday evening and buy some more.  I have a coupon for Ollie's special sale where everything in the store will be 15% off, which means even more of a savings.

Anybody else shop at Ollie's?

Sluggy

Jesse's Girl Double Dip Today Only at Rite-Aid!

Here's another Double Dip only good THROUGH TODAY! if your Rite-Aid carries JESSE'S GIRL Cosmetics.

There is a weekly Deal--Buy $12 of Jesse's Girl, Get $6+Ups.
And there is a monthly Deal that ends TODAY!--Buy $10 of Jesse's Girl, Get $5 +Ups.
So Buy $12 and Get $11 in +Up Rewards back.

And Jesse's Girl products are Buy One, Get One 50% off this week as well.

I picked up on my Wellness card.....

1 make-up brush--full price $3.99
1 eye shadow set--50% $1.99

1 nail polish--full price $2.99
1 nail polish--50% $1.49

1 eye liner--got my 20% discount since I didn't buy 2  $1.59

Subtotal was $12.05
I paid $12 with +Up Rewards & put the .05¢ on my gift  card and got back 1 x $5+Ups and 1 x $6+Ups.

$1 for 5 cosmetic items. 8-)

And here is the rest of what I bought on BIL's Card at the downtown store(so some of the prices are lower than my town's store)....

4 x Soft Soap BOGOFree $1.99=$3.98
2 x Axe Body Wash on sale=$9.00
2 x Axe Body Spray on sale=$9.00
2 x ProGlide Razors on sale(but Wellness discount less $8.39)=$16.78
2 x Gillette Disposable Razor packs w/Wellness discount $5.99=$11.98
3 x Jesse's Girl nail polish BOGO50% $2.99 reg. price=$7.47
2 x Jesse's Girl lip glass BOGO50% $2.99 reg. price=$4.48
1 x Jesse's Girl nail file BOGO50% .99¢ reg. price=$.49
3 x Blistex 3/$4.98(but 2 of them were cheaper-$1.35)=$4.36 for 3
1 x Conair Shower Cap w/Wellness discount=$1.99
SubTotal.....$69.53

Coupons Used
2 x $1/1 Axe Body Wash ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $1/1 Axe Body Spray/Deo ManuQ=$2.00
1 x $1/1 Axe Body Spray/Deo Load2Card=$1.00
2 x $10/1 ProGlide Razor wyb a Gillette disposable ManuQ=$20.00
1 x BOGOFree Gillette disposable Razors ManuQ=$5.99
1 x $1/2 Blistex ManuQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Conair hair item In-Ad Q=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$33.99

$69.53-$33.99=$35.54+.04¢tax=$35.58
I paid with $35 in +Ups and put the .58¢ on my gift card.
I received $33 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $1 Soft Soap, 2 x $5 Axe-weekly & monthly deals, 2 x $4 Gillette Proglide, $6 & $5 Jesse's Girl, $2 Blistex).



These trips--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$107.63
+Ups coming into this trip....$54.00
+Ups used....$47.00
+Ups earned.....$44.00
+Ups at the end.....$51.00

*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$185.60
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....100 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$71.00+
+Ups received...$75.00+
+Ups currently...$51.00+ 

So I spent "down" $3 in +Up Rewards for everything pictured above.
Go get them double dips and HURRY!

Sluggy

Doing the Monthly Deals at Rite-Aid Before Time Runs Out!

3 separate transactions at Rite-Aid Sunday evening and/or on Monday.......

2 x Soft Soap 5.5 oz Aloe ones on sale BOGO=$2.29
SubTotal....$2.29
No coupons.
I paid with a $2 +Up Reward and put the .29¢ on my gift card.
I received a $1 +Up Reward back for buying 2 Soft Soap dispensers.

So I paid $.65 each for these Soap dispensers.
The larger Soft Soaps are BOGO this week and give the $1 +Up wyb 2.  They are regularly $3+ at Rite-Aid but these smaller Aloe ones that run $2+ are included in the sale/+Ups promo, if you can find 2 on the shelf.
Be sure and get a raincheck for these smaller ones too!  Maybe a Q will happen to come out and you can combine it with a raincheck for almost free Soft Soap.  ;-)

Then it was free Axe Day on Monday!......

4 x Axe Body Wash on sale $4.50=$18.00
1 x Conair Roller Pins w/Wellness Gold discount=$1.99
1 x Cella cherry(filler)w/Wellness God discount=$.26
SubTotal.....$20.25

Coupons Used
4 x $2/1 Axe item(12/2 inserts)ManuQ=$8.00
1 x $1/1 Axe Load2CardQ=$1.00
1 x $2/1 Conair In-Ad Q=$2.00
Coupon Total.....$11.00

$20.25-11.00=$9.25+.01¢tax=$9.26

I paid with $9 in +Up Rewards and put the .26¢ on my gift card.
I received back $20 back in +Up Rewards(2 x $5 Axe-1 for the monthly Buy $15/Get $5 Deal and 1 for the weekly Buy $15/Get $5 Deal, $10 Holiday Promo +Ups for spending at least $110 this month).

There is a $5 Axe weekly deal wyb $15 worth of product and a $5 Axe monthly deal wyb $15 worth of product, so the Axe double dips this week but ONLY UNTIL TUESDAY!  If you want to get the double dip buy your Axe Tuesday at the latest, as the new monthly deals kick in on the 5th.

So this transaction, I "spent" $9 +Ups but I got back $10 +Ups for the Axe.

Last transaction of the day.....

4 x Wahl Groomers w/20% Wellness Discount $8.39=$33.56
2 x Conair Roller Pins w/20% Wellness Discount=$3.98
SubTotal......$37.54

Coupons Used
4 x $5/1 Wahl Groomer In-Ad Q=$20.00
2 x $2/1 Conair Product In-Ad Q=$4.00
Coupon Total.....$24.00

$37.54-$24.00=$13.54+.04¢tax=$13.58
I used $13 in +Ups to pay and put the .58¢ on my gift card.
I received back $10 in +Up Rewards for a Wahl monthly Deal(Spend $30/Get $10 +Ups).

So my 4 Wahl trimmers/groomers & 2 sets of hair pins 'cost' me $3.58.
Again, this is a Monthly Deal that ends on Tuesday.
And if your Rite-Aid won't let you use multiples of the In-Ad Qs, you will have to break this last transaction up into 4 transactions.  The Monthly Wahl $10 +Up should print after your 4th Wahl trimmer/groomer is bought.

These trips--
OOP....$0.00
Value of items....$77.97
+Ups coming into this month....$47.00
+Ups used....$24.00
+Ups earned.....$31.00
+Ups at the end.....$54.00




*And here are my MONTHLY TOTALS*
 
GRAND TOTALS FOR DECEMBER so far.......

Out Of Pocket....$0.00  cash
Value of items bought.....$77.97
Savings Rate of  100%
Single Check Rebate due....$0.00
Other Rebates due......$0.00
After SCR applied, Out of Pocket.... $0.00
Savings Rate.....100 %

+Ups at beginning of month...$47.00+
+Ups used....$24.00+
+Ups received...$31.00+
+Ups currently...$54.00+

Off to a good start at Rite-Aid this month!

Sluggy

Food Spending NOVEMBER Week 4, Meal Planning DECEMBER Week 1

Just looking at this picture makes my taste buds tingle with delight!

This is the Holy Grail of Soups for me.

And I can't find a restaurant that serves it that is any closer than 2.5 hours away from where I live.

Yet another reason to detest living here......

Some day I'll talk about how I obsess over this soup.

***********************************

And here is what actually got served last week....

Sunday--Tacos

Monday--Leftovers

Tuesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Green Beans

Wednesday--Chicken and Dumplings

Thursday--Pork Chops with Apricot Glaze, Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potatoes, Beets

Friday--Pizza, Salad

Saturday--Leftovers

Yes, we pretty much ate every meal I planned but we may not have had them on the designated day.

So sue me.

The food spending last week was 1 trip to Price Chopper that cost me $32.39 for $68.35 reg. retail worth of goods. 

Some of these were really good deals.  There was a $5 off when you spend $20 on PC house brands and I got 2 dozen eggs, 4lbs. butter, 2 cartons OJ, 2 bottles of Tartar Sauce and 3 rolls of 'whack' biscuits

for $13.47.  The juice and eggs were on sale and I had .55¢/1 Qs for the butter(making each lb. $1.74 in addition to the $5 off $20 Q).

The yogurts all had instant dairy discount stickers on them so the Chobanis were .24¢ ea. and the quart of Mountain High left the store with me and PC paid me .26¢ to take it home!

Now THAT'S my kind of shopping. 8-)

Even the frozen pizzas were a deal.  We are in love with these Freschetta Sea Salt and Olive Oil pizzas.  I'd rather had a homemade pizza but for some reason we can't get enough of this frozen one.  They must put crack in it or something. ;-)

PC had them for $4.99 and I had .75¢/1 Qs and my PC now doubles FULLY up to .99¢, so they doubled to $1.50, making my pizzas $3.49 each!

I finished November spending $368.57 of our $400 food budget.

***********************

Going into this week, I have leftover Taco Beef(a little bit), some meatballs, some stuffing.  I also have a large container of ricotta cheese that needs using.  I had hoped to make cannoli but I don't think that will be happening.  I'll need to find a recipe for something else or make more stuffed shells to put into the freezer for later.

This week's menu....

Sunday--Everyone was sick but Hubs, he had soup and sammie

Monday--Lasagna Casserole, Salad

Tuesday--Chicken and Gravy over Fried Stuffing, Cali blend Veggies

Wednesday--Rigatoni and Meat Sauce, Caesar Salad

Thursday--Tuna Sub Sandwiches

Friday--Going Out for Dinner....woohoo!

Saturday--Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner

This week I need to use up the stuffing or throw it into the freezer.  I'll pan saute some chicken breast, then put a crust on slices of stuffing and place the chicken and gravy over that on Tuesday. Getting inventive here!lol 

I'll break up the meatballs and use the taco beef for my meat sauce on Wednesday.

What I need to buy for this menu?

Salad Greens.  Everything else is on hand.

I'll be doing some shopping ahead this week....bagels, clementines, green chiles, cream cheese, sour cream, pasta, more OJ, some canned pumpkin(since it's on sale now), some cheese, etc.

I spent $35 already on Monday and plan on spending another $60 or so more this week.  I'm trying to keep it under $100 total for the week.

What are your menu plans for this week?

Sluggy

Boring Blog Box Giveaway Winner Revealed!

First let's take a look again at all the fine prizes that went into this Giveaway's Box.....

There were 80 valid entries.  I numbered them all and had Random.org pick the winning entry.

The winning entry is from.......Lisa Richardson.
Congratulations Lisa!
Please email me privately with your mailing information so I can get this box 'o goodies out to you.

Thanks to everyone who played.

Sluggy