End of the month.

Yes, I went to the grocery today and did another 3 of the Planters nuts deals. As predicted, I have .42 left of my available money. It's not a large sum, but, I will roll it over in September.

I went to Walgreens this morning to take advantage of the Excedrin moneymaker. They also have Haagen-Daaz (how do you spell that?) 2 for $6 and I had a $2/2 Q. My total was 4.64, but, I had a free GC to cover that, so, no oop there. I also received a $1 RR.

Here's what's available to spend for September:

$50.00 oop
.42 carry over from August
49.24 Rite Aid GC
31.36 Walgreens GC
18.31 CVS GC
1.00 Walgreens RR

I also have some free coupons to redeem. Among them are cat treats, yogurt, toothbrush, toothpaste, Michael Angelo's single serve entrees, Fast Fixin's chicken (I've never tried that), so, I think that I will do fine for September.

Hang on for the ride! Let's see if I can keep it up!

I'm doing a little better.

Well, today is the last mail day in August and I received a $2 rebate. That means I have $3.06 for the rest of the month. I believe that I will be able to take advantage of a couple of those $3 Planters wyb 3 Kraft items. I can do 3 deals and still have about .42 left. The cocktail peanuts are on sale this week for $3 a can. I can use Kool-Aid for the fillers.

There is a uniquely southern word or phrase that many of you may not be aware of. When you go out to the garden and pick just enough vegetables for tonight's dinner, that's called a "mess of okra" or a "mess of squash." I paid a visit to my parents' house today and came away with a "mess of okra" and too many tomatoes. Tomorrow, I will pan fry that okra, make a potato dish to go with it, find some frozen niblets corn in the freezer, and thaw an Edwards Key Lime Cheesecake. That's going to be some serious eating. I'm thrilled that I was able to make it through August and only spend $50 oop. I don't know about you, but, I think it's a pretty mean feat.

On Monday, I will give a recap of available balances on my various gift cards that will be in play for September. Again, I will budget only $50 oop for the month. Let's see if I can do it again.

I got out of the hole!

I reported a day or two ago that I had gone over budget by 37 cents. I received a $1.43 rebate today, so, I officially have $1.06 left. Yippee!

Dinner turned out well last night.

The crock pot method of cooking a whole chicken worked out really well last night. My neighbor made out like a bandit. I took him a dinner of chicken (I gave him 1/2 of the whole chicken), a potato side dish, peas, cream corn, sliced tomatoes, Sister Schubert's rolls, rice pudding, and I even took him a bottle of Gold Peak tea to top it off. From the looks of the leftovers, it seems I will be eating chicken sandwiches until I start to cluck!

Besides groceries, be it edible foods or non-food consumables, HBA, paper products, and such, I also stockpile Christmas gifts. I have 3 nieces, 4 nephews, and 3 great-nieces. The 3 neices are getting a good supply of make-up this year. There have been so many great deals this year on make-up at CVS and Walgreens that I made that the centerpiece of their gifts this year. Instead of individual gifts, I am going to get some of those file storage boxes at Office Depot and make up a big box for each family. It will include HBA for men and women, make-up, men's cologne or aftershave, toys for the small ones, various things from my stockpile. In our family, we would rather give and receive very practical gifts, so, they are going to get personal toiletries, cleaning supplies, and probably candy and a few food items in their boxes. Except for one nephew in high school, all the others are married. You know that when a young couple is just starting out in life, cash is always short and I think my practical gifts will be remembered long after some doo-dad I might buy. The one still in high school wears contacts so I guess he'll be the recipient of the dozen or so trial size bottles of ReNu. Who can resist buying them at .99 each when you have $1 Qs for them?

I blew it!

I had $10.85 left yesterday and wanted to use some really hot coupons. I've gone over budget by 37 cents. The item that pushed me over wasn't even a necessity; I had a $2 Q on Downy and since when is fabric softener a necessary item? On the other hand, when's the last time I had a $2 Q on Downy? Never.

I'm making a bit of progress in the kitchen. The chicken is in the crock pot and will be ready for supper. I have boxed potatoes by the dozens, so, that will be one side dish tonight. I have some frozen veggies and I'll add one of those to the dinner plate. Maybe this time I will remember the Sister Schubert's rolls in the toaster oven and have those, too. Remember when I heated some for dinner one night and forgot all about them?

I'm also using a new item for the first time today; the Reynolds Slow Cooker liner. When they first came out, there were some really great Qs and I bought a few boxes. I dressed my chicken with McCormick's chicken rub. That was one of those purchases in the past that occurred just because I had a great Q for it and it was BOGOF. So, finally, I am using it!

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. There will be sliced tomatoes on the menu, courtesy of my dad. The tomato season is coming to an end, but, there is still okra in the garden. Hmm, maybe I need to go visit my parents in a day or two. I'll even offer to help harvest the okra. If you've never had pan-fried okra, you are definitely not from the south. You cut the okra into bite-size pieces, coat them in cornmeal and flour, and fry in oil. I'm not saying it's a healthy dish, but, it's a mighty darn good tasting one!

More money!

I received $6.99 in rebates yesterday, so, I now have $10.85 to spend this month. I am going to the grocery today and use some hot Qs. I would just kick myself if I didn't take advantage of them.

At the end of the month, when you clean out your Q binder, does it bother you that you have to throw away so many Qs? I cleaned mine out last night and all I could see was a big stack of money going into the trash. Of course, it's not possible to use every single Q you ever get, but, doesn't it just feel "wrong" to throw them away? Most of the time, I don't actually throw them away; I send them to military families around the world. Their commissaries accept Qs up to 6 months past the expiration date. If you hate throwing Qs away as much as I do, that is a great way to give them a 2nd life.

I'm thinking that the challenge is going to be harder in September. I don't have very many rebates outstanding right now. I received a $20 beer rebate in July and August. Those were very big, considering how rigid my spending was during that time. I don't have that to look forward to for September, but, I am still going to go for it; $50 oop plus all free GC and any rebates received.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, the crock pot chicken has been pushed back a couple of days. I am going to get it done in the next day or two and I'll report on how well the hints I received work out for me.

I received a tiny boost yesterday.

I received a $2 rebate in the mail yesterday. That gives me $5.86 to last through Sunday. I have a few "oh, I have to use them" Qs, especially the Crystal Light free wyb 3. I never did get around to using any of the Planters nuts $3 wyb 3 items with it. Well, as we all know, the deals roll around on a schedule; they're will be more Qs and more deals later.

I'm glad I had all those Tai Pei and Michael Angelo's single serve frozen entrees. First of all, they were cheap, cheap, which is always welcome, and they are easy to prepare and just right for one person. I am glad to report that Sonny, my cat, got a piece of shrimp last night out of my shrimp fried rice dish. He loves shrimp so much that he will even eat just the tails if that's all I give him of it.

I'm not sure if I'm right about this because I have given up chasing the deals at CVS and Walgreens since I started my challenge, but, I've glanced through their weekly flyers and the rebate books and I just haven't seen anything that would motivate me to put my shoes on and go to the store. Of course, my challenge was not only spending much less each month on groceries, it was also about not bringing in more for the stockpile. I guess if they were giving it away, I'd break down and get it, :) but I don't think the deals have been nearly as good for the past 6 weeks or so. Am I missing something here?

I apologize. I'm just too lazy when it comes to preparing dinner.

I was out of town yesterday and ate out with family members. Breakfast was included in my hotel room rate, so, no oop there. I did stop at a convenience market and spend $1.56. My balance for the rest of the month is $3.86.

I started out today with a great plan for dinner. It didn't require too much trouble. I was going to cook some rice and use a Tai Pei frozen entree, garlic shrimp, to pour over the rice. As it approached dinnertime, I was just more and more immobilized by lethargy and pain. I have fibromylagia and I am in constant pain. I ended up with a frozen lasagna entree and a glass of wine. Hey, what's in the freezer is stockpile, too, right?

I took a whole chicken out of the freezer this evening and plan to use the crock pot for it on Tuesday. It won't be thawed in time to use it tomorrow. Someone was kind enough to send me a really good recipe for crock pot chicken. This is interesting. She said to ball up pieces of aluminum foil and put in the bottom of the crock pot so that the chicken does not fall to pieces in its own juices. I'll try it and see if it works out for me. I'm thinking of just rubbing the chicken with a rubbing spice, I think it's McCormick's for chicken, and placing it in the crock pot. After it's finished cooking, I can have a couple of vegetables out of the freezer to go with it. I guess my neighbor will get fed on Tuesday night! It sounds simple enough. I think I can probably get it done. After all, once the chicken has been cooking for 8 hours, I can't just ignore it. I'll have to do something with it. There's nothing like setting up a situation that MAKES me do something out of the ordinary.

I don't normally eat breakfast. I just don't ever get hungry until about noon. I think I'm going to have to start eating breakfast, though. I didn't realize it, but, I have over 20 boxes of breakfast cereal in stock. Oh, that doesn't include all those one-serving boxes I've gotten in the mail. I have 1/2 a sack full of those. I would think that even unopened cereal can go stale after a long while. I don't want to have to throw any of it out, so, I guess I'm going to start eating more cereal. That just means I'll have to buy more milk. No big deal. I think I can squeeze that out of my budget.

I lied. I bought some stockpile items.

I know, I said I wouldn't bring in any stockpile items. I happened to glance at the CVS flyer and saw that Puffs were .88 per box and I had several .25 Qs on them. The regular price for these is something like $2.15, so, I'd be nuts not to take advantage of a deal like this. I used my free CVS GC, so, it didn't take anything out of my grocery money. I had to buy cat food yesterday and I used a couple of those Kraft free wyb Qs. I still have $5.42 to spend in addition to my GC.

I'm quite concerned about the country's economy right now. Millions of people are losing their homes and not enough new jobs are being created to keep up with demand. This depresses wages all across the board because there are so many people trying to get too few jobs. Thankfully, my home is paid for, so, I don't have to worry about being booted out. I am fortunate that I know about couponing and doing the deals. I've also found a wealth of information at Hot Coupon World. If you don't know about HCW, you need to go over there and see what kinds of information are offered. It's really just a group (large group) of people who share information about coupons, deals, and how to save money. It's also a great place to trade your Qs that you are not going to use for Qs that you need. I have nothing but good things to say about the people with whom I have traded.

Well, 9 more days in the month and $5.42 to spend. I will very likely make it with a few cents to spare. I have decided to continue the challenge through September. I will budget $50 oop and all free GC and rebates are in play. I have $49 and change on a Rite Aid GC, $22 on a CVS GC, and $25 on a Walgreens GC. I have $11 in Walgreens GC coming in a few days. I don't have many outstanding rebates right now, so, that's not something I can rely on too heavily in the coming month.

I'm going to try, really try, to do better meal planning and come up with some different ways to use my stockpile items. Everyone out there knows what kinds of Qs have been in play recently, so, you can pretty much figure out what I have in my stockpile. I have enough coffee to last for several months and I'm almost embarrassed to say that I have more than 80 boxes of tea, the size bags that make a quart, 24 or 30 to the box. You know they were all free, or nearly so, don't you? Every so often, Tetley or Luzianne are BOGOF at my double Q store. Other than tax, I pay nothing for them. I have spent a little bit of money buying Qs for these events, but, the overall price, including tax, is less than .10 per box.

Tell me about your stockpiling methods and where you are between obtaining more or using up what you have. I'd like to hear from you and compare notes, so to speak.

It's not just about the food.

I've been rather too focused on food items in my stockpile and how to use them. I completely take for granted the fact that I've used body wash, toothpaste, and facial cleanser from my stockpile. It's great to know that when I run out, I only have to walk a few feet to get a new one. I suppose serious couponers are somewhat amazed and at the same time feel sad for people who do not understand the concept of using Qs, stocking up when something is on sale and you have a Q, and having things obtained inexpensively before they actually need it. I can't imagine ever again running to the drug store for a bottle of shampoo at the last minute.

Stockpiling is great when done correctly. I feel like, though, for me, the time has come to use a lot of my stockpile and concentrate on saving money. Well, saving MORE money! I have had a bit of a time ignoring the weekly deals, but, I know that when I want to get back in the game, there will still be Qs and the deals will still roll around on schedule.

I spent a small amount today, but, for a good cause.

I stayed in a hotel last night and, quite frankly, was too tired to go out and look for something to eat. The hotel had provided a package of cookies, so that and a coke was supper. I know you are disappointed in me for eating so badly. Anyway, the hotel was having a special promotion to help the area food bank. For a contribution of a canned good, you received $5 off your room rate. I found a local grocery and bought 2 packages of tuna, with a Q, of course! I gave those 2 items to the desk clerk and she took $10 off my room rate. So, I spent $1.78 for a $10 benefit. I guess that was a pretty good trade-off and I do like to support the area food banks. That leaves me with $17.68 for the rest of the month. I have a couple of outstanding rebates, so, maybe I'll get them in before the end of the month and actually have some jingle left in my pocket for the month.

I'm going to have to spend most of what I have left on cat food. I'm about out and the kitties are going through a growth spurt. Every time I put food out, they act like they haven't eaten in 2 days and it's only been 5 or 6 hours!

I'm embarrassed to tell you that I didn't eat dinner tonight, either. I made my obligatory grilled cheese sandwich this afternoon, ate 1/2, gave the cats 1/2. I have just not felt like eating anything else today. It's hot and muggy and just not conducive to eating or even thinking about eating. I promise to do better tomorrow. Yes, each day is a new day and I can start over again.

I'll be out of town Friday and Saturday, so, no meal preparation for most of the weekend. Thankfully, I have several restaurant gift cards that I can use while I'm out of town. Of course, restaurant expenses are not out of my grocery money. I have a separate budget line for that. I'll be visiting with relatives and don't know what the mealtimes will be like; at home or out?

Saved by the rebate!

As you know, I was down to $2.71 for the rest of the month. I was out of milk and I still have a couple of those really hot free wyb 3 items. Received a $20 rebate today from Miller Lite! I bought milk today, so, I now have a whopping $19.46 to work with the rest of the month. It looks like I'm going to make it, after all.

I also received a free $25 Walgreens GC today from MyPoints. Maybe, just maybe, I'll take a look at the flyer this week or next and see if there's any freebies or moneymakers. Or, maybe I'll just hold on to it until I actually, really and truly need something. I noticed at my closest Wags store that they usually carry bread. I'm sure it costs more there than at my usual grocery store, but, the GC is a fall-back in case I drag this challenge out a few more months.

I cheated today. My newspaper yesterday had a Q for a free chicken sandwich at McD's with the purchase of a medium drink. I had the chicken sandwich today, but, I was shocked at the price of a medium soft drink, $1.59 plus .15 tax. Gee! A dollar and 74 cents for a coke! I thought the chicken sandwich was especially good, but, that may be because it was free. I ate a very late lunch, so, I'm thinking I won't be hungry for anything for supper. Besides, there's baseball starting at 4:35pm and 8:00pm. No time in between to cook.

There's still 2 weeks left in this month, so, I don't know yet what kind of shape I'll be in by the 31st. I would really like to continue the challenge through September. I want it to be a real challenge, so, I might stick with the $50 oop and having all rebates and free GC in play. It would be easy to say, "Oh, I'll budget $100 next month." That wouldn't be much of a challenge, though, would it? It seems my biggest expense has been for cat food. I have 5 of my own plus all the freeloaders that show up at mealtime. An 18 lb. bag just doesn't quite make it through the entire month. I also haven't seen any Friskies dry food Qs lately. The last ones I saw that expired recently were $1.50/2 bags. I don't think that's much of a Q. Two large bags, with tax, would be nearly $25 and only have $1.50 off? I'm going to have to think of something else. If I had any backbone at all, I'd make all those cats go out and catch their own dinner! But, no, I have to be a softy and let them live in the lap of luxury. They do bring in something every now and then. Recently I've been finding headless birds in the yard. Once I found only the feet. Those goobers ate the whole thing! Hey! They ARE learning something from me; don't waste it, eat it.

My original intent of this blog was to show you how to live on a tight budget and get the most out of your stockpile. I don't think I've been doing a very good job of that. I found myself with several of the single-serve frozen entrees and they are just so easy and I don't have to think about meal planning. I really am going to try harder to use stockpile items, not the frozen stuff. Well, I guess I need to use them up, too. Nothing lasts forever in the freezer. You will eventually get freezer burn on everything if you keep it too long. So, maybe a better mix of using frozen items and using dry stockpile items. I'll work on it.

Glamour/CVS Offer

A couple of months ago, there was a rebate offer from Glamour Magazine and CVS. If you bought some Essence of Beauty items, you received a tote bag from Glamour. I don't recall if it was $10 worth of EOB or if it was 2 EOB items. Anyway, I think the rebate form was obtained online. I bought the required items and sent it in. I thought I would get some sample sized items in the tote bag and I would have been happy with that. I received it on Friday and I was delighted to find inside, Skin Effects Suncreen, Biore Cleanser, Biore Astringent, John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze, a package of 6 brushes from EOB, EOB body wash, EOB body mist, and Curel Foot Cream, all full-sized! Without going to CVS and pricing all the items, I'm guessing it's over $50 in product. It was definitely worth the purchase price of the original items to qualify for the rebate.

I'm afraid that today will be another day that I just pull a single-serve entree out of the freezer for dinner, and, maybe lunch, too! Baseball starts at 1:00pm and pretty much goes all the way through 10 or 11pm. My team, the Atlanta Braves, are not doing so well this year; however, that doesn't diminish my interest in watching. I guess it's even more thrilling when they actually win a game! Braves fans have taken the team for granted for so many years that now it's time for us to wake up and smell the coffee. They can't win the penant every year!

I intend to try to live off my stockpile for quite a while. July was just a "jump-start" on the process. All of you serious couponers know how much fun it is to chase the deals at CVS, Walgreens, etc. I am like you; I enjoy the thrill of the chase. I am trying very hard, though, to ignore the weekly deals. I would like to see just how far my stockpile will take me.

And again, lazybones wins!

I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself for eating the single-serve entrees that I have in the freezer rather than planning and preparing a "scratch" dinner. I got them for practically nothing and, isn't that the whole point of couponing? A quick Italian dish, a glass of wine, and I call it done. My neighbor hasn't been getting a whole lot out of me lately, but, he's a decent cook and I don't think he's missing any meals just because I haven't taken anything to him.

I still have $2.71 left to spend on groceries this month. I have a few outstanding rebates, so, maybe something will come in soon. I am definitely going to use 2 of the buy 3 Kraft, get something free Qs. That will put me over the top, but, throwing them away just because I have hit my budget limit seems to me to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. I hope ya'll will forgive me if I go over my budget by $10 or $15 this month.

Even though I plan to spend a bit more on food this month, I will not be bringing any more body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, or toothbrushes in the house for a long time. I don't care how loudly the CVS and Walgreens ads call my name, I am not doing it!

Laziness wins again!

Gee, I feel ashamed to admit that I didn't cook dinner again last night. I pulled a Michael Angelo's out of the freezer and had that during the baseball game.

I made my obligatory grilled cheese sandwich yesterday and as an added bonus, I cooked some bacon to put on it. Now, there were 4 strips of bacon in the container and I knew it had been in the fridge for a while and I needed to use it up. I cooked all 4 pieces, but, I was only going to use 2 pieces on my sandwich. I figured I'd put the other 2 pieces in the fridge for my next grilled cheese. Well, before I could turn around and put the bacon in the fridge, my cat, Sonny, had jumped on the stove, dragged the plate and all to the floor, and was merrily chomping on my bacon. He moves fast! Not to worry, though. The last time Hormel bacon was a BOGOF at my double coupon store, I stocked up. It keeps well and for a long time in the freezer.

I guess the dog days of summer are getting to me. Early in the day, I think of something great to prepare for dinner. When it comes time for dinner, though, it's muggy and the heat has sapped my energy and I just go for the easy stuff.

At least I haven't spent all my grocery money for the month. I may have to dip in my pocket before the 31st, but, I'm hoping to keep it low, low, low.

Dinner didn't turn out as planned last night.

Oh, I know I had you all anticipating my big spaghetti dinner last night, replete with crusty garlic bread and a glass of wine. When it came time to eat, though, I was hardly hungry, so, I just had 2 oz. of Jarlsburg cheese and 5 Ritz crackers. I'm sorry to get you all ready to hear about my culinary achievements, only to let you down by eating cheese and crackers!

I had to spend a bit more of my money yesterday for a loaf of bread. I now have only $2.71 left for the rest of the month. The cat food is going more quickly than I anticipated, so, I will probably have to buy more before the end of the month. I have 5 cats of my own and there's 2 or 3 strays, sometimes more, that come by at feeding time.

Since there is going to be baseball almost every night at dinnertime, expect that I will pull a frozen single-serve entree from the freezer most nights. You know, of course, that I must have my obligatory grilled cheese sandwich every day. Who knew you'd get tired of free cheese? I still have one more of those Qs to use before the end of this month. I will definitely use it, so, I will definitely go over my budget this month.

I really don't like leftovers.

I delivered the birthday cakes today. My mom wasn't home and I thought it unseemly to cut a piece for myself when she hadn't even seen it. I got a piece of dad's cake, though.

I just finished dinner. It was a repeat of last night. What I made last night was enough for 2 and I thought I may as well get it over with tonight and get rid of it. I forgot to eat my obligatory grilled cheese sandwich today! I really just forgot to eat until now, so, I had an early dinner. I'm thinking that tomorrow will be a spaghetti night. I have meat, pre-cooked, in the freezer and jars of sauce, boxes of spaghetti noodles. I really like tomato-based dishes. Italian is my favorite kind of food, I guess. It always goes well with a glass of wine and there's always that crusty garlic bread to go with it. Hmm, I think I just talked myself into it for tomorrow night.

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my free $25 Walgreens GC. I cashed in some MyPoints for it. Walgreens has Cottonelle TP at a good price this week and I have Qs. You can never have too much TP, right? I am, though, trying very hard to ignore the shampoo, toothpaste, and body wash deals for a long time. I have years' worth. I've also got to get more creative with rice. I suspect that I have 50 lbs. in the house. I have a microwave rice cooker; never used it, don't think I know how, not sure if I still have the directions. Besides a large stockpile, I've got all kinds of kitchen gadgets and pots and cookers that I hardly ever use, and unfortunately, not a lot of cabinet space.

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make my challenge this month. I only have $4.85 left and today is only the 12th. I am very proud of making the challenge for July, though. I can see where I need to make improvements in spending, but, the cats have to eat! Also, I'm running out of dairy items. They lasted all through July which was a pretty big feat. Too bad they don't last forever. I have a surplus of sour cream right now and have got to buckle down and find some innovative ways to use it. I don't want to lose it.

Stick with me through the month, even though it looks like I'm going to have to dip into my pocket to make it through.

I may not make it this month.

I had some great BOGOF Qs for Michael Angelo's single serve entrees that expire this week. I couldn't let them expire! I had to use them. I bought 6 plus a couple of other free items, total $9.40. This brings my spending total to $45.28 for the month. I can't see making it another 20 days on $4.72. Oh, I do have that 13 cents left over from last month. I received a $30 rebate today, but, it was from purchasing a monitor, so, I don't think I can legitimately use that in the challenge.

I had my obligatory grilled cheese sandwich today (remember all that free cheese? gotta use it!) and I even prepared dinner tonight; grilled salmon, niblets corn, brocolli and cheese, all from the freezer.

My parents both had a birthday last week and I just forgot about it, so, today I made 2 birthday cakes. I had all the ingredients for both. I didn't have to purchase anything to make them. She likes chocolate, he likes plain cake with no frosting. They're both getting what they want. Do you think if I hang around their house long enough, they'll offer me a piece? I'm counting on it. In fact, I think I will take my own Tupperware items to bring some home with me!

The weekend was great.

I spent some time in Atlanta this weekend. I stayed at a really nice hotel, even ordered room service. Thank goodness it was on someone else's dime! The best part? Don't laugh at me. I was in ATL on Sunday and was able to pick up a couple of newspapers with great Qs in them. Now, THAT is a productive weekend. At some convenience stores, and I haven't figured out how they decide which ones to offer and which ones not to offer, they bundle 2 Sunday papers together and you only pay $2.50 total for $4 worth of papers.

Has anyone seen the rebate form for the super lunch bag from ConAgra? The great thing about this offer is that even though you must send actual UPCs, they do not require a cash register receipt. So, forage through your stockpile to come up with the proofs of purchase. I didn't see the order form in the paper; I ordered it from TCC (www.thecouponclippers.com). It does require $3 postage and handling, but, the picture of the lunch bag makes it look like it's worth it.

As I predicted, when I got home yesterday, I was too tired for any real meal preparation. I hit the freezer for a single-serve entree. It was the Bourbon Street Chicken from Tai Pei. Wow! It was really good! Hot and spicy, a real zinger. Having that with a glass of wine, I was happy as a clam. And what made it so great? Well, it only cost $1.24 after Q! I think I probably speak for most of you when I say, I don't want cheap food, I want food cheap. Using Qs allows us to buy high quality foods for less than some cheap alternative.

I went on a small coupon frenzy today.

I have tried to ignore the drug store flyers since I started my challenge; however, some things filter through. I went to CVS today to take advantage of some good deals and use some Qs. I didn't spend any actual money as I have a substantial amount of a free GC. My total after Qs was $3.60. I used $21.25 in Qs. The Dawn dishwashing was just too good to pass up. I also had some CVS Qs and man. Qs to pair with them.

The CVS deals worked up an appetite and I drove through Taco Bell before going home. So, see, I really do eat out every now and then.

I'm not sure what's wrong with my refrigerator. Everything is freezing and I've turned the temperature control as warm as it will go. I really don't want to think about fridge problems right now.

I'll be out of town this weekend so there will be no meal preparation here. I might go for a frozen single serve entree for supper Sunday night when I get home.

I'm fine, the kitties are fine, and all is right with the world, at least, right here.

I've been MIA for a couple of days.

I haven't posted in a few day due to illness. I don't really know what is wrong, I just can't sleep at night and sleepless nights leave me with a headache and sour stomach the next day. It's been going on for 3 days. I sleep a few minutes, wake up, look at the clock, turn over, go back to sleep, wake up, turn over, look at the clock, rinse and repeat. I did manage to eat a single-serve entree last night. It was the first of anything of substance I'd had in 2 or 3 days. I've just been too sick to eat. Cokes keep my stomach from completely flipping on me, otherwise, I just haven't been able to get anything else down.

My newspaper did not even have the Kellogg's insert. The only thing I know about it is what I've read on HCW. I did manage to find someone who had a few. I ordered them, knowing, of course, that I'll have to break my budget to take advantage of them. Just be prepared, readers, that I may not make my goal this month. If Hormel bacon goes BOGOF at my double Q store, I will be stocking up. It seems to be about time for that to happen. I may have to stock up on the Kellogg's things, too.

I'm a spending fool!

Apparently, having only $50 for the month hasn't sunk into my thick head. I took that Swiffer product back to CVS today. They had to give me the refund in cash, so I had a little jingle in my pocket. I went to the dreaded WM and found the Swiffer product I needed. I didn't even have a Q for it! ACK! I also bought a box of Reynolds Handi-Vac bags. ACK! No coupon for that, either! So, I spent a total of $3.95 today on groceries. That's about $35.88 I've spent already. I'm going to have to hop back on the wagon if I'm going to make it this month.

I've had a bowl of cereal today and a few nibbles of Goldfish. I'm planning on a lazy dinner tonight; a frozen single serve entree. It will most likely be of the Chinese variety. I worked hard today and need to take a break. I finished pulling up all the carpet in the house. Yes, I had major help from my dad, but, it's still hard work!

I was a big spender today.

Rite Aid had advertised the Swiffer WetJet refills for 3.99. I went there only to find out that the store does not carry any Swiffer products. The manager said that the area rep for the product comes in to check the shelves for the product, but, that the current planogram does not include it. I ended up buying 2 small cookie packages, the ones with the mail-in premiums. They were BOGOF, so, I only used .74 of my GC.

I was completely out of Swiffer WetJet Cleaner and almost out of the pads. Went to CVS, since I have a GC there, and bought those items along with a couple of ECB deals. That was almost $21 on my GC even with $7 in Qs or so. Wouldn't you know it; I got home and compared the package of Swiffer pads to the box I have and I bought the wrong kind. I'll go back tomorrow, get a refund, take that cash to (I hate to say the word) WM and get the kind I need.

The only thing I spent oop today was for a quart of coffee cream, total $2.03 after Q. So, I have spent $31.93 of my available $50 for the month. Ouch! It's going to be a close call, I think.

No worries for the cats. They now have plenty of feed, that is, if the raccoons don't get into it and eat it all. Even though all that raccoon carousing had been going on right under me, I never heard it. I took the carpet up out of my bedroom last week and now I can hear the trap every time it springs.

It is way too hot to eat today. I finally ate a grilled cheese sandwich a bit ago; however, I was sweating the whole time I ate it. There's no way I'm heating up the kitchen tonight for dinner. I might eat some cheese and crackers, but, I'm not making anything. My indoor cat is thinking the same thing; he's been curled up as close to the air conditioning vent as he can get today. It would take a crowbar to get him up.

Starting out a new month, almost blew it all!

It's rare that I actually run out of anything at home, but, I did run out of kitchen garbage bags. I really hadn't been paying any attention to the drug store flyers during July; too much temptation. I happened to catch a thread about Tuf bags at Walgreens and that they were BOGOF this week. Here it is Saturday and I just found out. I went to one Walgreens and they didn't have the smaller size BOGOF, but, did have a much larger size 2/$10. I believe I can get the $5 rebate on those. At another Walgreens, they had the smaller packages BOGOF and I got 2 for 3.99 plus tax. I found myself with only a day's worth of cat food still in the house, so that was a must. It was not on sale, I only had a puny .35 Q on it (doubled, thank goodness), so, today, only the 2nd day of the month, and I have already spent $29.90 of my $50. Most of what I bought, though, have mail-in rebates. I doubt they will get back during this month, but, I will get some money back, so, I don't feel quite so badly about spending so much oop today. Also, I got 4 trial sizes of ReNu free w/ Qs. My nephew will be pleased to receive them.

Everything I bought today was non-food consumables; however, I count all of that as groceries. Most of what I bought were fairly big ticket items, $10 for garbage bags, $12 for cat food, so, I was only able to use $7.45 in Qs today. That is not a good percentage of the total spent.

I bought one of those Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber Starter Kit boxes today. It has a TMF rebate, so, I don't feel like I misspent my money there. Now, If I could just get off the blog and get off of HCW long enough to use the thing and clean my tub, everything would be great!