Fry's & CVS

I just needed to pick up a couple of things this morning. CVS had nothing astonishing on sale that I needed. Here is what I purchased today:


CVS:

1 Cortisone Cream - $ 4.49

Used $ 4.00 in ECBS

Total Out of Pocket was $ .52!


Fry's:

4 Braeburn Apples - $ 2.31

1 bag of 6 Hard Rolls - $ 2.49

1 Shamrock Farms FF Milk - $ 2.49

3 bags of Cheese Popcorn - on sale for 3 for $ 5.00

Used $ 2./10. Fresh N Easy Coupon
Received Credit for Cloth Bags - $ .10

Total Out of Pocket was $ 10.19.

My rollover grocery budget on November 22 was a negative $ 43.35 to which I added $ 38.00 on November 23 = a negative $ 5.35 to which I added $ 38.00 today = $ 32.65 minus the $ 10.71 I spent today = $ 21.94 for the rest of the week!

What To Do with All Those Turkey Leftovers!

We have lots of leftovers even after having a reheated turkey dinner last night. So here is some of the things that I will do with them:

- Hot turkey sandwiches
-Cold turkey sandwiches - spread with some homemade cranberry sauce
- Put a layer of stuffing and then a layer of turkey in a casserole dish and pour some gravy to on top of all. Then bake in the oven till heated through.
- Make turkey soup(This is DH's favorite) - turkey broth, seasonings, chunked turkey, rice, niblet corn, diced celery and onion.
- Turkey salad- mayo, celery, mandarin oranges, turkey and dried cranberries. We serve this on lettuce leaves or in wonton wrapper mini muffin cups.

If I still have more left, I chunk up the meat and freeze in Ziplocs in meal size portions to put in casseroles and things like chicken helper.

I think I will be hitting the store for one more cheap turkey ( $.39 a lb and use a $1.00 off coupon) to roast and then divide the meat up for the freezer. We love turkey in place of chicken in lots of things.

Would anyone want to share their recipes with me? If so leave a message in comments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be preparing all the pies and make ahead foods tomorrow for Thanksgiving. But I want to wish you and all of your families a Happy Thanksgiving. May it be a time of joy and peace and thankfulness for all the people in your lives! Enjoy!

Should They Retire Early?

I received an e-mail from someone who is considering retiring next month. Since DH and I retired very early and fullfilled our dream of financial independence, they wanted to know if I thought they had enough money to do so. I told them if they would give me the details, I would gladly do some analysis for them and give them my honest opinion. But I wanted to make sure that they understood that this is just my $ .02 and they must make their own decision.


Here is the information they provided me. He wants to retire next month at the age of 57 and she is 52 and worked for a total of 25 years but is not working now. They have a 16 year old child. The child has $ 125,000. in his college fund that he inherited from his grandmother. She has no retirement savings from the years she worked. He will retire next month with a 401K of $ 448,000. invested mostly in bonds. They have $ 83,000. in taxable savings accounts. They have paid medical and dental insurance from his employer for all 3 of them- the son is covered while he is in college. However they have co-pays for medical and drugs and their dental plan only pays for 2 appointments and cleanings per person per year, X-rays every 2 years and about 60% of restorative work.


He will be keeping his 401K account untouched for 2 and 1/2 years because if he takes it when he retires, he has to either put it in a 72T account for 5 years and draw a minimum monthly payment from it or pay ordinary income tax on it and a 10% penalty.You have to be 59 and 1/2 years old to draw from a 401k without penalty. He wants to do neither.


Their home is paid in full- no mortgage. It is worth about $105,000. They own 2 cars - one is a 2003 which is paid for and one is a 2006 which has a $300. a month loan for the next 3 years. They owe no credit card bills or any other debt besides the auto loan. Their son will be going to college in Sept. 2010; however he will be using his $ 125,000. inheritance to pay for that. Any expenses up and above that amount he will work part-time to pay for. Her parents left them no inheritance and his parents will not be leaving them any. They live in the Northeast where home prices have not slumped as badly as other parts of the country but are down by about 5-6% over the past year and will probably continue to decline. They have no intention of moving since they believe that the $ 105,000. they could sell their home for would not buy them much of anything anywhere else in the country.


Here is their projected monthly and annual budget that they have worked up for retirement:


Taxes: $100. a month = $ 1200. annually


Food, HBA, non- grocery: $ 250. a month = $ 3000. annually


Property and School Taxes: $ 167. a month or $ 2004. annually


Housing Repair and Maintenance: $ 150. a month or $1800. annually


Clothing and Shoes: $ 125. a month or $ 1500. annually


Automobile Loan: $ 300. a month or $ 3600. annually


Gasoline and Oil for 2 cars: $ 200. a month or $ 2400. annually


Healthcare Co - Pays, etc: $ 142. a month or $ 1704. annually


Electricity and Gas Utility Bills: $ 175. a month or $ 2100. annually


Telephone(1 Cellphone): $ 50. a month or $ 600. annually


Entertainment(Eating out , movies, sports games, etc): $ 185. a month or $ 2220. annually


Personal Care (haircuts, etc.): $ 50. a month or $ 600. annually


Newspapers, Books, Office Supplies, Postage: $ 71. a month or $ 852. annually


Contributions(Church, charities): $100. a month or $1200. annually


Auto and Homeowners Insurance: $ 117. a month or $ 1404. annually


Water, Sewer and Garbage Bills: $ 55. a month or $ 660. annually


Gifts: $ 60. a month or $ 720. annually


Cable and Internet: $ 120. a month or $ 1440. annually


Veternarian and expenses for 1 dog: $ 24. a month or $ 288. annually


Travel: $ 175. a month or $ 2100. annually


Miscellaneous(anything not mentioned above): $ 125. a month or $ 1500. annually




Their total annual yearly budget adds up to: $ 32,892. which I am going to round up to $33,000. per year. This is the amount they believe they can live on annually in retirement.



Now for my analysis! Keep in mind that the husband is 57 years old and the wife is 52 years old. The husband has to be 59 and 1/2 in order to draw from his 401K without penalty. They have $ 83,000. in taxable savings that they can use over the next 2 and 1/2 years for living expenses until he turns 59 and 1/2. If you take $ 33,000. times 2.5 years you get a total of $ 82,500. That amount comes in under the $ 83,000. they now have and I would assume that they are earning some interest on that money. So if they strictly stick to this budget they can survive until they can tap the 401K.




Now again keep in mind the ages of the man and woman. Today a man's life expectancy is 78 years old and a woman's is 81 years old. If you consider the averages, he has 21 years to live and she has 29 years to live. However, you have to consider what ages your ancestors and family members lived to. Did they die from old age or from diseases that could have been avoided? I asked this couple about their ancestrial history and they agreed that they probably have 30 years in retirement. So that is the number we will use.



So if you are using a simple formula, just multiply your annual expenses times 30 years. In this case, it would be $ 33,000. in expenses times 30 years which equals $ 990,000. So that is the amount of money it would look like they would need to retire. However, you have to consider Social Security. They both have a good chance at the moment of seeing a Social Security check. At age 62 he says that he can collect, using today's dollars $ 1350. and she says she can collect $1000. at age 62. Annually he would get $ 16,200. and she would get $ 12,000. Now of course, we are assuming that the government won't do away with Social Security by the time they reach 62 or make it income based as to whether you collect anything at all. For our purposes, since Social Security is still viable, we will assume they will collect.



Now I will be using the calculator that I believe is the best one out there. It is called FireCalc and it is here:




http://firecalc.com/



If you plug in the annual expenses of $ 33,000. a year for 30 years with a portfolio of $ 531,000. and he receiving his Social Security amount of $ 16,200. a year at 62 and her amount of $ 12,000. a year at 62, FireCalc says it is doable. However you have to remember that FireCalc is set up for your money to be 75% in stocks and 25% in bonds and the inflation rate is 3%. They have their money all in bonds or savings accounts and I would say in this economy that is where it should be kept. So FireCalc isn't really viable right now since the stock market is dropping week by week. Some day it will recover, but your guess is as good as mine as to when. So it could be years before you can make any kind of money to keep up with inflation. Yup, I know they keep talking about deflation but all I see is inflation- in food prices, utilities costs, cable and internet costs keep rising, etc.


I also believe their budget is bare bones and leaves no room for expenses to rise. Let's take a look at it.




Taxes: I think this figure is low.




Food: It is doable with coupons, lots of planning and scratch cooking.




Property and School Taxes: This is what they paid this year, but we all know these rise and are liable to rise in the future in much larger amounts because so many states are cutting costs to balance their 2 and 3 billion dollar deficits.




Housing Repair and Maintenance: This figure is very low. I asked them how old their roof is? They told me they replaced it 10 years ago and so they have 10 years left on it. A new roof will cost them about $12,000. or more in 10 years and they have not budgeted for that. They should be budgeting $100. a month or $1200. annually for this replacement. I asked if they had budgeted for large appliances - stoves, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave etc. They had not and even though they have replaced some of them in the past couple few years, they need to budget for replacement of the others and eventually the ones they did replace. Appliances do not last forever. They also replaced their furnace and A/C systems 12 years ago. They may be good for another few years but they need to be budgeting for replacements and these are not cheap.




Clothing and shoes: This is barebones but doable since you need fewer clothes than when you are working.




Automobile Loan: We discussed the fact that they have budgeted for the car payment for the 3 years, however they have not budgeted for replacements. When they are done paying on their car loan, their cars will be 5 and 8 years old. Being retired they really only need one car; however they will most likely need to replace the 5 year old car in about 2013. That is only about 4 years from know and they have nothing set aside for that replacement. They will probably need $25,000. for a new car then. Maybe $20,000. if they buy 2 years old. That means they need to save $5,000. - $6,000. a year starting now for that replacement. They do not have the money.



Gasoline and Oil: Gasoline expenses can be cut back on if need be when you are not working.




Healthcare Co-Pays, etc: His company may not continue to give them fully paid medical and dental costs in the future. Many private companies are cutting costs by making employees and retirees pay more. At the very least the co-pays will rise and the 40% of dental expenses that they pay will rise. Also when they become Medicare eligible, their company does not reimburse them for the cost of Medicare. That cost in January of 2009 is $ 96.40 per month per person and goes up every year. So in today's dollars that is $ 192.90 a month for both of them after they have reached the age of 62.



Electricity and Gas Bills: These have risen substantially in the past few years. We had 16% in increases just this year. Yes, you can cut back to save but there comes a point where there is no more cutting to do.



Telephone: That is about as barebones as you can get.




Entertainment: This figure is reasonable and can be cut. I would be cutting this to keep money for a new car, roof and appliances.




Personal care: This is bare bones for a budget.




Newspaper etc.: In the future they could get their news online and cut this cost substantially.



Contributions: They can cut this if need be. But I am a firm believer in charitable giving and truly believe that what I give comes back to me.

Auto and Homeowners Insurance: These costs will continue to rise annually; however by cutting down eventually to one car, they can save about $350. a year.



Water, Sewer and Garbage Bills: They will continue to rise rapidly for the same reasons that school and property taxes will.




Gifts: They could cut this back substantially by cutting down the list of who they give to and making gifts instead of buying.



Cable and Internet: These costs will continue to go up rapidly.



Costs for the Dog: This is barebones.



Travel: I asked them how they spend this much. They have relatives that live many miles away and they visit two different places once a year to see them. This is not an expense that they are willing to compromise on and I don't think they should.

Miscellaneous: I think this amount may be low.




Now for my opinion: I do not think they should retire next month. I do not believe that in this uncertain economy that they have enough money. Bonds are hardly making any money; Most stocks are losing money every day; Gone are the 10-12% returns of prior years. You are lucky to find a 4% return in a CD. Regular savings accounts are making under 2% interest yearly. Costs are rising rapidly all except gasoline and I believe those low prices will not be here forever. There just is not enough cushion in their budget. They have too many things that will need replacing that they have not accounted for. They have worked out a barebones budget with NO BREATHING ROOM! It really scares me. I could not have retired with a budget that was so restrictive. Yes, for now they can count on Social Security checks when they turn 62 years of age, but I believe that is going to change in the near future. I believe that President Elect Obama will make the Social Security system needs based. Most people will not get any checks and those that do will be on a sliding scale according to your income that you have for retirement. I also believe that the retirees who are already getting Social Security will have their checks cut back based on how much retirement income they have. I believe that this will affect anyone who has $30,000. yearly in retirement income. So this may affect this couple.


Even though FireCalc says it is doable on the budget that they have set up, I do not believe that that budget is doable. I think their expenses will be larger than they have stated especially if they have any kind of emergency like their water heater dies. They would not be able to afford to replace other appliances or their roof or their car. The budget is way too restrictive.



I have given them my $ .02 and now it is their decision. Only they can make it! If it was me, I would save until I had $ 1,000,000. which on the rule of withdrawing 4% a year so as to not affect your principal would give you $ 40,000. per year when the stock market gets back to normal without having to worry about whether Social Security rules will change or whether they will even see it. If they retire now and end up with no Social Security, FireCalc says that they only have a 42.1% chance of making it. I have no idea what his income is. They did not share that with me so I do not know how much they are capable of saving per year. Perhaps, he has a high income and another $ 469,000. in savings would be attainable over the next few years. Perhaps they have a low income and that amount would not be easy for them to save. But I believe they need to save much more so as to not be paupers in retirement.


That all being said, they have done extremely well having a portfolio of $ 531,000. and their home paid in full. You always need a place to live and if they didn't have their home, they would be paying rent. By buying their home and paying it off in full they have lowered their housing expenses. I hope they make the right decision for them! It is a tough time right now with our economy in such bad shape to be making this decision and I wish them the best of luck for the future.

To those of you saving for retirement, I know that a Million Dollars seems like a lot of money. It used to be but in today's dollars it is not. Keep that in mind as you are making your decisions on what to save for retirement. I remember when I was a little girl hearing that if you had a million dollars, you were rich. Today to be rich, you need a minimum of 5-10 Millon Dollars! I can't even imagine what that figure will be when a lot of you reach retirement age. But you do not have to be rich to retire. You just need enough money to cover 20-30 years of reasonable expenses depending on what age you plan on retiring.



If anyone has any questions or comments, please be sure to leave them.

This Week's Meal Plan and a Note About Early Retirement!

First and most importantly, I received an e-mail from someone who read my early retirement series. They are considering retiring at 57. Well, let me clarify, he is 57 and she is 52. They still have a child at home. They want to know if they have enough money saved to take the plunge. I explained to them that I am no expert but that I am willing to help them make their own decision with the experience we have. They have given me the amount of their portfolio that they have saved and what their annual expenses are. I have promised that over the next few days, I will take a look at it and give them my honest opinion and have advised them that it is just my $ .02! They have agreed to let me do a post about their savings and actual expenses on here. This is a busy week for me with Thanksgiving and all but I will be working on this when I gets little snips of time and will post about it after I have given them my analysis.

Secondly, here is my menu plan for the week:

Sunday: Mandarin Orange Chicken Stir Fry served over rice
Monday: Hot Meatball Sandwiches
Tuesday: Shake and Bake Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn, Green Beans, Stuffing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Rolls, Olives and Pickles and Pies
Friday: Leftovers from Turkey Day
Saturday: Hot Turkey Sandwiches

Thanksgiving Shopping!

Even though I am not feeling 100%, I had to venture out to finish the shopping for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I am having all of our Arizona family here. I went over my budget this week but I will make up for it in the next few weeks. Here is what I purchased today:

Albertsons:

1 Bag of Mann's Stir-Fry Vegetables - on sale for $ 2.00 - Used $ 1./1 Winetag = $ 1.00

Total Out of Pocket was $ 1.00

Bashas:

3 cans of DelMonte Niblet Corn- $ .75 each - Used $ .30/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .15 each

Total Out of Pocket was $ .45

Fry's:

1- 18.08 lb. Jennie O Premium Turkey -on sale for $ .43 a lb = $ 7.77 - Used Bashas $4.00 off any turkey coupon and a $ 2.00 Bashas off any turkey coupon = $ 1.77

1- 2 ltr. Diet Dr. Pepper - $ 1.67 - Used Get Free Dr. Pepper with any Turkey Mfrs. Cpn = Free

1 Challenge Butter - Used $ 1.48 Bashas Cpn = $ 1.48

2 Bags of Lay's Chips - on B1G1F sale = $ 3.99 for both

3 large bags of Tostito Scoops - $ 3.79 each

3 bags of Kraft Swirl Marshmallows - $ 1.88 each - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .88 each

2 cans of Frito Lay Dips - $ 2.50 each

1 Bag of Fry's Pretzels - $ 1.29

1 bag of Sub Rolls from bakery - $ 1.99

6 jars of McCormicks Grinders - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .25/1 Mfrs. Cpns Quadrupled = Free

2 bottle of 48 oz Fry's Oil - $ 2.77 each

1/3 lb. of Boars Head Cheese - $ 2.62 - Used $ 2.00 Winetag( Thanks Leanne) = $ .62

1/2 lb. Boars Head Genoa Salami - $ 3.67 - Used $ 2.00 Winetag(Thanks Leanne) = $ 1.67

1/2 lb. of Private Selection Roast Beef - $ 4.39 - Used $ 2.00 Winetag ( Thanks Leanne) = $ 2.39

Used $ 10./50. Safeway Coupon

Used $ 5.00 OYNO Cpn

Total Out of Pocket was $ 24.75! I was really happy with this total!

My grocery rollover budget was a negative $ 17.15 and then add the $ 26.20 I spent today gives me a negative budget of $ 43.35!

Free Dr. Pepper

Get your printers ready:

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,455744,00.html

Home for the Holidays Deal at Safeway!

First, I have to credit my friend, Leanne for finding this deal at Safeway! Over the 7 years that I have lived here, Leanne has taught me a lot and for that I want to thank her.

Here is the deal:

10 boxes of Progresso Broth - on sale for $ 2.00 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns. = $ 10.00 and I received a $ 5.00 Catalina Coupon Good on My Next Order.

Total Out of Pocket was $ 10.00 and I received the $ 5.00 Catalina which I will be using this weekend on my turkey purchase at Fry's.

I am now over budget by $ 17.15 but not concerned because of Holiday shopping.

******* I am under the weather so there will be no savings tips until I feel better. Just taking it as easy as I can!*******

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. I measured a package that I needed to ship to New York and calculated the shipping costs here so that I knew the cheapest place to ship it: http://shipgooder.com/

2. I did my grocery shopping picking sale items and using coupons.

3. I picked up the books at the library that I reserved online the other day. Three new books to read and I didn't have to pay a dime.

4. I stripped our bed and washed the sheets using 1/3 the laundry deteregent that the manufacturer calls for. Too big to hang so had to use the dryer in off peak hours using a Free dryer sheet.

5. It has been in the high 80's the last few days but we have not put the A/C back on. We are just using the ceiling fans and when the sun goes down we open the windows to cool things off.

6. I will be reading all afternoon so no TV or Radio on.

7. I heated up the chili and made the rice in the microwave to save on energy.

PLEASE BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE POST ABOUT THE CATS TWO POSTS BELOW!

Ran Errands This Morning!

I had lots of errands to run this morning. I had a box to mail to New York with 1 large giftbasket, 2 presents and 3 gift buckets in it. Before I went I measured the box and calculated who would have the cheapest shipping here: http://shipgooder.com/ So even though it cost me $38.55 after my AAA Discount at UPS, I know that I got the best deal.

I also had to take the mail to the Post Office. Then after picking up a prescription at CVS, I was Free to shop the deals in today's flyers. So this is what I purchased:

Bashas:


3 cans of DelMonte Niblet Corn(for turkey soup) - $ .75 each - Used $ .30/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .15 a can


Total Out of Pocket was $ .45!


Albertsons:


2 cans of Libbys Pumpkin - $ 1.00 each = $ 2.00

6 Lipton Onion Soup Mix - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .75/2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .50 each = $ 3.00

1 - 4 pack of Smuckers Uncrustables - $ 3.14 - Used Free Mfrs. Cpn (I won this from Tosha's blog) = Free

1 - 10 lb. bag of Russet Potatoes - $ 1.47

1 lb. of Albertsons Butter - $ 1.99

1- 2 lb. bag of C&H Powdered Sugar - $ 1.50 - Used $ .35/1 Mfrs. Cpn Tripled = $ .50

6 McCormick Gravy Mixes - $ .99 each - Used $ .75/2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .49 each

3 pkgs. of Blue Bonnet Margarine - $ 1.00 each = $ 3.00

12 cans of Campbells Turkey Gravy - $ .50 each = $ 6.00 - Used $ .40/4 Mfrs. Cpns Tripled = $ .25 a can

2 cans of Comstock Pie Filling - $ 2.50 each = $ 5.00

Used $ 5./20. Fresh N Easy Coupon

Total Out of Pocket was $ 17.90!


Frys:


2.52lbs. of Bananas = $ 1.74

2.33lbs. of Seedless Green Grapes = $ 6.97

2.33lbs. of Braeburn Apples = $ 3.47

1 can of Reddi Whip - $ 2.00 - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ 1.00

3 boxes of Fry's Saltine Crackers - $ .97 each = $ 2.91

5 - 12 packs of Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper for $15.00 - Got Instant Fry's Rebate of 1- 12 pack Free and Used $ - $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns from Coke Reward Points = $ 8.00 for all

1 can of Early California Ripe Black Olives - $ 1.25 - used Fry's $ .50/1 Cpn = $ .25

Used $ 6./30. Fresh N Easy Coupon

Total Out of Pocket was $ 19.06!

My rollover grocery budget was $ 30.26 minus the $ 37.41 I spent today puts me over budget by $ 7.15 but no problem since lots of this is for Thanksgiving.

PLEASE BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE NEXT POST ABOUT THE CATS!

Need a Really Good Home for these Family Cats!

Due to health issues we need to find a good home for our cats Jake (9) and Cleo (8). They have been together pretty much all of their lives and are great companions. We would like to keep them together, if possible. They come with an assortment of toys and items along with crates to carry each of them in. If anyone is interested please contact us at:

fire85@yahoo.com

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. We are not going out today except into the backyard, so no gasoline used.

2. For now I am pretty well stocked on laundry detergent, but I have started saving bar soap ends so that I can make my own when my stock is gone. Most recipes call for Zote or Fels Naptha but I found a recipe that uses the soap ends and ends up costing $ .01-.02 a load.

3. I have been researching what a portion of different foods are. So I will be trying to stick to those portion sizes for our meals which will make them healthier. Also it doesn't make sense to pay for larger portions than our body needs for nutrition.

4. Finally was able to get through to someone at the airlines to get my miles for my last trip credited properly and to recover almost 9400 miles that had been forfeited because the trip had not been credited properly.

5. I now have all of my giftbaskets done and wrapped. These turned out so beautiful, will be very useful to the recipients and were very inexpensive to make. After Christmas I will do a post with pictures!

6. Ordered a $10.00 Cash Reward from one of my survey companies.

7. I managed to find one box big enough to ship Christmas gifts to the East Coast, so I didn't have to buy that. I am checking with my son and DIL to see if they have the other 2 boxes that I need so I don't have to buy them. However if I do, who do you think would have the cheapest price? Walmart?

8. Tonight I will watch my NCIS and read my Better Homes and Garden magazine from my Free subscription.

9. I also partially made my shopping list for tomorrow for Fry's and Albertsons.

10. Called and had a nice chat with my sister in New York using the Free long distance on my cellphone.

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. Read my "Refund Cents" that came in the mail for motivation and ideas.

2. Did 2 Mega Deals at Fry's.

3. Washed a load of laundry and hung it to dry.

4. I have always been looking for a cheaper way to clean my self clean oven. It takes 6 hours on a high temperature to clean it; that is a huge amount of wasted electricity. I just used fume free Easy Off Oven Cleaner for self cleaning ovens to clean it. Just a little bit of elbow grease and a cheap after coupon can and my oven is immaculate!

5. Received 2 Free Samples in the mail today: fruit rollups and Dunkin Donuts coffee

6. Will read my "Smart Money" Magazine that came in the mail today- subscription was Free from Coke Rewards.

Menu for This Week

Well, I probably should have posted my menu yesterday but I had much better things to do with my family. So here it is a day late:


Sunday: Dinner at My Son and DIL's home
Monday: Pigs in a Blanket, Macaroni and Cheese, fruit
Tuesday: Boneless Buffalo Wings with Ranch dressing, tossed salad
Wednesday: Chili on Rice, niblet corn
Thursday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, tomato soup
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Filet Mignon, Baked Potatoes with sour cream, steamed broccoli

My Last Two Mega deals for this Week!

Yesterday when my DIL and I shopped, her store had no Tylenol. So I went shopping today at my store to try to get it for her. They had just restocked the shelves. Yeah! So this is what I purchased:

Fry's:

10- 4 packs of Cottonelle Toilet paper - $ .99 each - Used $.25/1 Mfrs. Cpns Quadrupled= Free

11 boxes of Tylenol Rapid Release Gels -$2.50 each - Used $ 2./1 Mfrs. Cpns = $ .50 each

4 - 16oz. Daisy Sour Cream - $ 2.00 each - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ 1.00 each

3 Stouffers Macaroni and Cheese(not in picture) - $ 2.00 each

2 Stouffers Chicken Pot Pies (not in picture) - $ 2.00 each

Received $10.00 in Instant Rebates for Tylenol. sour cream and Stouffers

Used $ 6./30. Fresh N Easy Coupon

Total Out of Pocket was $ 3.50 plus $ 1.98 in tax = $ 5.48. My rollover budget was $ 35.74 minus the $ 5.48 I spent today = $ 30.26 for the rest of the week!

Sunday Shopping with My DIL!

We went down to my son and DIL's today to spend some time with them and my grandaughter. They made us the most wonderful Mexican dinner using ground Buffalo meat instead of ground beef. It was so delicious! My DIL and I went out and did some mega deals at Fry's. Not everything I bought is in this picture since I left 1/2 of it at their house. But enough is in the picture to show what I purchased. This is what I got:

Fry's:

10 boxes of Betty Crocker Potatoes - $ 1.50 each - Used $ .35/1 Mfrs. Cpns Tripled = $ .50 each

10 pkgs of Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes - $2.00 each - Used $ .40/1 Mfrs. Cpns Tripled = $1.00 each

10 Scotch Brite Nail Saver Sponges - $ 1.99 each = Used $ .30/1 Mfrs. Cpns Quadrupled = $ .99 each

4 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - $ 1.67 each - Used $ .25/1 Mfrs. Cpns Quadrupled = $ .67 each

1 - 2 ltr. Diet Coke - Used Safeway Cpn for $ .60 for 1 - 2ltr bottle = $ .69

Received $15.00 in Instant Rebates for cookie mixes, potatoes and sponges
Used $ 6./30. Fresh N Easy Cpn

Total Out of Pocket was $ 7.27.

My rollover budget is $ 43.01 minus the $ 7.27 I spent = $ 35.74 left for the rest of the week!

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. I saved a lot of money on the nuts for the party mix that DH makes for Christmas by buying them today at CVS today on B1G1F. I will add them to my cheap Chex stash and then I hope to be able to get the rest of the ingredients for cheap. I already have the Cheerios so I need a good sale on pretzels and we will be good to go.

2. While I was out shopping I was CRAVING breakfast from McDonalds or Burger King. I talked myself out of spending the money and came home and we had cereal. Lots of times it is about what you don't spend.

3. Cut and filed all my coupons from the 10 newspapers today!

4. My son and DIL invited us for a Mexican dinner tonight -a delicious meal out. Yeah! Getting to play with my grandaughter- PRICELESS!

5. I am making Chipwiches for dessert to bring to my son's. I am baking the chocolate chip cookies from a Free mix and will pick up some store brand vanilla ice cream on the way to their house and put these together there. YUM!

6. Taking the rest of the afternoon off- Priceless!

CVS and Walgreens

I could not find the Turtles last week when they were on sale at Walgreens. I was so glad to see the 7oz. boxes for 2/$5.00! I wanted these for Christmas gifts. I also loaded up on newspapers since there were over $170. worth of great coupons in them. I get one home delivered so I bought 9 more. The coupons for the next few weeks are not anywheres near as good. Here is what I purchased today:


Walgreens:

10- 7 oz. boxes of DeMets Turtles - $ 2.50 each- Used $ 1.50 Mfrs. Cpns = $ 1.00 each


Total was $ 10.00 but I paid with my Walgreens Rebate Card so nothing out of pocket.


CVS Trip #1:

4 Glade Glass Scents Candles( for Christmas)- $ 2.50 each - Used B1G1F Mfrs. Cpns = $ 1.25 each and I received $5.00 in ECB's

4 cans of Gold Emblem Mixed Nuts( for Christmas party mix)- On sale B1G1F - $11.38 for all

6 Newspapers - $2.00 each = $12.00

Used $5./30. CVS Cpn
Used $14.00 in ECB's

Total Out of Pocket was $ 9.39 and I received $ 5.00 in ECB's.


CVS Trip #2:


3 Newspapers = $6.00

Used $ 5.00 in ECB's

Total Out of Pocket was $ 1.00.


My rollover grocery budget was $15.40 plus $38.00 added for this week minus the $10.39 I spent today= $ 43.01 left for the rest of the week.

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. Signed up for a Free Schick Razor and a Free Can of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes.
2. Put together 2 more Gift Baskets for Christmas today and shrink wrapped them with Dollar Tree shrink wrap and beautiful Christmas Bows with gold bells that I purchased cheap after Christmas last year.
3. Did one load of wash in cold water and hung it to dry.
4. Made a jug of Sun tea from Free Tea Bags.
5. Had a large lunch at our annual neighborhood picnic which is paid for by our HOA with our monthly dues, so tacos will have to go on the menu in a week or so. Just going to have fruit for dinner.
6. No lights till dark and all of our light bulbs have been changed to CFL's except for those on dimmer switches. This saves a lot of electricity during the year.
7. Updated pricebook spreadsheet with this week's prices.
8. Rode the recumbent bike for exercise. No gym fees for us.
9. I try to avoid using my printer as much as possible. However there was something I wanted to print today. I always print in draft or grayscale mode to save on ink and I always do a preview to make sure I am only printing what I need. I hated it when I would hit the print button and find out there was a page 2 that was blank. I also use the backsides of paper and of junk mail 8 x10 sheets of paper- especially to print coupons.

What I Did Today To Save or Not Spend Money!

1. Instead of running to McDonald's, I made homemade Egg, Bacon and Cheese McMuffins for breakfast.

2. I researched and found a number of different ways and formulas to refill my Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I will be experimenting with them over the next couple of weeks.

3. Was given a free donut and bottle of water while doing a transaction at the bank.

4. Staying out of the stores - so no money spent

5. I went through a # of magazines this morning before I threw them out and saved any Christmas themed pages. I will use them to make envelopes for my Christmas letters next year.

6. Planned next weeks menus from the pantry and freezer.

7. I reserved a couple of books that I want to read at the library through my online account.

8. My dish liquid bottle was empty so I refilled it with 1/2 Dawn and 1/2 water. That gives me two bottles from just one and it works just as well as when it is undiluted.

9. Washed a couple of Ziplocs so that I can reuse them.

10. Continued doing all the daily things that I previously posted this week like keeping the lights off until dark, conserving water, TV's off when not watching, same for computers when not in use, etc.

11. Ate leftovers for lunch.

12. I am making homemade pizza for dinner using from scratch pizza crust, sauce, seasonings, 2 different cheeses, sliced black olives and onions.

What I Did Today to Save or Not Spend Money!

1. Put all the ingredients for my dinner in the crockpot before we went out. You use less energy using a crockpot than the top of the stove or oven.

2. Since DH had a Doctor's appointment, we went to the bank to make CD transactions on our way home to conserve on gasoline.

3. Made a loaf of homemade French Bread in the breadmaker- cost much less than buying a loaf, saves on energy by baking in the breadmaker instead of the large oven, and mine tastes better than store made.

4. Ran a very full load of dishes in the dishwasher on off peak hours using 1 Tbsp. of Cascade in each machine cup - a repairman told me a long time ago to only use that amount in each cup. He said using more is a waste and just clogs up the works.

5. DH trimmed bushes outside. By doing this ourselves we save on the cost of a landscaper.

6. Our kitchen faucet has a lifetime warranty. It is leaking again. DH just called the company and they are sending out the part we need to fix it. We have fixed it before but this one particular part keeps breaking. We paid about $300. for this faucet so it pays to keep fixing it rather than buy a new one even though it is a pain in the neck.

7. I was craving a smoothie for lunch today. Instead of running out to buy one at Sonic or somewhere else, I grabbed some strawberries out of a bag that I had frozen in July when strawberries were $.50 a lb. and put those, some yogurt, milk and ice in the blender.

8. Our temperatures for the next week or so are rising into the 80's to 90's. We are going to be above normal again for this time of the year. So we are keeping our shades and curtains closed on the windows to keep the heat out. I do not want to have to turn the A/C back on.

9. Signed up for some freebies.

10. Received a 1 - oz. sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Lotion in the mail.

11. Whenever I am about to spend money I ask myself these questions:

Can I do it myself rather than pay to have it done?

If I don't know how to do it, can I find the instructions on the internet?

Can I substitute a cheaper item?

Do I really need the item?

Can I avoid waste by using things wisely?

Can I borrow it from my family rather than buy it?

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. Took a navy Shower this morning to conserve water. Water conservation is important because our city sets the waste water rate for the year by how much water you use over this 3 month period.

2. Filled the van up at the cheapest gasoline station on my route this morning at $ 2.299 with the lowest grade unleaded

3. Deposited a $ 10.00 survey check into savings account

4. Saved $$$ by using coupons on sale items this morning

5. Ran errands in a circle this morning and drove the speed limit using cruise control to save on gasoline

6. Washed one load of clothes with cold water and 1/3 the amount of recommended laundry detergent

7. Hung the load of clothes to dry

8. Sent off a trade of BTFE for $ .42 postage stamps

9. Used no electricity to make any of our meals today

10. Researched Certificate of Deposit rates since we have some large CD's maturing tommorrow

11. Read my Free Womans Day magazine that arrived today

Wednesday Shopping!

I did a lot of errands this morning. First stop was to fill up the gas tank on the van with $ 2.299 gasoline and then to the bank to deposit a survey check. Then I was off to get the groceries. This is what I purchased today:

Basha's(combined 2 trips):

6 Kelloggs Pop Tarts - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = Free

1 Head of Lettuce - $ .88

Received $ .05 cloth bag credit

Total Out of Pocket was $ .83

Albertsons:

3 boxes of Chex Cereals( for Christmas party mix) - $ 2.50 each = $ 7.50 - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 6.50

6 cans of Campbells Cream of Chicken Soup - 3 for $2.00 - Used $ .25/3 Mfrs. Cpns Tripled = $ 2.50 for all 6

8 cans of Campbells Turkey Gravy - 3 for $ 2.00 - Used $ .40/4 cpns Tripled = $ 3.34 for all 8

Received $ 3.00 Instant Rebate on Chex Cereals

Used $ 2./10. Fresh N Easy Coupon

Total Out of Pocket was $ 7.34

Target:

8 Stove Top Stuffing Cups - $ .99 each - Used B1G1F Mfrs. Cpns = $ 3.96

20 pkgs. of Archer Farms Coffee - $ 1.06 each - used $1./1 Target Cpns = $ 1.20 for all

2 Arm and Hammer Baking Soda - $ .47 each - Used $ 1./2 IP Cpn = made $ .06

2 Bags of Purina Cat Chow - $ 4.19 each - Used $ 4.00/1 IP Cpns = $ .38 for both

Total was $ 5.99 including $ .51 tax which I paid with a Free Target Giftcard so nothing out of Pocket!

Fry's:

3 bags of Fritos Scoops - $ 2.00 each = $ 6.00

3 bottles of Simply Orange Juice - $ 3.00 each = $ 9.00

4 Tony's Pizza for Ones - $ 2.00 each = $ 8.00

3 Mrs Cubbisons Stuffing - $ 2.00 each - used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ 3.00

3 Philadelphia 8oz Cream Cheese - $ 1.25 each - Used Albertsons In Ad Cpn for B1G2F = $ 1.25 for all

1 dozen Fry's Eggs - $ .97

Received $ 5.00 Instant Rebate on Mega Deal

Received $ .10 Cloth Bag Credit

Used $ 6./30. Fresh n Easy Cpn

Total Out of Pocket was $ 17.12

Superstition Ranch Market:

3 lbs. of Onions - $ .99

2.12 lbs. of Braeburn Apples at $ 1.39lb. = $ 2.95

Total Out of Pocket was $ 3.94

My rollover grocery budget was $ 44.63 minus the $ 29.23 I spent today = $ 15.40 for the rest of the week!

What I Did to Save Money or Not Spend Money Today!

1. Took my multivitamin and calcium pills to stay healthy and avoid medical bills in the future.




2. Brushed and flossed my teeth after every meal to avoid having to spend on restorative dental bills. We have no dental insurance.




3. I used my makeup sparingly today since I am not going out. Only used a bit of foundation and some lipstick.




4. I will be running errands tomorrow and staying home today so NO gasoline used.




5. We turn on no lights till dark here. The curtains open give more than enough light.




6. We have no A/C or heat on here which saves on electricity. It is in the 70's!




7. I heated leftover lentil soup for lunch in the microwave instead of on the stovetop thereby saving on electricity.




8. We received our monthly electric bill today which we allow the company to deduct from our checking account each month. By doing this they give us a 1% Discount and we save on a stamp to mail it.




9. Our hot water tank is turned off from 5-9 am and 5-9 pm which is the on peak hours. We have it on a timer so that it does it automatically Monday - Friday. We work around those hours for water usage.


10. Only 1 television was on this morning for about 2 hours while DH watched the football game that he recorded last night. Both televisions will probably be on for 2 hours tonight since DH and I watch different shows tonight. Otherwise the televisions are off.




11. I turn my PC off when not in use. I have it on a powerstrip and that gets turned off too to save on electricity.




12. The swimming pool runs only 6 hours a day on a timer on off peak hours.




13. We have a salt system on the pool which save us lots of $$$ because we do not have to use chlorine daily. We just shock the pool in the spring.




14. We water the trees, bushes and flowers using a drip system which is on a timer.




15. I reheated the spaghetti and meatballs in the microwave instead of using the stovetop which uses more energy. I made the garlic toast in the toaster oven which is cheaper to use than turning on the big oven.




16. For my birthday, I received an online subscription to a frugal newsletter. I received my second issue online today and read all 8 pages and gleaned a couple of tips that I can use and a recipe. This and a subscription to Refund Cents is all the subscriptions I have. The Refund Cents subscription renewal was also a birthday present. All the magazines I get are free from free offers or survey points. Any that I don't have that I want to read I can read at my local library.




17. I started making my grocery list and errand list for tomorrow pulling the coupons I need to use.




18. I collected all the wastebaskets in the house and put all of the garbage from them in plastic grocery bags instead of using an expensive tall kitchen garbage bag.



19. UPS delivered a product tonight that a survey company wants me to test. I was thrilled because it is a product that I added to my grocery list today. I now have enough Free to last a year. That is a big savings for my wallet!



20. I did tonight's dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher. There were only a couple.



21. I am off to read a $ .25 book that I purchased at Goodwill until my TV program, NCIS comes on.

Saving Money By Using Up the Stockpile!

Using coupons with sales doesn't save you any money unless you can use up that stockpile of food you have been purchasing. We all know that foods have expiration dates, even canned items. If you have to throw away any food at all, it is a waste of money. You might as well take a $1.00 bill out of your pocket and burn it. It is the same thing, if you are throwing expired cans, bottles or jars in the trash. The wage earners in our households all worked too hard to have the money they earned just trashed. Don't throw away that produce that you let spoil. Just don't buy as much in the first place. If you have celery, onions, peppers or carrots nearing their prime, chop them up and freeze them to use in casseroles, skillet dishes, soups or stir-frys! If you have bread going stale, stash it in a bag in the freezer to make future breadcrumbs or stuffing. Take those little bits of leftovers - veggies, meats, etc. and put them in a plastic container in the freezer to make a pot of soup. Just keep adding to them until you have enough!



In my quest to always be smarter with my money, I will be using up my stockpile for the next 6 months to a year. I am sure I have at least that much food stockpiled in my freezer and pantry. Does that mean that I won't be shopping? Absolutely not! I will still be purchasing whatever I can get for Free or under $ .25! I will also be purchasing the necessities that we need - milk, juice, produce, our turkey and the trimmings for Thanksgiving, our meal for Christmas, and cat food for our large female cat. BTW, if anyone in the Phoenix area knows where I can get dry cat food cheaply right now, please leave me a comment and let me know. She is down to about 10 cups of food. I will still be posting everything we buy.



We just have so much right now that I want to make sure we use it and that it doesn't go to waste. The same goes for HBA products. I must have about 75 bottles of shampoo, 30 bottles of conditioner, enough Tylenol, Advil and Excedrin to never run out, many cosmetics to use up, etc. I have enough laundry detergent and fabric softener to last me a year. All those little samples we get so many of in the mail will get used up also. I will be refilling my liquid soap bottles with diluted shampoo for a long time. It is all soap!



I also have some giftcards that I will be trying to use when I shop. In the beginning of July, I purchased some giftcards at Fry's when I could get the extra $ 30. free when you bought $300. worth. I have about $ 487. still left on them between 2 cards. So I will try to do most of my shopping at Frys! I also have some Walmart giftcards that I got free for doing surveys and some Target giftcards left from an Ebates promotion. I like to use these cards up because it takes no money out of my pocket. I also have money on my Walgreens Rebate card. These items will get used first. With so many companies going belly up in this economy, you never know when those giftcards could become useless. Although I think I am pretty safe with these particular companies.



Breakfasts in this household consist of cereal, fruit, muffins, waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon. I have enough boxes of cereal to eat Monday -Friday for the next 6 months. We usually make the other items from our stockpiled ingredients on the weekends; just a force of habit carry over from our working days.



All lunches and dinners are made from stockpile items. For lunches, we like grilled cheese sandwiches, meat sandwiches, BLT's, soup, salads, or any prepared food from our stockpile. Starting today I will be posting our dinner menu for the week. So for the rest of the week we will be having:



Tuesday: Leftover Spaghetti and Meatballs, tossed salad, garlic bread.


Wednesday: Chicken Caesar Salad(made from leftover shake n bake chicken), mandarin oranges.


Thursday: Red Beans and Rice, corn.


Friday: Homemade Cheese Pizza, tossed salad.


Saturday: Tacos, Mexican Rice.


We eat leftovers a lot because I like to cook in larger quantities and it is cheaper to bake 4 chicken breasts energy wise than to do 2 each time we need them. Sometimes I will roast an entire pan of them and freeze the extras for future dishes. I am always thinking about how to cook something with less energy.


Also in my quest to NOT spend as much money as possible, I will be posting every evening what I did to save money or to not spend money that particular day. It will keep me accountable to myself and may give someone else an idea for saving money for their own family.

Two Trips to Basha's!

I made two trips this morning to Basha's for Super Dollar Doubles. A lot of the shelves had been totally cleared but I still was able to get some things that I really wanted. I was especially happy to get all the candy I need for Christmas stockings and lots of cheeses and nuts for holiday snacking. Since I was stocking for Christmas and Thanksgiving I added $50.00 more to my rollover budget which I will show at the end. Super Dollar Doubles do not come along here but once every 5 or 6 years so I can justify adding money to the budget! I have always added money for the big holidays. Here is what I purchased:

Basha's Trip #1:

3 Ronzoni Bistro Meals - $ 2.99 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .99 each

2 Clabber Girl Baking Powder -$ 1.99 each - Used $1./2 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $.99 each

1 -4 pack Dan Active Immunity- $ 3.29 - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ 1.29

6 pkgs of Emerald Nuts - $ 2.00 each - Used $1.50/2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.00 each

3 pkgs of Gatorade Powder Pouches - $3.69 each Doubled - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.69 each

6 Kaukauna Port Wine and Cheddar Cheeses - $ 2.50 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.50 each

3 bags of Hersheys Kisses - $2.50 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .50 each

2 Kikkoman Soy Sauce - $2.00 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ 1.00 each

2 bags of Lifesavers Gummies - $2.99 each- Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .99 each

3 Lindt Excellence Chocolate Bars - $ 1.69 each - Used $ .75/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .19 each

3 bags of Nestle Chocolate Chips - $2.99 each - Used $ .75/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.49 each

6 cans of Pillsbury Frostings - $ 1.50 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .50 each

3 boxes of Progresso Broth - $ 2.79 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .79 each

3 Reynolds Oven Bags - $ 2.59 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .59 each

3 Rubbermaid Take A Longs - $ 2.99 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .99 each

6 Smuckers Ice Cream Toppings - $ 2.00 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.00 each

3 - jars Vlasic Relish- $ 2.69 - Used $ 1./1 IP Cpns Doubled = $ .69 each

1 -4 pack YoPlus Yogurt - $ 2.49 - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ .49

Used $ 5./50. Bashas Coupon

Total Out of Pocket was $52.36

Basha's Trip #2:

6 bags of Emerald Nuts - $2.00 each - Used $1.50/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ 1.00 each

3 bags of Hersheys Kisses - $ 2.50 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .50 each

3 Lindt Excellence Chocolate Bars - $ 1.69 each - Used $ .75/1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .19 each

4 Smuckers Ice Cream Toppings - $ 2.00 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $1.00 each

3 jars Vlasic Pickle Relish - $ 2.69 each - Used $1./1 IP Cpns Doubled = $ .69 each

Total Out of Pocket was $ 14.14

My rollover budget from yesterday was $ 61.13 to which I have added $50.00 because I did so much stocking for the Holidays = $ 111.13 minus $ 66.50 spent today = $ 44.63 for the rest of the week!

Bashas- Super Dollar Doubles!

First, let me give you some tips on the super dollar doubles at Basha's. Many of their products have been marked up. It is obvious seeing all of the handwritten tags beneath products that someone looked to see what $1.00 coupons were out there and then marked those products up. So you have to be selective! Also the store manager told me they are not putting any extra help on for this dollar doubles. If you have been in their stores lately, you have seen maybe 1 or 2 checkouts open and cashiers have told me all their hours have been cut. So bring your patience with you! I ran over just quickly with some $1.00 ones that I wanted to use right away on things that I normally buy that have not been on sale and some things that I wanted to try. Here is what I purchased:


1 Campbell's V8 Soup - $ 2.99 - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ .99

3 Shake n Bake - $ 2.99 each = $ 8.97

1 package of Chicken Breasts - managers special at $2.39 a lb. = $ 6.88 - Used 3 ( $1./1) Mfrs. Cpns Doubled off Chicken wyb 3 Shake n Bake = $ .88 ( Thank You Lisa)

1 Delmonte Mandarin Orange Fruit Cups -$ 2.99 - Used $ 1./1 IP Cpn Doubled = $ .99

1 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers - $ 2.50 - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ .50

2 pkg. Minute Rice Instant Cups - $ 2.39 each - Used $.1/2 Mfrs. Cpn Doubled = $ 2.78

3 pkgs. of Starkist Tuna Creations - $ 2.39 each - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpns Doubled = $ .39 each = $ 1.17

3 jars Vlasic Sweet Relish - $ 2.69 each - Used $ 1./1 IP Cpns Doubled = $ .69 each = $ 2.07

Total Out of Pocket was $ 18.35

My rollover grocery budget was $ 41.48 plus $ 38.00 for this week minus $ 18.35 spent today = $ 61.13 for the rest of the week!

Super Dollar Double Coupons!

Wow! I noticed that Bashas had hardly anyone shopping there lately due to Albies and Fry's having Double and Triple and Competitor's Coupons. I just said to DH the other day that Bashas should jump on the bandwagon!

Well they have in a big way! Super Dollar Double Coupons Through Tuesday. Limit 3 -$1.00 coupons for the same product. Manufacturer's coupons only- no store coupons and no tobacco or liquor. WooHoo!

Snack Attack!

We were totally out of snacks here! So I figured while Fry's is still having the Mega Deal, I might as well stock up. I carefully watched expiration dates since these will last us a couple of months. Here is what I purchased today:

Fry's:

2 Betty Crocker Cookies Mixes - $2.00 each - Used $ .75/1 IP Cpns(DND)- $ 1.25 each

1 gallon of Milk - $ 1.88

6 Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn - $2.00 each - Used $ .40/1 Mfrs. Cpns Tripled = $1.00 each

2- 16 oz Coffemate Liquid Creamer - $2.00 each - Used $ . 75/1 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled = $ 1.00 each

2- Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa -$1.00 each - Used $ 1./2 Mfrs. Cpn = $ .50 each

1 bag of Dole Salad - $ 2.50 - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpn Dbled = $1.50

1 Blue Bonnet Margarine - $ .88

1 Pepperidge Farm Texas Toast - $ 2.50 - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpn Dbled = $ 1.50

1 Pepperidge Farm Apple Turnovers - $ 2.33 - Used $ 1./1 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 1.33

1 Weight Watchers Cream Cheese -$ 2.00 - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 1.00

10 Cheetos Cheese Puffs and Corn Chips - $ 1.50 each

4 Bakery Hard Rolls - $ 1.78

2 Kroger Onion Dip- $ 2.50 each

Used $ 2./10. Fresh N Easy Coupon

Received $10.00 Instant Rebate for doing 2 Mega Deals

Total Out of Pocket was $ 28.37

My rollover grocery budget was $ 69.85 minus the $ 28.37 I spent today = $ 41.48 for the rest of the week!

Buy ANY 2 Post It Products and Get $5.00 in McDonalds Gift Cetificates

I loved this promotion when they had it before! Here is the rebate form:


http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/promos/200811_md/giftcertoffer.pdf

I was Paid to Take Groceries out of Frys!

Our weekly ads came in the paper today so I made my lists quickly and went shopping! Here is what I purchased:

Fry's Trip #1:

2 Marie Callendars Croutons - $1.25 each -Used B1G1F Mfrs. Cpn = $ 1.25

2 Hefty One Zip Freezer Bags - $ 1.50 each - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled = $1.00 for both

22 - 12 oz. cans of Evaporated Milk - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .50/2 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled = $ 11.00 for all

6 - 3 ltr. bottles of Arrowhead Water - $1.00 each - Used $ .75/3 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled = $4.00 for all

1- 18 oz. Quaker Oats - $ 1.50 - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpn Dbled = $ .50

6 - 160z. Coffeemate - $2.00 each - Used $ .50/1 Mfr. Cpns Dbled = $6.00 for all

4 Hard Rolls from the Bakery - $2.00 for all

1 Cheetos Crunch - $ 2.27

Received $ 15.00 in Mega Deal Rebates

Used $ 6./$30. Fresh n Easy Coupon

Received $3. 44 in Senior Rewards

Total out of Pocket was $ 3.71 incl. tax.

Fry's Trip #2:

1 Hefty One Zip Freezer Bags - $ 1.50 - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpn Dbled = $ .50

3 -20 ct. Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gels - $2.50 each - Used $2./1 Mfrs. Cpns = $ .50 each

6 pkgs. Bic Silky Touch Razors - $2.50 each - Used $ 2./1 Mfrs. Cpns = $.50 each

Received $5.00 Mega Deal Rebate

Received $ 2.36 Senior Rewards

Fry's Paid Me $ 1.02 from their register to take this order out of the store and I have posted a picture of the receipt to prove it! WooHoo! I LOVE FRYS!

Walgreens:

2 - 8 oz. Kraft Parmesan Cheese -on sale for $ 4.99 each =$9.98

Used my last $ 8.00 Register Reward that was expiring soon

Total was $ 1.98 which I paid with my Walgreens Rebate Giftcard so nothing out of pocket.

Albertsons:

3 cans of Betty Crocker Frosting - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .55/1 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled = Free

1 dozen Large Eggs - $ 1.00

2 - 8 oz. Monterrey Fresh Mushrooms - on sale for $ 1.50 each - Used $ 1.50/2 Mfrs Cpn = $ 1.50 for both

7 - Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamer Veggies - $ 1.00 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns = Free

2- 4 packs Scott Extra Soft Toilet Paper - $1.00 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns = Free

1 Vlasic Pickle Relish - $ 2.39 - Used $ 1./1 IP Cpn = $ 1.39

1 Cheetos Puffs - $ 2.00

Received Senior Rewards of $ .74

Total Out of Pocket including tax was $ 5.73

Bashas:

3- 2 ltr. bottles of Diet Coke - $ 1.50 each = $ 9.00

Total out of Pocket was $ 9.00 but I received a Catalina Coupon for $4.00 off any Turkey for buying the 6 bottles of soda. I will use this coupon and another $2.00 off any Turkey coupon to buy my Thanksgiving turkey wherever I can get the best price in the next few weeks.

My rollover grocery budget was $ 87.27 minus the $ 18.44 I spent today plus the $1.02 that Frys paid me to shop =$ 69.85 for the rest of the week.

I Voted & Did a Whole Lot of Shopping!

I voted in the Presidential Election this morning and then I went shopping. This is where and what I purchased:

Safeway:

2 cans of Progresso Soup - 0n Sale for $ .99 each - Used $ 1.10 IP Cpns = Free and I can get $ .99 back on rebate if I don't like the soup.

3 Dial Hand Soap - On Sale for $ 1.00 each -Used $ .30/1 Dbled Cpns = $ .40 each

The cashier entered $ 1.98 credit for the 2 soup coupons and then evidently accidentally scanned 1 - $1.10 coupon.

My Total Out of Pocket was $ .33

SuperWalmart:

2 -10 ct. boxes of Nestle Hot Cocoa with Mini Marshmallows - $ 1.00 each - Used $ .75/1 IP cpns = $ .25 each

2 Boxes of Frozen TGIF Snacks - $ 3.22 each - Used $3./1 IP Cpns = $ .22 each

2 cans of Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes - $ 1.44 each - Used $1./1 IP Cpns = $ .44 each

1 Preparation H Wipes - $ 2.94 - Used $ 3.00 IP Cpn = Free

2 Scotch Lint Rollers - $ 1.34 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns = $ .34

6 Wellpatch Singles Pain Patches - $ .97 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns = made $ .03 on each

Total Out of Pocket Including Tax was $ 3.24

CVS:

1 Essence of Beauty Lip Butter( not pictured) - $ 2.99 - Used $ 2.00 CVS EOB Cpn = $ .99

1 Essence of Beauty Hand Lotion - $ 2.49 - Used $ 2.00 CVS EOB Cpn = $ .49

Used $ 1.00 ECB

Total Out of Pocket was $ .63

Walgreens Trip #1:

8 Schick Quattro Razors - $ 5.99 each - Used $3.00 Walgreens ESR Cpn = $ 2.99 each - Used 6 $ 2.00 Mfrs. Cpns and 1 -B1G1F Mfrs. Cpn

4 - 15 ct. Wrigleys Winterfresh Gum - On Sale for B1G1F - $ 1.19 for each 2 - Used 2 B1G1F Mfrs. Cpns - All Free

Used $5.00 Register Reward

Total was $ 3.95 of which $3.02 was tax. Nothing out of pocket because I paid with my Walgreens Rebate Giftcard.

Walgreens- Trip #2:

6 Bic Soleil Razors - $ 6.99 each - Used $3.00 Walgreens ESR Cpn = $ 3.99 each -Used $3.00 Mfrs. Cpns = $ .99 each

6 Bic Soleil Cartridge Refills -$ 6.99 each - Used $ 3.00 Walgreens ESR Cpn = $ 3.99 each - Used $ 3.00 Mfrs. Cpns = $ .99 each

3 Halloween Magnetic Lists - on sale for 75% off = $ .24 each

Used $8.00 Register Reward

Total was $ 9.93 of which $5.33 was tax and nothing out of pocket because I paid with my Walgreens Rebate Giftcard.

Fry's:

5 bags of Armour Italian Meatballs - On Sale for $ 2.99 each - Used $1./1 Mfrs. Cpns = $ 1.99 each

1 bag of Halls Cough Drops - $1.00 - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpn = Free

Used $ 2./10. Fresh N Easy Cpn

Total Out Of Pocket was $ 7.95

My rollover grocery budget was $ 99.42 minus the $ 12.15 I spent today = $ 87.27 left for the rest of the week!

CVS & Fry's

Just a quick trip to CVS and Fry's this morning. This is what I purchased:

CVS:

1 Dawn Dish Soap - $ .99 - Used $1.00 Mfrs. Cpn = Free

1 Nature Made Fish Oil - $ 10.49 - Used Free Mfrs. Cpn Good for $ 7.00 = $ 3.49

1 Listerine Mouthwash - $ 3.49 - Used $ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpn = $ 2.99

Used $ 5.00 in ECBS

Total Out of Pocket was $ 2.11

Frys:

5 pkgs of Idahoan Potatoes - $ 1.00 each - Used $.75/1 IP Cpn Dbled = Free

2- 4 packs of Cottonelle Toilet Paper - $ .99 each - Used 1-$ .50/1 Mfrs. Cpns Dbled and 1 - $ .25/1 Mfrs. Cpn Tripled and $.50 Shortcuts Cpn = made $ .27

2 pkgs of Kroger Turkey Gravy Mix - $ .67 each = $ 1.34

Used $ 1.00 OYNO Cpn

Total Out of Pocket including $ .06 tax was $ .14.

My rollover budget from last week was $ 63.67 plus $ 38.00 for this week = $ 101.67 minus the $ 2.25 spent today = $ 99.42 left for the rest of the week!

Bargain Hunting Today

I went out bargain hunting today. I was pretty disappointed most places I went. Babies R Us had no Halloween things left. Party City was really picked over and SWM's prices were too high even with 50% off. But I did find a few things we could use at CVS and Walgreens. So here is what I purchased:

Walgreens:

5 Halloween Plates on sale for 50% off - $ .50 each = $ 2.50

5 Halloween Napkins on sale for 50% off - $ .50 = $2.50

3 bags of Peanut Butter Kisses - on sale 50% off = $ .49 each = $ 1.47 ( for Christmas stockings)

2 bags Caramels with the sticks for making Candy apples - on sale 50% off = $ 1.00 each = $ 2.00

4 Halloween Window Clings - on sale for 50% off = $ .25 each = $ 1.00

Used $ 4.00 ONYO catalina

Total with tax was $ 5.95 which I paid with my Walgreens Rebate Gift Card so out of Pocket was $ 00.00!

CVS:

1 Happy Harvest Wreath on sale at 75% off = $ 3.25

1 Halloween Spider Web with Lights on sale for 50% off = $ 6.49

Used $ 9.00 ECBS

Total out of Pocket was $ .74

Since the $ .74 was and amount spent for gifts, none of it comes out of my grocery budget money. It comes out of our gift budget!