Well, This is the first time I have posted my monthly spending totals. These totals only include groceries, hba, household. This does not include any expenses from my trips, monthly gas expense or the like. I do not eat out unless I have a gift card or I take my son on my trip (occasionally) so there is no eating out to include. So without further ado:
Total merchandise value: $462.06
Total amount spent: $119.56
Total amount saved: $342.50
This is a total savings of 74%. I am super excited about this as I have never had this high of a savings when I include my groceries. I did not have to do a lot of food shopping this month as I have quite a bit stockpiled, but did go to the store a couple of times. I am sure it will not be as good next month as I will need to get more food items this month than last, but at least I am getting there!!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
WAGS & CVS
I wish that I could remember to take pictures of my haul!
Here is my deal from wags:
1 softsoap $3.99
-$1 MQ
Total: $3.30 and rec'd a free softsoap q.
I used the free q for a second bottle and paid tax of $.31.
I got another free bottle q. I then went out to my van and counted out 31 cents *4. Then I went back in and got four more bottles. So for 6 bottles of softsoap I paid $4.85, and I still have one more free bottle q left. No more rolling, but at least I will get one more.
Last night I went to CVS. I bought a bit of stuff and paid $1 OOP. Here is how it went down:
M&M's 2*1.5
jelly beans 4*.88
Glade S&S 1*5.99
glade spray 2*1.89
cvs wheat crackers 1*1.99
johnsons buddies 6*1.19
total $25.42
-$5 5/245
-$6 EB
-$4 glade S&S
-$3 johnsons wyb 3
-$2 johnsons wyb 2
-$1 johnsons buddies
-$1 cvs crt glade
-$1.89 bogo glade spray
-$1 m&m's wyb 2
My reciept however says that I saved $32.31 instead of the $25 that I ordered. I guess that is because they are counting the actual sales savings as well.
Subtotal was 53 cents then add 47 cents tax for a total of $1 OOP! I only got back $2 of EB. But I have a lot that are expiring and need to get used. Hopefully we get some good EB deals soon. Come on CVS.
My mom did really well too. She got about $16 or $17 worth of merchandise for $1.58 and got back $1 of EB.
Here is my deal from wags:
1 softsoap $3.99
-$1 MQ
Total: $3.30 and rec'd a free softsoap q.
I used the free q for a second bottle and paid tax of $.31.
I got another free bottle q. I then went out to my van and counted out 31 cents *4. Then I went back in and got four more bottles. So for 6 bottles of softsoap I paid $4.85, and I still have one more free bottle q left. No more rolling, but at least I will get one more.
Last night I went to CVS. I bought a bit of stuff and paid $1 OOP. Here is how it went down:
M&M's 2*1.5
jelly beans 4*.88
Glade S&S 1*5.99
glade spray 2*1.89
cvs wheat crackers 1*1.99
johnsons buddies 6*1.19
total $25.42
-$5 5/245
-$6 EB
-$4 glade S&S
-$3 johnsons wyb 3
-$2 johnsons wyb 2
-$1 johnsons buddies
-$1 cvs crt glade
-$1.89 bogo glade spray
-$1 m&m's wyb 2
My reciept however says that I saved $32.31 instead of the $25 that I ordered. I guess that is because they are counting the actual sales savings as well.
Subtotal was 53 cents then add 47 cents tax for a total of $1 OOP! I only got back $2 of EB. But I have a lot that are expiring and need to get used. Hopefully we get some good EB deals soon. Come on CVS.
My mom did really well too. She got about $16 or $17 worth of merchandise for $1.58 and got back $1 of EB.
Monday, March 30, 2009
What a Weekend
I had a really good visit with my son this weekend. We had a lot of fun together. He was also especially funny this weekend. He had a lot of jokes and also had a lot of amusing comments about our situation. He is totally looking forward to coming home. (Me too!) We played some board games, card games, and made up games. We watched a bit of tv. We played Deal or No Deal on our dvd player. He had lots of fun telling me which case to pick, then letting me pick my first six. Then he would say that I took the deal the first time around which of course meant that I won little bitty amounts of money (compared to the million that you try for). I obviously lost each game, and usually had some of the big amounts in my case that I lost out on. He just thought he was funny cuz he would play two rounds and take the deal. That means he always beat me. Usually by a lot. The turd. It was sure fun! Then when it was time to check out, I was unpleasantly surprised by how cold it was outside. We had planned on going to the park to play a bit of basketball, except it was super cold and windy. No playing outside for us. So we drove to the park and parked by the pond to watch the ducks. It was fun laying around in the back under a sleeping bag just cuddling together. I got to sit and rub his head like I used to do when he was little and trying to go to sleep, and he got to eat jelly beans and cuddle with mom. Then I told him I needed to get gas in the van, did he want to go now or we could wait and I would get gas after dropping him off. He said to get gas now. It would be just like when he was home and we would go get gas together in the mornings or on our way home from work/school. So we got gas and he stayed in the van and peeked out the window at me while I froze my butt off in the wind. Then we played more deal or no deal and of course he picked for me and I lost.
The only downside to the weekend was my total lack of sleep. I only got a few hours on Friday night from driving down there. Then I usually get a pretty good nights sleep on Saturday. This time however, I (and the whole floor of the hotel) got to be serenaded to by the lovely sounds of an angry cussing drunk. He followed a group there that plays music at a local bar a couple weekends a month. He followed them up to their room and started banging on the door, while cussing out his girlfriend. They (the band/group) let him in. Then he got even more beligerent so they made him leave the room. This drunk man proceeds to stand in the hallway and yell and cuss everyone to hell. He is so drunk however that standing alone seems to be a problem. So where does he decide to lean? At my door. Then he starts banging his head against the wall right next to my door. I was so mad I actually started looking for something to take out there and hit him with it. I had only been asleep for maybe 3 1/2 hours. Fortunately for everyone involved I had no "dangerous" objects with which I would be able to knock him out with. Then there is a huge crash. I go and look out the peephole. The chair the drunk had with him is now sideways on the floor, and what do you know? The drunk is on the floor too. Finally the cops arrive. The group/bands' room folks come out to tell the cops what had happened. They apparently did not know the drunk, just recognized him from the bar. They let him in hoping it would quiet him down so as not to wake the whole floor. The guys said at that point he became incoherent and started yelling more at his girlfriend so they told him he had to leave. He got out the door but would not go any further than that. The hotel staff asked him to leave and he was rude to her so she called the cops. At this point the drunk is passed out. The cops try to get him to stand and tell them who he is and he will not cooperate. The drunk yells at the cops, his girlfriend (who is no longer around) and anyone who will listen. Then pleads with the cops to not hurt him. Then yells and cusses them out some more. Then pleads please don't hurt me. Then cusses them out again. Finally the cops tell him all he has to do is comply and he won't get hurt. All they want him to do is stand up. I think that he was unable to stand because I eventually heard a crash against the wall then the sound of handcuffs. They drag him over to the elevator and two of them take him outside while the third cop collects the mans shoe that fell off and his wallet and asks a few more questions. I had a birds eye view of them once they got outside as they cop cars were directly beneath my windows. The cops had to sort of push the drunk into the car. I think he was so out of it he did not even know where he was at that point. He just laid there on the seat and they had to push and tuck his legs in because he was not helping them at all. After all of this, I could not get back to sleep. I was up until after five a.m. trying to wind down. I did sort of fall into that twilight sort of sleep. I was not fully asleep but did rest more at least. Then it was up to get my son. Then when I got home last night it was almost 2 am before I got to go to bed. Then at 5:02 am, the friendly neighborhood crows sat outside my windows to sing to me and my kitties.
I can't wait to go to bed tonight. (here is me nodding off at my computer........)
The only downside to the weekend was my total lack of sleep. I only got a few hours on Friday night from driving down there. Then I usually get a pretty good nights sleep on Saturday. This time however, I (and the whole floor of the hotel) got to be serenaded to by the lovely sounds of an angry cussing drunk. He followed a group there that plays music at a local bar a couple weekends a month. He followed them up to their room and started banging on the door, while cussing out his girlfriend. They (the band/group) let him in. Then he got even more beligerent so they made him leave the room. This drunk man proceeds to stand in the hallway and yell and cuss everyone to hell. He is so drunk however that standing alone seems to be a problem. So where does he decide to lean? At my door. Then he starts banging his head against the wall right next to my door. I was so mad I actually started looking for something to take out there and hit him with it. I had only been asleep for maybe 3 1/2 hours. Fortunately for everyone involved I had no "dangerous" objects with which I would be able to knock him out with. Then there is a huge crash. I go and look out the peephole. The chair the drunk had with him is now sideways on the floor, and what do you know? The drunk is on the floor too. Finally the cops arrive. The group/bands' room folks come out to tell the cops what had happened. They apparently did not know the drunk, just recognized him from the bar. They let him in hoping it would quiet him down so as not to wake the whole floor. The guys said at that point he became incoherent and started yelling more at his girlfriend so they told him he had to leave. He got out the door but would not go any further than that. The hotel staff asked him to leave and he was rude to her so she called the cops. At this point the drunk is passed out. The cops try to get him to stand and tell them who he is and he will not cooperate. The drunk yells at the cops, his girlfriend (who is no longer around) and anyone who will listen. Then pleads with the cops to not hurt him. Then yells and cusses them out some more. Then pleads please don't hurt me. Then cusses them out again. Finally the cops tell him all he has to do is comply and he won't get hurt. All they want him to do is stand up. I think that he was unable to stand because I eventually heard a crash against the wall then the sound of handcuffs. They drag him over to the elevator and two of them take him outside while the third cop collects the mans shoe that fell off and his wallet and asks a few more questions. I had a birds eye view of them once they got outside as they cop cars were directly beneath my windows. The cops had to sort of push the drunk into the car. I think he was so out of it he did not even know where he was at that point. He just laid there on the seat and they had to push and tuck his legs in because he was not helping them at all. After all of this, I could not get back to sleep. I was up until after five a.m. trying to wind down. I did sort of fall into that twilight sort of sleep. I was not fully asleep but did rest more at least. Then it was up to get my son. Then when I got home last night it was almost 2 am before I got to go to bed. Then at 5:02 am, the friendly neighborhood crows sat outside my windows to sing to me and my kitties.
I can't wait to go to bed tonight. (here is me nodding off at my computer........)
Friday, March 27, 2009
This week in Time Savings
This week on Sunday I made a vegetable stock, then froze part of it, and used the rest for soup. I made enough soup to freeze some, and put some in (spillproof) dishes to bring for lunch at work. I ran out of containers, so one bowl just filled and some aluminum foil on top and stuck in the fridge. I will eat that on Tuesday night after running my errands. This way all I have to do is microwave my soup, and as they say: Soup's On! I should have enough soup for lunch every day this week. If I don't get tired of it that is.....
I also have packed all of my bags for my trip this weekend. All I have to do now is add food to the cooler on Friday after work and I will be ready to go. I will get gas probably on Wednesday to avoid the rain that we will be having on Tuesday and Thursday, and I do not want to wait til Friday.
I will pack as much of my bag for work the night before. I put in my diet pepsi, crystal light, any dry snacks, plasticware, and my book to read at lunch if I stay in. This way in the mornings, all I have to do is add in the cold part.
I will lay out my clothes to save time in the morning. If I decide at night what I want to wear I can usually seem to decide faster. It always takes me a really long time to decide what to wear in the mornings.
That seems to be all I did for time saving and preplanning this week. Not a whole lot for sure.
I also have packed all of my bags for my trip this weekend. All I have to do now is add food to the cooler on Friday after work and I will be ready to go. I will get gas probably on Wednesday to avoid the rain that we will be having on Tuesday and Thursday, and I do not want to wait til Friday.
I will pack as much of my bag for work the night before. I put in my diet pepsi, crystal light, any dry snacks, plasticware, and my book to read at lunch if I stay in. This way in the mornings, all I have to do is add in the cold part.
I will lay out my clothes to save time in the morning. If I decide at night what I want to wear I can usually seem to decide faster. It always takes me a really long time to decide what to wear in the mornings.
That seems to be all I did for time saving and preplanning this week. Not a whole lot for sure.
This Week in Savings
So far this week, I have saved money in these ways:
1. Thanks to Annie, I have been charging my cell phone in my car.
2. I bought my own car parts, and had a friend put the front end parts on my van. I saved about $800 doing this.
3. I got my van aligned. This may have cost almost $90 (monday), but will save my tires and allow me to get full use out of them instead of replacing to early due to uneven wear.
4. When I had dinner at my friend's house, I picked up mail so I do not have to make a special trip (I get my mail in a different town than I park my bum each night).
5. I ran all my errands and shopping trips after work to save gas on an extra trip into town.
6. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung them to dry. I just put them on hangers and hang on them on the shower rod.
7. I did not eat out this week. I brought my lunch everyday from either leftovers from dinner or the soup I made on Sunday.
8. I got a coupon from CVS for a free bag or a free roll of paper towels. Since I have several bags already, I opted for the free paper towels. I went with my mom and she drove so I did not use any gas either.
How did you save money this week?
1. Thanks to Annie, I have been charging my cell phone in my car.
2. I bought my own car parts, and had a friend put the front end parts on my van. I saved about $800 doing this.
3. I got my van aligned. This may have cost almost $90 (monday), but will save my tires and allow me to get full use out of them instead of replacing to early due to uneven wear.
4. When I had dinner at my friend's house, I picked up mail so I do not have to make a special trip (I get my mail in a different town than I park my bum each night).
5. I ran all my errands and shopping trips after work to save gas on an extra trip into town.
6. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung them to dry. I just put them on hangers and hang on them on the shower rod.
7. I did not eat out this week. I brought my lunch everyday from either leftovers from dinner or the soup I made on Sunday.
8. I got a coupon from CVS for a free bag or a free roll of paper towels. Since I have several bags already, I opted for the free paper towels. I went with my mom and she drove so I did not use any gas either.
How did you save money this week?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Super Duper I Love My Wags Trip
I had a wonderful super duper trip to wags last night. Let me tell you, if this is how my Wags trips are going to go, it totally makes up for crappy grocery store selections! Sorry the pic is so blurry, I am not so good with a digital camera yet. See one of my kitties in the back?
Here is what I bought:
4 * 12 pack diet pepsi
4 * Glucerna Cereal
4 * Glade sense&spray (raincheck-he wrote $3.99 instead of $7.99)
2 * Reynolds aluminum foil
2 * bag of jelly beans
2 * bic soliel razors -they did not have any refills
The absolute best part was my total. Are you ready for this?
$7.23 AND I got a $7 rr for my next trip! YIPPEE! I did the happy dance all the way home. I was actually so excited I forgot to go to the grocery store to look for shelf stable milk!
My wags will apparently allow overage to the max! I used the wags 7 day q's for the foil, jelly beans and the free 12 pack wyb three. I used two bogo free glade's. I used the rain check to get the glades for $3.99. I used the esc q's for the bic, glade (I was really surprised she allowed this! I did not think she would), and I used mc for the foil-2*$1, the bic-2*$2, and the glucerna-4*$5. Then as she was done scanning those before I actually gave her the esc to scan, the cat machine spits out a q for $3 off my next purchase of glucerna, so she scans it! I did not even know what it was for until she had already scanned it and entered the price manually because it beeped! So my total went from somewhere around $80 to $7.23. She was just as excited as I was! Then I had to get a rain check for the sambucol because they were out. She said she could not put more than one on a single rain check, so she gave me two separate ones. This was one way cool trip. I paid less than the cost of two cases of diet pepsi for all this stuff! Happy dance, Happy dance!!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Update
Wow, the hounds on the Grocery Challenge were busy pups this past weekend. I myself was again without a car. I took it in for an alignment and came away with more work to be done. Fortunately my dad was able to give me $200. He took it from his "bail money", although lately he has been bailing me out more than ever. I also got $200 from my mom. That bought the parts and paid for the labor, and I only paid about one third of what I would have paid for the original shop charges. I found a friend that was willing to give up his weekend for a little cash. Now it is back at the tire shop for the alignment. I also discovered that my antifreeze is still leaking. I do not have any puddles where I park at work or at home, so I am leaking while I am driving. I can't afford to fix that right now, so I will just buy some antifreeze in the morning and keep fillin' her up!
On a side note, I called a friend of mine last night figuring I would leave a message and she was actually home and available. (She has three kids and a full time job so she is almost always busy.) I was really excited to be able to catch up with her for a bit last night. She said the same and said that the phone call was not long enough and that I needed to come over for dinner. So I am going tonight. We are having spaghetti as I still cannot really chew since my tooth fell out. She asked me what we should have as she had spaghetti left over or she could make italian beef. I am not really a fan of beef (which she knew), plus she thought it was kind of funny when I told her I probably could not chew an Italian beef sandwich! I told her I could just have some baby food with the baby!
I still cannot afford to fix my tooth right now. I did come up with the grand idea of buying some of that stuff I have seen at CVS for tooth repairs. It says it is for loose fillings and caps and crowns. I followed the directions and "re-inserted" my tooth on Saturday morning, and it stayed in all the way until Sunday evening. I tried to "re-glue" it but it just would not stay in. Then this morning as I was sitting at my desk, another portion of the tooth that was still left fell out. I think this is probably why it would not stay glued in. I am going to give it another try tomorrow to see if it works. Here is keeping my fingers crossed. And hopefully my teeth in!
The plus side to not having a vehicle is that I stayed home all weekend. No hounding, but boy did I get a lot accomplished on my to-do list. I am almost completely done organizing and purging the downstairs (which was part of my new year's resolutions). I have one corner of stuff left, and most of it goes upstairs. I just need to sort it to decide how much of it is trash, and take the rest on up. Then I will finish the upstairs, which is my son's room and playroom. Then I will be able to mark that off my resolution list as complete!
I have also lost five pounds. Since I cannot chew food right now, I am not sure how that will affect my weight loss attempts. I will just have to wait and see (hopefully less of me to see!).
I also plan on continuing my saving time and money posts this week.
On a side note, I called a friend of mine last night figuring I would leave a message and she was actually home and available. (She has three kids and a full time job so she is almost always busy.) I was really excited to be able to catch up with her for a bit last night. She said the same and said that the phone call was not long enough and that I needed to come over for dinner. So I am going tonight. We are having spaghetti as I still cannot really chew since my tooth fell out. She asked me what we should have as she had spaghetti left over or she could make italian beef. I am not really a fan of beef (which she knew), plus she thought it was kind of funny when I told her I probably could not chew an Italian beef sandwich! I told her I could just have some baby food with the baby!
I still cannot afford to fix my tooth right now. I did come up with the grand idea of buying some of that stuff I have seen at CVS for tooth repairs. It says it is for loose fillings and caps and crowns. I followed the directions and "re-inserted" my tooth on Saturday morning, and it stayed in all the way until Sunday evening. I tried to "re-glue" it but it just would not stay in. Then this morning as I was sitting at my desk, another portion of the tooth that was still left fell out. I think this is probably why it would not stay glued in. I am going to give it another try tomorrow to see if it works. Here is keeping my fingers crossed. And hopefully my teeth in!
The plus side to not having a vehicle is that I stayed home all weekend. No hounding, but boy did I get a lot accomplished on my to-do list. I am almost completely done organizing and purging the downstairs (which was part of my new year's resolutions). I have one corner of stuff left, and most of it goes upstairs. I just need to sort it to decide how much of it is trash, and take the rest on up. Then I will finish the upstairs, which is my son's room and playroom. Then I will be able to mark that off my resolution list as complete!
I have also lost five pounds. Since I cannot chew food right now, I am not sure how that will affect my weight loss attempts. I will just have to wait and see (hopefully less of me to see!).
I also plan on continuing my saving time and money posts this week.
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