It's The End Of The Year--Here's How It All Turned Out

As you can see, I spent $1,233.28 for the year. For all coupons, store discounts with my frequent shopper cards, store-specific GC that I was able to obtain free of charge, the total is $3,457.89. That represents 74% of my grocery shopping. I feel really good about how it turned out for 2009. I didn't make my challenge number, but, I came pretty darn close.

I've thrown out all the 12/31 expiring Qs so that I won't be tempted to go out to redeem "just a few more" today. It's a nasty day out and I won't be going out again except to deliver a cat to someone this afternoon. I'm going to wear blinders so that I can't see the stores as I pass by!

I'm wishing all of you a very happy new year. I hope you have big plans tonight, or, at least can stay awake long enough to greet the new year! I should talk; I'll probably be asleep by 9:00pm!

I had (10) $1 WT for meat, cheese, produce, bakery, and seafood. I used 8 of them today for various produce, meat, and cheese products. I spent a total of $12, but, used about $12 in Qs for it all. I guess I will have to go back tomorrow and use the last 2 Qs tomorrow. It's just a crime to let such good Qs go to waste. Yes, I've gone over by $27 for the year and I expect I will spend another $3-$4 tomorrow. What the heck? I've already blown my budget. I may as well go for broke.

ICK! I opened the produce drawer in my refrigerator and found long forgotten roast beef and Swiss cheese tucked away. I may have to call in the Haz-Mat team to get rid of it! I hate that! I can't believe I forgot really good food in the fridge. Well, I know I'm not the first, but, I hate to admit it, anyway.

I've already thrown out all the 12/31 expiration coupons out of my binder. Too late to trade them, not going to buy stuff just because I have Qs. There was a giant bundle of them and I thought, "How much money am I throwing away?" I know the statistics of how many coupons are redeemed as opposed to the number available, but, still, it kills me to throw them away.

I have no plans for New Year's Eve. Well, check that; I have a bottle of bubbly in the fridge and I expect to consume it tomorrow night, but, well before midnight! Early to bed, early to rise, makes you an old maid!

Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta

O.K. I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed of what I did today. As I told you earlier, I bought 25 free Qs for Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta from someone at HCW. I've looked in every WM in town. I had found it last month in a city about 35 miles away. I had to be about half-way there on business today, so, I made the trip. I really had considered just letting the Qs expire because I knew I wouldn't find 25 of them on the shelf, even if I went there. As it turned out, I made the trip today and there were EXACTLY 25 boxes of rotini on the shelf. I bought 25 boxes = $41.00 and I paid $1.23 tax on all. I'd say I spent an extra gallon of gas from my last point of business to make the trip to Dalton. Not a bad return for $2.40 of gas.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be my "white elephant." I hope I like this stuff.

Great Grocery Christmas Presents!

I received the following for Christmas:

$25 WalMart GC
$25 Bi-Lo GC
$25 Food Lion GC

My parents gave me some money, but, that goes in general revenue. I can spend that for anything (the "anything" is my trip to Hawaii in May).

The FL GC is going to be spent on 1/1/10 for cat food! Yes, that's 2 bags. The WM GC may be spent on 1/1/10 for cat litter. I have some Qs exp on 1/5/10 and I'm almost completely out. I now have an extra cat (took in a lost cat this week) to feed and fill the litter box.

Merry Christmas To Everyone!

Let's all take a day off from couponing and spend the day with family and friends. For those of you brave enough to host the big dinner, I say, "good on ya!" I just hope you paid less than full price for all the food you will be serving. Knowing you got a good deal just makes it taste better, don't you think?

On the home front, I wanted to tell you that my step-mother fell on Tuesday and broke several bones in her face. She is not well to begin with and this is a big setback for her. In fact, when she went to the ER, her BP was 235/125. It's a wonder she hasn't had a stroke,or worse, with BP that high.

My dad had chemo on Wednesday of this week. He is always in bed for a couple of days afterwards, sick and unable to do anything. He perks up just in time for the next treatment. What a roller coaster ride that must be.

I'll be enjoying Christmas breakfast with a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Somehow, I always get out of dishwashing duty! That's a real holiday!

As You Can See, I've Gone Over

I'm disappointed in myself for not being able to do this. I had to buy cat food today and I redeemed those free Freshpet Qs for my nephew. It put me over by about $5.00. I still have a $4 rebate due, but, that's not going to "balance the books" this year. I will most certainly have to buy a few more groceries this year.

It's been a wild ride this year, watching my spending and poking around through stockpile for things I'd forgotten I had.

I guess I should set up some rules for next year's challenge. These are the things I can think of. If you have any other suggestions, please chime in.

I will spend no more than $1,000 out of pocket.
I can use any FREE GC received to reduce spending.
I can use grocery rebates to reduce spending. If I get a rebate for buying a computer or something like that, those do not count towards my groceries.
I will certainly be using coupons for nearly everything I buy.
If I sell stockpile at a yard sale or flea market, that money reduces spending.

What else?

How Would You View This?

Last summer, I took a lot of stockpile stuff to the flea market for several weeks and sold about $450 worth of stuff. Should I have applied that money against my grocery spending? I never really thought of it that way until now. I guess it's good that I didn't do that or else I would have been tempted to spend more money on groceries. Even though I didn't count that income against grocery spending, I'm still going to come in very near my $1,200 budget. I guess in that case it doesn't matter too much.

I doubt that I will sell anything at the flea market next year. My dad has a nice trailer that hitches to his car. He is very sick and I doubt if he will be able to do the flea market thing next year. To be honest, he won't be here next summer. I guess I could do a yard sale at my house a couple of times and see if I can unload some stockpile. The flea market just gets you so much foot traffic, all at one time and in one place.

Well, did I blow it by not using my stockpile sales towards groceries?

It's Coming Down To The Wire

I have a big $2.25 left for the year. I have $6.74 expected in the next couple of weeks from rebates.

I was able to buy about $20 of dog food for my nephew for just tax. I plan to do it again next week and the last day or so of the year. The Qs expire 12/31. It's a worthy cause. He's out of work. He and his wife had been living with his parents for several months and just got into their own place this month. He's a good kid, but, not exactly focused on the future. I guess that could be said of most of us at some time or another.

I received (3) $6 checks for Purina Cat Chow today. Woo-hoo! Good stuff! And, I just blew a big chunk of my CVS GC yesterday for a small bag of cat food. Bad timing, huh? That's O.K. It'll all work out sooner or later.

I had a nice meal with my parents today. We had to celebrate my birthday a couple of days early since my dad has chemo tomorrow and that always wastes him for a few days. I'll be taking him, of course. He is usually glassy-eyed when they finish with him on chemo day. They gave me an electric blanket for my birthday. I'm luxuriating under it right now. The cats have found a whole new heat source and don't have to sleep on top of me to absorb the body heat. They all look so content.

This Offer Has Nothing To Do With Food, But, Still, A Good Premium

Need some new luggage tags? Go here: http://baggagelabel.klm.com/

I've ordered a set for myself and they are really nice.

Do You Want Free Gift Cards?

I am a member of a program in which I send all junk email and snail mail pertaining to insurance, bank accounts, mutual funds, etc. I have posted this in the past but just wanted to remind you about it. I can sign some people up as referrals on my account. Each piece of junk mail is worth X points. When you get 2,000 at the end of the month, you earn a $20 GC of your choice from gifts.com. If you are interested, or want more information, email me at vickiburtonlives@bigfoot.com. If you wish to join, I will need your name, address, and email address. It's really a great way to earn GC. I earn 2,000 points nearly every month. With all the junk mail out there for term life insurance or credit cards with "less than purr-fect" credit, you should be able to earn 2,000 every month. I do earn a few points when you sign up, but, I don't earn anything for your continued activity. I am just offering these referrals because I want to share the love. I have been a member over a year and I've raked in about $240 or so in free GC during that time. There are many choices of GC; retail stores, restaurants, CVS. It's free money, people, just for your junk mail.

I Hang My Head In Shame

I cannot believe that I did this, but, yesterday I spent $7.50 to buy some free Qs from someone over at HCW. It's not something that I need right now. It is strictly a stockpile item. I can't believe I'm down to $4.04 left and I would do something like that. Go ahead! Throw stones! I deserve it!

On the other hand, I made someone else very happy with the trade. That should be some consolation to me. Maybe I'll be rewarded for my "good deed."

I'm on the last night of my 4-night run of hotel mystery shops. I can't wait to get home tomorrow and get back to normal at my house. My animals will probably snub me for a day or so for leaving them alone for so long. Of course, my dad has been there to feed them, but, they don't consider that as having someone around.

Don't You Hate It When You Have A Free Coupon For A Product You Can't Find?

I had a fistful of the Ronzoni garden something-or-other and had looked all over town for the item. I'm out of town for a few days working and I found them in the Wal-Mart in one town. Yes! Free food! I have also redeemed some Qs for a frozen entree since my hotel rooms have fridges and microwaves. I've spent a whopping 36 cents in the past 3 days or so and feeling pretty darn cocky with $11.XX left to spend for the month!

I have a wad of the free Freshpet and only found out today where to find them. I hate to spend what little money I have left for the tax on these items, but, my nephew has a big dog, doesn't have a job, and I want to help him feed the dog for a couple of weeks. I guess I will spend the rest of what I have in my budget to get his dog food for him. I've never asked him to reimburse me for whatever I've spent on him and now doesn't seem like the time to start.

I think I miscalculated a few days ago. I am only expecting $6.74 in rebates soon. I'm hoping they come in before 12/31 so I can "balance the books" with my spending and rebates received.

I'm Going To Bore You With More Cat Food News

I just sent off to Purina enough weight circles to get (3) $6 checks on my next purchases of large bags of cat food. I'm always looking for Purina weight circles, so, if you run across any, let me know and see what we can trade. Heck, if I can figure out how to trade egg cartons for eggs, I surely can figure out how to trade for Purina weight circles!

I have to admit that I didn't eat at home today. I had a Q and a GC for TGI Fridays. Enjoyed a really good meal and spent nothing out of pocket. I had gotten the GC to give as a gift to a friend for Christmas, but, we are "on the outs" and I decided to use the GC for myself. What if we make up before Christmas? Not likely. It's really hurtful as we have been best friends for 40 years, but, things change, people change, it's just gotten too hard to keep the relationship afloat. My therapist insists that she will call and make up before she needs another ride to the airport! That seems to be all she is interested in. Oops! I'm sorry. Too much information.

Just so you don't think I've changed my M.O., I have all the "fixin's" for tacos in the fridge. Once all the components are assembled, it's an easy meal.

I will be out of town Friday-Tuesday. I'll be online, though. I have 4 hotel mystery shops lined up. Dad is taking care of the animals while I am gone. I'm going to be able to see my paramour once or twice during that time. Yes, paramour. Old fashioned word, new age relationship. He is NOT a boyfriend. He doesn't qualify. We have, for 16 years, been sexual partners, nothing else. Well, I take that back. We both like baseball. That's actually the only thing we have in common. Oops! Once again, too much information! Oh, what the heck! I'm an old maid! I deserve a little recreation. Now, wouldn't ya'll just love to have a man who comes to your house, does his job, and leaves? You never have to cook him a meal, pick up his dirty socks or do his laundry. You never have to hear him snore or far*. I think I have a great deal!

Ah, well, good deals coming my way for cat food with the Purina checks I'm going to receive. If I'm lucky, my grocery store will have Purina as a BOGOF deal before long. THAT would be sweet.

A Rebate Received Yesterday

The rebate was only $2.99, but, that's a big deal when you have less than $10 for the rest of the month. I now have about $12 to spend. I also still have $65 in CVS GC and still quite a bit of free Qs to redeem. I have a lot of Freshpet that I was going to redeem for my cousin. He's having a hard time and I wanted to help him feed his dog. I can't find this item in any store around here. I admit that I haven't been to Wal-Mart yet. I really hate spending money at WM. I think I will stop in, though, and see if they have this item. It's a refrigerated item, I think. I also have several Qs for a free box of a new Ronzoni pasta called "garden" something or other. I can't find them anywhere. I've even looked in Atlanta.

I'm in "cooking mode" today. So far, I've made a lemon pound cake (my dad loves mine, or so he says!), I've prepared a pound of taco beef, and boiled 4 eggs for making tuna salad. I've used 6 items out of stockpile in addition to 8 eggs and condiments from the fridge. I realize I've fallen down on my "3 a day" use of stockpile items, but, I'm trying to make up for it all today!

Heads up! My CVS manager just gave me the news that there will be MAJOR FARs on 2/14/09. He didn't go into detail, but, told me that I didn't want to miss it. I'll see if I can squeeze a little more information about it over the next few days.

I Have An Announcement To Make

Even though I haven't made it all the way through the year yet and seeing as how I only have $9 left for the month, you may think I'm crazy, but, here it is.

2010--$1,000 oop!!

Yes, I am going to get through the entire year on $1,000 out of pocket, depending on my stockpile and any free GC I may be able to obtain. I will also use any rebates to reduce my oop. That will be rebates or refunds for grocery and related purchases. If I buy a computer and get a rebate, that wouldn't count for groceries.

Ya'll are going to have to hold my feet to the fire for the next year. I see prices going up on everything, or else, they reduce the ounces and charge the same price. I'm definitely going against the upward trend by reducing my budget, but, you know, that's what makes it a real challenge.

Oh, I didn't get my "free" eggs yesterday. It snowed here yesterday morning and I expected that no one would show up at the flea market in the snow, so, I didn't go. It is several miles away and I just didn't think it worth the possibility of wasting gas to go and find no one there. I still have 2 dozen, so, I plan to go see the egg man next Saturday.

Just for those of you who are used to snow in the winter, I can tell you that it has been many, many years since we had snow in the fall. We don't even get one snow every year, but, when we do, it's usually in February or March.

$9.21

That's all I have left for the year. I fear I will go over by a bit; however, I have $19.73 in rebates due in December (I hope!). Maybe if all the rebates come in, I wll make it. It's really important to me to be able to pull this off.

I can look back on the year and see where I could have cut back. I didn't have to buy that big bag of Glade products, even though there were great Qs for them and the $5 Target GC deal. I could have just walked away from it. I've bought way too much toothpaste, even though most of the time it has been for pennies, not dollars.

I am still leaning towards a $1,000 challenge for 2010. Tell me why I shouldn't. I'm open to your ideas.

I Blew It Today And It's Only December 3

I stopped in to buy some cat food today. Came out with over $32 worth of stuff. I guess I felt like that Stouffer's lasagna family sizes were too good a deal to refuse. I have a whopping $10 left for the year. I have about $10 in rebates due in December, but, boy, am I going to go sliding by the seat of my pants into 2010. For sure, I will be ignoring the Walgreens and CVS deals for the rest of the month.

I got all my Christmas baskets done and most have been delivered. I'm going to get the rest of them delivered tomorrow afternoon. I think my clients appreciate the thought, although they all say, "Oh, no, I can't eat that stuff!" Yeah, so what's a little chocolate in your stocking at Christmas? A moment on the lips, forever on the hips!

I can't believe that I am considering a $1,000 budget for 2010 when I can't even stay within $1,200 this year and I know prices are going up, up, up. Somebody, please, knock some sense into me!

What A Meal!

I took my dad to dinner last night. I was performing a mystery shop. Can't say where we went but he had a beautiful ribeye steak and I had an amazing fillet of salmon. His appetite is good. I'm thankful for that.

I took him to his radiation treatment today. The news is not good, but, we have high hopes. Quite frankly, the radiology oncologist was surprised that my dad was still alive. He had a lot of questions for him about his pain and how he was doing. Dad has committed to 10 radiation treatments for the next 2 weeks. After that, probably more chemo. I'm not sure, but, I think my dad is thinking of dropping out of treatment. The doctor told him today that without the radiation and chemo, he had 90 days or less. He didn't give an estimate of time if he continues with the treatments. I suspect it's not much more than that, although, I guess when you think you're making headway, it doesn't seem so bleak.

For those of you who are believers, I want you to know that my dad is ready to go. He has no fear of what may lie ahead of him after this life. I cannot be sad because I know that he will be walking streets of gold soon. To meet the Lord, to see your loved ones, it all must be so wonderful that our human minds cannot even process the glory. I have miscarried 3 times through the years. My dad will see his grandchildren before I see them!

Please forgive me for getting so off-topic. This blog is all about saving money and living on less. Sometimes, though, there are other things higher on my priority list. I hope you understand.

$47.52

Well, I have $47.52 left for the month of December to stay within my $1,200 budget for the year. I made it through November on $31, so, this should be a cake-walk. I'll have to buy a couple of bags of cat food, but, I think I can keep MY spending to a minimum. Except for a loaf of bread, I can't think of a thing I need right now. Next Saturday, I'm going to the flea market and trade in my egg cartons for 3 dozen eggs. I haven't finished the last 3 dozen I received, but, I'm thinking of baking a couple of cakes this week, so, that should take care of a lot of them.

I'm currently holding onto about $85 in CVS GC. I receive them for pharmacy refills. Oh, yeah, my store finally got a scanner! I haven't gotten anything really good from it yet, but, I'm hopeful. I'm down to $1 in ECB. I know most of you are very good at rolling those ECBs and getting more and more. I'm not really into that too much. I get what I can and use what I want. I really don't see the sense in buying items that I will never use, even if they are FAR. It just chews down my GC and sometimes I can't find something to buy to roll my ECBs before they expire. That kind of forces me to buy stuff I don't need and I don't really like that.

I was taking stock today of all my free coupons for groceries. I have close to $100 worth of them. That's a good feeling. When you get down to nothing, there's free Qs for food!

Well, it's a new month and I see good things ahead. I'm heading out to dinner in a few minutes with my dad. It's important to spend time with him other than in doctors' offices. I will keep you updated on his progress.

I Did A Great Job In November

I joined a group of people over on HCW in a challenge for the month of November. I said I could do it within $50. I actually only spent $31.47 on groceries for the month! Woo-hoo! I think I still have about $48 for December to come in at budget for the year.

I finished making my Christmas baskets for my lawyers, paralegals, and secretaries. I usually pick up baskets at thrift stores and yard sales all through the year and paint them myself in red, green, and gold. I cheated a little this year. Last year, after Christmas, I found some holiday buckets @ 75% off. I think they are usually $1.29 or so. Anyway, I was able to get 25 of them and only needed 22 this year, so, the fact that I hadn't haunted the thrift stores and yard sales didn't come back to bite me. Anyway, there's a pack of gourmet coffee, 2 envies of chocolate w/ flavors, and lots of Christmas wrapped individual chocolate candies. Each has a candy cane or two and a big poinsettia is clipped to the side of the bucket. Some glittery garland is strung across the top and little colored stars and candy cane cut-outs are sprinkled throughout. I figured everything I use to make these, purchased at retail value, comes to about $8 each. Of course, you know I didn't spend anywhere near that much, right? I think I may have spent about $60-$70 for everything.

My dad and I are going out to dinner together tomorrow. I'm performing a secret shop and it's a great excuse to have some private time with him. I think he is quite discouraged by the news he received last week. I can't say that I blame him! It hit me pretty hard, too.

I cancelled my Florida trip for my birthday. I need to be close to home. Dad needs me to drive him to chemo and radiation. I don't think I would enjoy FL too much knowing what's going on at home.

O.K., I Admit It's Not Grocery Related, But, I'm Still Just As Excited

Today, I received a $30 GC from Office Depot for past purchases and trading in old ink cartridges. I also received a $10 GC to Chili's, etc. The Chili's GC was from points earned doing surveys. No, I don't remember which one!

I don't know if I've shared this before, but, I am a mystery shopper. I pretty much only do hotel shops. I limit it to those kinds of shops due to the points I can earn in the different company's frequent stay programs. I have enough points in one program to stay a week in Hawaii next May. I really can't give more details than that due to the confidentiality agreements. If you have heard of mystery shopping and think you would be interested, my best advice is to go to www.volition.com to check out all the mystery shopping companies in North America. There's nearly 300 of them the last time I checked. You have to sign up with each one individually and that takes a lot of time, but, you will be rewarded with free dinners, free hotel nights, and some, not much, cash. If you see an ad that says you can go shopping at your favorite stores and keep all that you buy and be reimbursed by the mystery shop company, don't believe it. It's pie in the sky. Almost every retail store shop I've ever done requires that you return the purchase in a separate transaction. Fees are usually in the $10 range. I don't really do retail that much. I prefer to stick to my hotel shops. I do them a lot and practice makes perfect. I'm pretty good at it. Just a thought to those who have some time on your hands.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving Day. I hope that you are able to spend time with family and friends today. I will spend a few hours with my parents and some of my step-mother's relatives.

I don't have any "grocery" news for you today, but, I did receive a GC for a free order of Bang-Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill in the mail yesterday. Bonefish is very expensive and I have only eaten there a couple of times, but, I think I could drop in to visit the bar and use my GC. It says, "with purchase," but, does not specify any further.

I've noticed quite a bit of this lately; you eat at a casual dining restaurant and get a receipt with a code. You answer their brief survey and give you a validation code to get something off your next order or to get something absolutely free. I have a $4 off an entree Q for O'Charley's that expires Sunday. I understand that they have a pretty good Sunday brunch, so, I may give it a try. It helps that I have a free $10 GC to eat there! In fact, I used a free GC to eat there and then received this Q! That's like hitting a home run, isn't it? I also have a Q for a free appetizer at TGI Fridays. Same deal; I used a free GC to eat there and then got a Q for more free food. Actually, I have two free appetizer at TGIF; I received a Q good for today only for a free one. They open at 4:00pm today. I guess I'll have to go after I recover from our turkey dinner!

Take a moment today to tell someone how they have enriched your life and that you are thankful that they are in your life. You never know; it may be your last chance. There's real power in thankfulness.

News About My Dad

Dad learned today that his cancer has spread to his liver, hip, and ribcage. There are multiple lesions in these different places. Because of his wife, he is pursuing further treatment. The doctor gave him the choice of continuing treatment or letting nature take its course.

I Finally Broke Down & Bought Some Groceries Today

My store was having an incredible sale on apple pie filling, Comstock, I think. I had a Q and it was BOGOF. Who can pass that up? Anyway, I bought a few needed items and some not-so-needed items. You know how it is. Great buy, Qs, you just can't resist.

I received a puny little $1.74 in rebates today. I counted that against the total I bought. I'm expecting about $36 in rebates before the end of the year. That's going to buy a lot of cat food!

I have happened upon a sure-fire way of staying at home in the evening and not going out to a restaurant. I have 1 lb. portions of browned ground beef in the freezer, many envelopes of taco seasoning, sour cream, and tortilla chips. I have an abundance of salsa as well. I keep some ground beef in the fridge and with a jar of cheese or a bag of shredded cheese, I'm well on my way to tacos or nachos. I love that stuff. My cats love to lick the plate after I finish. A little meat, some cheese, they are just in heaven. It's a wonder they ever go back to cat food after I give them stuff like this.

Off-topic and sad; I had to serve papers on a woman today with a restraining order that she cannot have unsupervised visits with her children. The youngest is 3 years old. I don't know the whole back-story, but, a judge was convinced to take her children away and to demand supervised visits. She seemed like such a nice girl, but, there's no way for me to know much about her. My job is kind of crummy sometimes. It's a living; what can I say?

I'm Feeling Pretty Cocky

I'm seriously considering a $1,000 grocery budget for 2010. I know I have a lot of cats to care for, but, I've been digging around the house, taking inventory of all my stuff, and I think I can do it. Just think how long 50 bottles of body wash will last, not to mention the 20+ bottles of shampoo and conditioner. I have so much toothpaste that I haven't even tried to count it. I think I have 40-50 toothbrushes. I have a huge inventory of facial cleanser and moisturizer. I can't think of anything else I could possibly need.

The food? I can eat tuna fish sandwiches until I die! I get free eggs from the flea market, so, making tuna salad is not a problem. The freezer is full. I could give up cokes and start drinking more tea. I have more boxes of tea than I can count. The pantry is still full, even though I've been living off of it for a year and a half. As you can see, I'm trying to talk myself into committing to a $1,000 budget for the year. Maybe I'm way off base, but, I can see a year's worth on the shelf.

How much penance will I have to do if I fail?

A Great Shopping Day

I was able to use over $31 in Qs today without spending a dime. I received a rebate last week, so, what little I bought today, I used the rebate money to pay.

I received $125 in GC today for no money. I received $50 CVS, $25 TGI Fridays, $25 Olive Garden, and $25 Chili's. Twenty-five dollars in CVS GC was due to a prescription being filled. The rest I received from a program where I send my junk email and snail mail about insurance offers, financial offers, credit card offers, all that sort of thing. I've mentioned this before, I think. I've been a member about a year and have received about $350 in GC for my participation.

The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to continue the challenge for 2010 on $1,000 total out of pocket. I've spent the day going through my non-food stockpile, counting, boxing it up, rearranging, cleaning. Even after selling at the flea market for over 2 months last summer, I still have more than 50 bottles of body wash! I didn't even count the tubes of toothpaste. There was just too much. Something I found while digging around; a large supply of good quality facial cleansers. If I can just ignore the drug store flyers in 2010, I'm going to be in good shape.

My best estimate for cat food and cat litter for a year is $500. There's not much I can do if I go over; I'm not turning away a pretty face. When females are in heat or gestating, they take up under my house. A couple of times a year, I get a glimpse of kittens coming out from under the house. I'm such a sucker for felines. I'd really like to have a Labrador, but, I don't think that would be a good mix for all the cats. If I'm going to have a dog, I'm going to have a "real" dog; something big that can bark like he's going to kill someone.

How About Some Feedback On A 2010 Challenge?

I'm thinking of continuing my challenge into next year. I was thinking of making it the same as 2009, but, I think I want to make it more interesting. Now, consider, I've been living off of a lot of stockpile for the past year and a half. I'm also giving away some of it for Christmas gifts. I sold a lot at the flea market during the summer, too.

I'm really seriously considering a $1,000 oop budget for 2010. I think I could do it. Well, I WISH I could do it. What happens if I fall on my face?

I was just looking over my pantry and I find an awful lot of tuna, rice, and boxed and pouch potatoes. There's enough jelly and jam for an army unit. As long as the bakery lady gives me her egg cartons, I'm getting free eggs at the flea market. As far as non-food items, I'm good. Plenty of shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. Plenty of paper plates (I hate to wash dishes), plenty of dish detergent (when I HAVE to wash dishes), and cleaning supplies. I think I actually have enough aluminum foil for a year or more.

Let me know what you think. If you have any good recipes for stockpile stuff, please send them to me. I've got so many cans of French's French fried onions that I'm actually sick of looking at them! I know about rolling chicken in the crumbs to bake, but, what else can I do with them? I'm still sitting on a few jars of roasted peppers and marinated roasted peppers. Don't have a clue what to do with them. Come on, people! Help me out!

Let me know what you think about my 2010 plans. I need some input.

Finally, Home At Last

My road trip is finally over. I'm back home with my kitties now. I'm too tired to go the the grocery today. I'll have to go first thing tomorrow as I have no milk or bread. Basic stuff, right?

Every hotel where I've stayed since Saturday had a free breakfast. One place had free room service for dinner. The other meals I've eaten on the road I have used GC for which I received for no out-of-pocket. I'm really reaching here, but, also think about all the electricity I've saved by not being at home!

I received a free, full-sized box of Betty Crocker potatoes in the mail yesterday. Not only did I get free potatoes, the box had 3 BTFE on it. And a coupon. Is that like hitting a triple? Free potatoes, some BTFE, and a Q.

I received a $6.99 rebate while I was gone. That's going to help my grocery totals. I guess I'll use it tomorrow for some basics.

Still On The Road, Still Not Spending Any Grocery Money

I have spent $20.79 on groceries so far this month. It is the 11th, so, I'm looking good for now. I've been on the road working for the past few days and will get home tomorrow. I stayed in a very expensive hotel last night (on someone else's dime, I have to say!) and was able to order room service for dinner. I also had a complimentary breakfast that would have cost about $18. So, I guess I'm bragging a little when I say that not only am I not spending any grocery money, I'm also not spending any restaurant money, either. I also earned $100 in GC from my involvement with a company that collects junk mail from its members. That's the one for which I have offered referrals to you. If you haven't signed up, you can still do so. Just send me your name, address, and email address and I will get you signed up. You can email me at vickiburtonlives@bigfoot.com.

Please take a moment today to honor our veterans. If you see a soldier in uniform, buy him/her a cup of coffee or a soft drink. Spend a moment to thank them for their service. We are free because of their service to us.

Free Eggs, Free Food, Fun Stuff

Well, I found the "egg man" at the flea market Saturday and traded my egg cartons for 3 dozen eggs. I asked him if it was O.K. to do this every 3 or 4 weeks and he agreed. Oh, yeah, he sells roosters, goats, and rabbits there on the weekend. I think I know what happens to the rabbits. I'm not sure what fate awaits the goat. If it was a nanny, I'd suspect someone wanted it for its milk. The billy, though, I'm not sure about.

The wedding on Saturday was beautiful. We were treated to a 5-course, sit-down reception. The food was fabulous and all the wine served was from Chile. The bartender was busy making mojitos and another drink that I can't spell that is considered the "national drink" of Chile. The hotel where we stayed that night had a complimentary breakfast. It was rather complete, not just a continental.

The hotel I'm in now had a manager's reception yesterday evening with free drinks for 2 hours and a full, cooked-to-order breakfast this morning. I was able to get a rock-bottom rate at this hotel, probably 1/2 the regular rate. I just happened upon a good deal here. At any rate, free drinks, free breakfast, it works for me.

I'm Going To Cash In On Those Free Eggs Tomorrow

The flea market out of town near here goes on only Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to go see the "egg man" and trade in my cartons for free eggs. Later in the day, I'll be traveling to Atlanta to my cousin's wedding. I'll be on the road for 5 nights. I perform mystery shops for several companies at hotels and restaurants. That's what's keeping me busy for the next week. I will still be living "close to the bone" throughout my travels. I don't expect to spend much money while I am gone.

I've spent $20.11 so far this month. I have joined a group on HCW to spend no more than $50 in November. I think I can do it. I'm going to have to! The end of the year is a little ways off for now and I'm closing in on my budgeted amount.

Cheer me on. I need your support. I want to be accountable to you and show you that I can really do this.

November Is A New Month

I have only spent $17.64 so far in November. I realize it's only the 5th, but, I think this is pretty good. I have used $77.55 in Qs so far this month. I'm burning it up! I think I have found a way to post my progress on the blog. Not sure if I've gotten it right. We'll see. Amy was kind enough to encourage me to find a way to show my running totals. Oh, my local grocery store, Bi-Lo, has a survey invitation at the bottom fo each receipt. You can win $250 GC each month. Haven't won, but, they are offering a Q for free potato chips at the end of each survey. Sweet! That's something I don't usually buy, just because of the price. It's nice to have a bag or two around for snacking. Really, 6 oz. or so of potato chips for $3-$4. That's expensive.

A Good Deed Today

There's a spay and neuter clinic in my city that helps low income people have their animals altered. I think it's around $40 for a cat and $8 for a rabies shot. Dogs cost a little more. I have been deluged with the Qs for free Friskies cat treats lately. I took a sackful of 10 packages to the clinic today. Eileen, the director, said, "Why? Where did you get them?" It seemed to me like she's not used to having people donate things to the clinic. I just said, "Oh, I had some coupons." She thanked me warmly. I've had several animals altered there. It's the only way I can afford to have so many kitties.

I'm away from home on business tonight. I stopped off at a grocery, redeemed one of my free Michael Angelo's entree Qs, and took off. Luckily, I have a fridge and micro in the room. I guess I was assuming a lot there, you think? Maybe they wouldn't have that in the rooms. I knew, though, that they offered a continental breakfast and there's always a micro in the lobby with the breakfast area, so, I figured I could fix my dinner somehow. I paid .28 tax for the entree. I'm telling you, tax on food is a killer. Here, it's 7.75% on edibles and 9.25% on non-food items. I guess it's a trade-off. My state does not have an income tax and the property taxes are very reasonable. I was in Boston earlier this year and was told that their property tax rate was so high that they received their tax bills every QUARTER!! EEK! Can you imagine?

I have a bet going with a coupon friend for the World Series. I'm rooting for the Phillies and she's a die-hard Yankees fan. The bet? A 2 ounce envie of Qs to the winner. Ahem. If you've read the sports page lately, you'll understand that I'm working on pulling Qs out of my binder tonight! I have a funny feeling I'm going to lose this bet. Thank goodness it's not for real money. Oh, wait! Coupons ARE real money! What have I done?

I realize that it is only the 2nd day of the month, but, I'm feeling very confident that I can make it through November on $50. Truly, I'm going to have to do it to ever dream of making goal this year.

You know, I've been looking over my stockpile lately and I'm thinking that I may continue my challenge for 2010. I'm even thinking of cutting it from $1,200 to an even $1,000 for the year. That would be for one adult and 6-10 cats per day. Someone told me that if I knew how many cats I actually had, that I didn't have enough. There's no telling how few or how many show up for breakfast every day.

I'm still ticked off about losing that $5 rebate at CVS yesterday. It's a hard feeling to shake. Hopefully, in a few days, I won't be so hard on myself and can get over it. Gee! Five dollars! How could I have been so careless? Take a lesson from me, ladies and gentlemen. Make a list. Make notes. Follow notes. Don't make the same mistake I made. If only one of you learns the lesson, it will be worth telling you that I really messed up.

One rather big purchase on the horizon, but, it's gifts, not groceries. I make baskets for my clients and paralegals at Christmas. I always put in the Millstone coffee packets and hot chocolate envelopes. I'm going to have to spend about $40 on that to get my baskets done this year. Food items, yes, grocery spending, no. They are gifts. Do you agree?

Totally off topic, but, I am going to Orlando for my birthday in December. This year, Disney was giving a free ticket to any park on your birthday if you signed up. My birthday is within a week of Christmas and I've decided to go to Epcot Center. I don't have children, so, I've never had any real reason to go to Disneyworld or any of the other parks. I realize that the "free" ticket is going to cost me $500-$600 for travel, hotel, eating, but, you know, I'm getting old and there's things I should have done years ago that I'm just now getting around to. I'll be staying in a hotel with a full kitchen, so, I'm sure I'll be using free Qs for my dinners while I'm there. I can have a lot of fun on a small amount of money. Never had much money, always wanted to have fun, so, I learned how to do it on a shoestring without feeling deprived.

First Day Of The Month EEK! Spending Already

I had to pick up a few things from the grocery today. I spent $17, but, used more than $70 in Qs. Quite a %, don't you think?

I found some chicken drumsticks marked down, then, with a store Q, AND a man. Q. Awesome! I got 3 pounds of drumsticks for $1.77 plus tax. Sixty cents a pound sounds awfully good to me.

A funny thing happened to me at Target this morning. I knew I shouldn't have done it, but, I was itching to do the Glade Christmas scents deal again for another $5 Target GC. I ended up buying 10 items for the promo, using lots of really great Qs. At the register, the computer prompted the cashier to only give me (1) GC. I didn't want to argue with her, so, I went to customer service. After a lot of back and forth, even the supervisor said the deal must have ended. How can that be? The cashier gave me (1) $5 GC. She had no clue, so, I said, well, I'll just return 5 of the items. She was happy to oblige. Since I had used so many Qs and really worked at making it a great deal, the credit she put on my CC was actually more than what I had originally paid. I still haven't figured out how it happened. All in all, I came away with 5 Glade candle items, 1 bottle of shaving cream, I recieved $2.35 after all the charges and credits were done, I received a $5 Target GC, and I was able to send off for a $5 cash rebate to my cousin. She saves Coke codes for me. I try to do something for her as often as I can. Now, that is a seriously good deal!

CVS had an ECB deal on the Glade this week. I did one of those and besides using some good Qs, received $3 in ECB for the deal. I also bought the Softsoap hand soap in the designer bottles. Here's where I messed up. There is a $5 rebate on the Glade items and a $4 rebate on the Softsoap. I should have done 2 transactions so that I would have 2 cash tapes, but, messed up and put it all one one. It's not that bad. I've maxed out the $5 Glade rebates, so, I only "lost" a rebate I could have sent to my cousin. She won't know the difference, but, boy, does it nag me to have made that mistake.

I need to take a pledge right now to stay away from further Glade deals. I have a bag full of Glade candles. I don't usually buy stuff like that, but, when it's free or nearly so, with GC and rebates to go along with it, I guess I'm just weak.

I've got about $33 left to spend this month. Let's see if I can do it.

Oh, yeah, another great deal I came across. I know a woman who owns a bakery in town. She's been saving empty egg cartons for me and you can imagine how many she goes through with a bakery. I went to a local flea market today and found a man who sells eggs. I made an agreement with him to exchange 16 empty egg cartons for a dozen of fresh eggs. He didn't have any eggs left when I was there, but, next Saturday, I'm going to get 3 dozen eggs free for just 48 egg cartons. By the time I us all those eggs, I'll certainly have enough egg cartons to do it again. Please, ladies and gentlemen, give me a big hand for putting that deal together!

End Of The Month Truth To Tell

I have spent 178.03 so far this month. I really blew it. I bought that sirloin tip. Killed my budget. My yearly total is $1,121.50. I have left to spend $78.50. I've joined a group on HCW to spend no more than $50 for the month of November. I really think I can do it. There won't be any more purchases in October. I'm going with my dad to a football game tomorrow. No time to go to the grocery. I CAN do this. I can really clamp down next month. No problem. I won't fall for the Glade promotions, I won't fall for any goofy deals. I'm going to make it in November with $50. Please pull for me. I want to make this goal.

I'm Really Glad I Splurged On The Sirloin Tip

I had that sirloin tip ground and when I got home, cooked most of it up and put it in approximately 1 lb. portions in the freezer. Last night, I wanted something warm to eat while watching the baseball game and I thought about that. So, with a pouch of meat, an envelope of taco mix, and some jar cheese and Tostitos, I had a fabulous plate of nachos. I liked it so much I did it again for lunch today. The jar of Tostitos queso was free when I bought 2 bags of chips. I still had sour cream from the last taco merry-go-round. I'm flush with taco seasoning envelopes (at least 2 dozen, I guess)and jars of salsa. I think when I was accumulating so many envies of taco sauce, I made it a rule to never spend more than a dime for each one. Tacos! Nachos! Hablo espanol!

Well, I've Really Got My Butt In A Bind Now

Over at HCW, I joined the November challenge. I said I could do it with $50. What?! I must be crazy. I do have a 16 lb. bag of cat food laid back, but, I need litter. Other than milk, bread, coffee cream, and a few fruits and veggies, I think I can make do with what I have. Seriously, though, how am I and 10 cats going to make it on $50 for the month? According to the rules, that includes eating out, too. I have a fair amount of restaurant GC to use, but, I do have a habit of driving through Mickey D's for a cup of coffee. I have Starbucks GC, but, their coffee tastes like swill! I guess I'll burn those GC next month when I'm out and about.

I think I have enough Cokes to make it through November. That's my weakness, I admit. I may have to make more iced tea and drink fewer Cokes. That's O.K. I have PLENTY of tea and enough sugar and the no-calorie sweetener (why can't I remember the name?) to make do. Oh, Splenda. That's it. I have several (maybe a dozen) boxes of Splenda for practically nothing.

I have to do a lot of traveling in November for business. Most places I'll be staying have a microwave available and I have a dozen free Qs for Michael Angelo's entrees. Guess I'll be eating in most of the time. One place I have to visit allows me $50 in room service. I'm loving that! Also, I think every place I'll be staying has a free breakfast. I think I can make it.

Cheer me on. I'm looking for any support.

Oh, yeah, has anyone joined the Eight O'Clock Accumul8 Rewards program? It ends, as it currently stands, on Dec. 31. I think they are rolling out a new program next year. Let's see if it's worth fooling with. Another rewards program, Stouffer's, is also ending Dec. 31. Maybe they'll roll out another program next year. I've gotten a few free Qs for food from that program.

Great SC Johnson Deal

http://www.scjohnson.com/en/products/coupons.aspx

Go here to download a rebate form for SC Johnson products. Those include Glade, Ziploc, Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, Pledge, Shout, Fantastik, Drano, Raid, Off, Saran, Nature's Source. Buy 3, send in your receipt dated no earlier than 10/1/09 (yeah, kick yourself like I did for buying a bunch of them on 9/30) with the UPC written on the form. You can send up to 3 of these $5 rebates per household, separate envelopes. Since I save all my receipts from everything, I found this morning that I already had enough for $10 in rebates. Went to Target and did the Glade deal today. Got enough for another $5 rebate, received a $5 Target GC, and pretty much just did a great deal on Glade, especially the Christmas fragrances.

The Target deal, in case you're just getting up to speed like I am, is buy 5 of the Christmas fragrances, get a $5 Target GC free. You can do several of these. You can also use all those great Glade Qs you're holding onto.

So, yeah, I spent some of my precious money that I have left on the Glade stuff today, although, in my defense, I also had to have cat litter. I didn't really spend too much on the Glade and I'm getting $15 back. I hope I get that back before the end of the year to help my totals.

There are, according to my fingers, exactly 10 weeks left in this year. I have $105 left to spend on groceries. I know I'll have to have more cat litter, so, I'll actively be looking for a good deal on that. I may have to buy one more large bag of cat food before the end of the year. Otherwise, milk, bread, coffee cream, and a few fruits and veggies. I'm gonna make it.

I Think It Was A Smart Buy

I went to Food Lion this morning to get in on the great deal on sirloin. What I found was that it was priced at $1.77 per pound, but, you had to buy a whole one. I found a 9 lb. + size for $16.XX. They also had boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99 per pound. I picked up a couple of packages of that, as well. In all, I spent $24.36 and saved $29.97 with my store card. Now, I just have to spend the rest of the day portioning, frying, packaging, and finding space in my freezer for all of this!

I also did well at CVS today. They had 12-pack cokes for $13/4. That's not a great buy, but, I had 3 free Qs and I got $3 ECB back. I also used a $3.50 Q on the Glade candle which was $6.99 and got $6.99 back in ECB.

My favorite CVS does not yet have the bag tags to receive ECB credits. Th assistant manager told me that she was expecting them any day and had already made an empty space on the front counter for them.

Sirloin Tip Roast

I thought I got a great deal on sirloin tip roast @ $2.99 per lb. Food Lion has it for $1.87 per lb. this week. Wow! I'm going to have to dip into my remaining $155 for the year and buy some and have it ground. Who can walk past this deal?

Just An Update

I went a little crazy on some BOGOF stuff this week at my local grocery. They had All laundry detergent BOGOF and there are $1 and also .40 coupons out there. I ended up buying 6 bottles (32 load size) at a cost of $2.16 ea. I probably could have talked myself out of doing it if I'd just gone into the pantry room and looked at all the bottles and boxes of detergent I already had! Anyway, I'm admitting to some stockpiling. I know, some days I fall off the wagon on this challenge.

I only have $155 left to spend for the rest of the year. Of course, there's only about 11 weeks left in the year. If I completely ignore the Walgreens and CVS ads, I think I can do it. Of course, I have about $35-40 in CVS GC right now. I still have about $5 in Rite Aid GC. Other than those GC, I'm having to actually pay for stuff. Doesn't that bite?

I'm pleased to tell you that I've used $2,722 in Qs, store cards, and non-purchased GC so far this year. That looks pretty good next to the $1,045 I've actually spent.

I'm still able to refer a few people for the "GC for junk mail" program. If you would like to get in on this, please email me at vickiburtonlives@bigfoot.com, giving me your name, address, and email address.

Oh, yeah, I was able to redeem my Accumul8 Rewards points for a coffee free coupon. I guess that's all I'm going to get out of the program before it shuts down Dec. 31.

Walgreens: Good Deal Alert

With an in-ad coupon from the Walgreens sales flyer this week, you can get Campbell's cream of mushroom or chicken, buy one at $1.59, get one free. There is a printable Q out there somewhere (I am so bad about not remembering where I get my printables) $1/2. This makes them an excellent buy this week. Even without the $1/2 Q, .80 per can is pretty good.

Enrollment Open Again

I was able to wrangle a few more referrals for the GC for junk mail program. If you are interested in joining, email me at vickiburtonlives@bigfoot.com with your name, address, and email address and I will get you signed up. I just redeemed my September points for a $20 O'Charley's GC yesterday. When I went on vacation earlier this year, I don't think I spent any money at restaurants. I was flush with Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, and Chili's GC.

I mentioned that I'd been holding onto all my free Qs for the turkey promotion. Since my store is not doing the turkey thing this year, I had to get busy redeeming these Qs. A lost of them expire Oct. 31. I shopped yesterday, spent $5 and used $29 in Qs. The $5 was mostly tax. The cats got a whole lot of treats! I'v been flooded with trades and I guess I have about a dozen of the free Friskies treats.

Just for laughs, I'll tell you that I'm back on the taco merry-go-round again. You know how it goes. You open a box of tacos, and the meat you've prepared doesn't fill all the taco shells. So, you make more taco meat. This time, you have to open another box of taco shells to use up the rest of the meat. Now, you've got leftover taco shells again. You have to keep the merry-go-round going because you are still trying to use up the sour cream and diced tomatoes before they go bad. By the time I can ever get all of it to work out and use up the last of all the ingredients, I should be able to converse in Spanish!

I have a question for someone out there. I found a sirloin tip roast for $2.99 lb. last week. Now, I don't buy that too much, but, I knew in my heart that $2.99 was a sweet deal. You can't even get hamburger meat for $2.99 lb. anymore, can you? Anyway, just wondered if I should take the roast to the meat market at my store and get them to grind it. Ground sirloin is certainly usually more expensive than that. I use ground beef a lot more than roasts because of my esophageal spasms. I usually get choked on meat, that is, dense meats like roast or pork chops, those kinds of things. So, grind it or take my chances with a crock pot roast with veggies?

"GC For Junk Mail" referral is closed.

I have referred all that I am allowed in the "GC for junk mail" deal. If there is an open enrollment again, I will post it for you. I've made $240 in GC in the past year. I'm kind of partial to restaurant GC, although I think I have gotten Macy's and CVS as well.

Sorry to all of you who thought about it but didn't submit your information. Hopefully, you will get another chance.

No Free Turkey This Year!

I was outside looking for my newspaper before 6:00am to see the grocery ads. RATS!! It looks like my store is not doing the turkey promotion this year. In the past, it has run for 7 or 8 weeks before Thanksgiving so that you would have the opportunity to earn a turkey point every week with a $35 minimum purchase. Well, it's 7 weeks before T Day and there's a big nothing going on.

I think Food Lion is doing one, but, their minimum purchase to get a point is $45, or so I've heard. I don't really like FL anyway. I guess I'll just have to get over not getting a free turkey this year. Don't you hate it when you get all worked up over the possibility of receiving something and then you don't get it? I'm trying to be a "grown up" about this, but, really, I wanted my turkey!

My "Free" Turkey Strategy

Bi-Lo, where I do the majority of my shopping, has a promo every fall for a free turkey for Thanksgiving. In the past, it has required $35 minimum purchases 7 times during the promo period. I'm hoping those details don't change this year.

Here's my strategy; I'm holding onto $112 in free Qs. I will use them $35 at a time to get a turkey "point." That's 3 points without spending anything except tax. I have to buy 2 large bags of cat food soon. Combine that with the balance of the free Qs, that's another point. I do actually have to pay for groceries every now and then, so, only 3 more $35 purchases and I will have a free turkey.

What does your store do during this holiday period? Are there any special promos for you? Would you spend $35 a week for 7 weeks to get a free turkey? Am I too hung up on the "free" part of this deal that I don't see the downside?

Oh, I heard a helpful hint lately. As you know, the directions on the turkey always say to roast the turkey breast side up. I was told to turn it over. The juices drip down into the breast and keep it nice and juicy. You know, usually by the time the rest of the turkey is done, the breast is all dried out. I'm going to try it next time I roast a turkey. Along the same line, when cooking a chicken in a crock pot, put it breast side down in the pot. Also, make 4 or 5 little aluminum balls, place in the bottom of the pot, and your chicken won't be mushy from cooking in the accumulated juices. I've tried that. Worked great.

A Smokin' Promotion

I am a member of a program in which they collect junk mail and email relating to auto, home, medical, and life insurance, in addition to solicitations to buy mutual funds, credit card offers, etc. You just forward your junk email to them or send your snail mail junk in one of their postage paid envies. You earn points for your submissions and can redeem your points for GC to such places as TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, and Chili's. I think CVS is also in the list.

Anyway, I can sign up 6 people to join in on the goodies. If you would like to join, please email me at vickiburtonlives@bigfoot.com and give me your name and email address.

I have been a member for over a year and have had no negative experiences with this company. They have not raided my bank account, or scammed my credit card, or any other bad thing you could think of. I have spoken to the coordinator on several occasions. They really exist in Chicago and I usually earn a $20 GC every month for the junk I send them.

September End-Of-Month Accounting

I spent a total of $87.64 for the month of September. That leaves me to spend for the next 3 months, $85 per month to make goal this year.

I have used $2,550 in coupons, store card savings, and non-purchased gift cards so far this year. My Q use is 73% of my grocery bill. I really hadn't expected to do that well this year. I remember being in the grocery store in January and a woman struck up a conversation with me when she saw my coupon binder. I told her that I wanted to hit 68% coupon use this year, but, that I wouldn't be too disappointed if it were a bit less than that.

I've mentioned the Eight O'Clock Accumul8 program here in the past. I just received an email to inform me that the program is ending on 12/31 and that a "new" program will be rolled out in 2010. They are no longer taking referrals, but, if you are an existing member, you can still enter codes through the end of the year and redeem for whatever is left in their catalog. I consider myself lucky that I had enough to get the $25 Visa GC earlier this year. When I redeemed for it, it cost 2,500 points. Now, a $25 check costs 3,500 points.

There was a recent Michael Angelo's promo; buy 4 single-serve, get 4 Qs in return. I jumped on that. I love the convenience of those entrees, especially when I'm tired or just not wanting to cook. They mistakenly sent me 2 sets of 4 Qs. What a lovely surprise!

I'm Really On Track This Month--Yea!

I'm a bit under $50 so far this month. I have been using a lot of the $1/2 Nabisco Qs for 4 oz. -big sizes. Rite Aid and CVS have had them on sale for .99 and $1 each. With the Qs, it breaks down to a lot less than buying a one pound size of crackers, ritz, oreos, etc.

I think I'll go to Target tomorrow or Sunday for a big bag of cat food. I have a $3.50 manufacturer's Q + I received a $2 Target Q for Purina Cat Chow when I was there yesterday to buy a bridal gift. I think the 14 lb. or 16 lb. bag is about $12.50 or thereabouts, so, with $5.50 off, I'll be doing quite well.

My favorite grocery store has a turkey promo every year, starting about 8 weeks before Thanksgiving (it's close, people!). With each $35 order, you get a turkey point and you need 7 to redeem for your free turkey. I've been hoarding my free Qs so that I can get a couple of turkey points without spending any money. After that, I guess I'll do a bit of stockpiling. How long can you keep a frozen turkey? I still have last year's!

I must confess that I have not adhered to the "3-a-day" rule for using stockpile. Today, though, I managed it. I'm in the midst of cooking a big meal; pork chops (Hormel, on a great sale), green beans (B2G1F), apples (BOGOF), and scallopped potatoes (Betty Crocker, free with a doubled Q). I think I have about $7.50 invested in it and it will feed me for 3-4 days. I've heard of a woman who has a website called "fivedollarmeals" or something like that. She feeds a family of 4 for no more than $5 a night. I'm not quite that good, but, I'm closing in on her. It really is harder to cook for one than it is to cook for 4. I know that I throw out some things because they've just been around too long.

I got a bit of a scare today. One of the "strays" that hangs out here was lying in the middle of the road, kind of twisted. I thought she'd been hit by a car. I walked closer to her and she didn't move. A car went by and she still didn't move. When I got to her, I was sure she was hurt. I gently picked her up and off she went! She apparently just likes the feel of asphalt! She's outside the front door right now and seems fine.

My dad is doing pretty well. The report he got from the doctor the other day was not too encouraging. His tumor is still inoperable. He is continuing on an oral chemo treatment every day. He's determined not to miss a home game of the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, a little more than 100 miles away. He has a friend going with him tomorrow, so, I get a day off.

Mid-Month, Looking Good

I'm at $43.76 for the month so far. My coupon use is hovering around 73% for the year. It's time for more cat food, so, the % will fall somewhat with those purchases. I had a really good day at Petsmart lately; I got about $30 worth of stuff for about $5.50. Used a lot of Qs, had a Petsmart Q for $3 off a $10 purchase. Someone sent me a few of the $3 for Purina One. Petsmart had the $7.99 bag on sale for $4.99, so, I really did well. If you could just see all those little faces looking up at me every morning when I go into the basement to feed them. It would just melt your heart. I guess I am the neighborhood patron saint of cats. I think that's a good thing.

I hate to admit it, but, I almost never really look at the Walgreens or CVS flyers anymore. I do flip through them, but, if nothing jumps out at me, I don't go. I think it's saving me a lot of money, though! I have 100 tubes of toothpaste and 50 bottles of shampoo and conditioner. What could I possibly buy?

Good Deal On Cat Food

A 3.5 lb. bag of Purina One is usually $7.99. Too rich for my blood. Right now, Petsmart has it on sale for $4.99 and I had 2 of the $3 Qs on it. Not the best deal, but, the weight circles are worth twice as much as regular Purina Cat Chow. I feel like I did pretty well. I also had various canned food Qs, mostly BOGOF, that I used at Petsmart, along with the $3 Q I got for my cat's birthday. All totalled, I got close to $30 worth of cat food for $8.00 and change. I have in reserve 3 of the $3.50 Purina coupons for later use. I checked the Purina Give-A-Bowl site and found that the coupon is no longer available. I'll be keeping my eyes open for another opportunity. If you are reading this and find another Purina IP deal, PLEASE let me know. I am currently feeding 10 cats a day. At least, I don't have to put them though college!

A Good Green Giant Deal @ Bi-Lo

I found this deal at Bi-Lo (regional chain, southeast), but, many times, other stores have the same deal going on at the same day. Anyway, here's the details:

9/11 through 10/4/09

Green Giant Boxed Veggies

Buy 3, get $1.00 catalina
Buy 4, get $2.00
Buy 5 OR MORE, get $3.00

If buying more than 5 at one time, it would be smart to do separate transactions to get the most bang for the buck.

I'm really bad about not remembering where I find IP coupons. I was able to print several yesterday; some are from coupons.com and some from Smart Source. There must have been 3 different outlets for it, now that I look at how many coupons I printed. Oh, value, .50/2.

Every so often, Bi-Lo has the GG boxed veggies $10/10. I'm crossing my fingers that they have it again before October 4.

I'd be interested in learning if other grocery chains are having the same deal. I would think that Green Giant would sponsor more than one chain at a time.

I've Got To Start Brushing My Teeth More Often

Since I'm not going to the flea market anymore this year, I have brought all my stuff home and trying to re-integrate it all back into the places where I used to have them. I think I have about 100 tubes of toothpaste. Maybe if I start brushing my teeth about 6 times a day, I can use it all before I die!

Yesterday, I received $30 in Chili's GC for some survey or another. Chili's just had a promo for the past 2 weeks where you would collect game pieces and you could scratch them off starting today. I ate at Chili's, took my dad a great meal from there, and with the coupon and GC, spent nothing. Oh, yeah! That's the way I like it. And, I made sure my dad had something tasty and nutritious for lunch.

About my dad; his weight is up a little bit. We saw the oncologist yesterday. The tumor has not shrunk any, but, it hasn't grown any, either. He is staying on the chemo by mouth. That crap costs $4,000 a month. He has Medicare Part D and it pays some. This year, he had to pay over $2,000 a month for 2 months before he got through the doughnut hole. It's about $250 a month for the rest of the year. Starting in January, though, it's going to be right back up there.

Oh, yeah, I was with my dad when I bought a bag of cat food today. He said, "Let me feed the cats this month." Wow! Saved about $14 right there. That was good of him to do it for me.

I (oops) Went Over This Month

I spent a total of $127.30 for the month. That's a bit over the $95 or so I had figured would be my limit for the month. For the year, I have spent $855.83 and coupons and such total of $2537.82. That makes the goal of $86 per month for the balance of the year. Not impossible.

I made a decision on the $25 rebate I recieved from Eight O'Clock coffee. I am not figuring that into my grocery spending. That's just income because I can use it any way I wish. That may not make a lot of sense, since I usually count grocery rebates into my grocery budget. Either way, I did O.K. this month. I'm expecting a bunch of Office Depot rebates in the next month or two. That will just go into income and not count towards my grocery spending.

Cats are going to need more feed in a couple of weeks. I'll see if I can scare up a few Qs towards that. I have enough Purina weight circles for another $6 check, but, I prefer to wait until I have enough for 2.

The flea market trial worked out pretty good. I went, I think, 7 Saturdays. I should have kept better records, but, I think I made about $450 total. I'm trying to integrate the leftovers back into my stockpile. What the heck do you do with 100 tubes of toothpaste?

Next Saturday is FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!! I will be going to Knoxville with my dad for the first game of the season. Should be a slam dunk, but, don't quote me on that!

I'll be in touch and try to find some great deals for you.

I'm Really Cruising This Month

Here it is the 23rd of the month and I have spent a total of $61 so far. I really feel in control of the situation, something I haven't felt in a while. I've sold more than $400 of my stockpile at the flea market. I finally had a good day yesterday selling tea. I think I told you I had about 85 boxes. I had 48 boxes of Tetley, the 24-ct. quart size bags. I'm down to 20 boxes. I wasn't selling much of it until yesterday. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to buy tea. Who knows how these things go. I guess next Saturday will be the last for the flea market. Football season starts the next Saturday. My dad never misses a home game and I will be going with him. I don't want him to go alone in his condition.

Speaking of my dad's condition, he is going back tomorrow for another scan to see the size and condition of the pancreatic tumor. We are hoping for a good report. He thinks he's cured; I'm afraid he's going to be terribly disappointed to find the tumor still there. It will all be O.K. He's got a really good attitude about the whole thing and has placed it all in God's hands. There's a 100% probably that we will all die sometime of something or another. Sometimes we just happen to know what we are going to die of and about when it will happen. Otherwise, we just try not to think about it, I guess.

I have no plans to go to the grocery in the next week. I can't think of a thing that I need or might need before the end of the month. Even if I do, I will still come in well below my projected average and I will still be on track to make goal this year.

If It Weren't For Cat Food, I Could Live On Almost No Money

I'm not really complaining about the cat food bill. I love all my little "critters" and will gladly feed them and all their little stray and feral friends. New kitten alert: a little calico has shown up at my house. When I open the door to let my indoor cats in or out, she shoots right between my legs into the house. And, no, she is not going to live in the house!

I spent a whopping $39 at the grocery yesterday, $30 of which was cat food. That's a total this month of $53 or so. I really believe that I am going to make my goal this year.

I think I may have mentioned that I noticed peanut butter has suddenly dropped from 18 oz. to 13 oz. for the same price. Have any of you noticed anything else lately that has dropped significantly in quantity while the price has stayed the same or increased? I haven't seen this one, but, I was told recently that the 5 lb. bag of sugar is now a 4 lb. bag at the same price. That is a huge increase in price per pound. I'm so glad I have about 40 lbs. stockpiled. I usually do more baking around the holidays, and, check your calendar, Thanksgiving is looming on the horizon.

Wow! I'm Doin' Great!

Here it is the 11th day of the month, a third of the way through, and I have only spent $14.10. I bought some cat food using a free CVS GC. I also bought several packages of cokes with the free CVS GC. Just to let you know that I'm not always so good, I have to admit that I spent some of my free Rite Aid GC on stuff I probably could do without; photo print paper. It was 75% off and the manager made a point to show it to me, so, what could I do, I just bought it. Bad me.

I've mentioned that I've taken quite a bit of my stockpile stuff to the flea market for the past month or so. I can actually see some sunlight through my stockpile and I've made about $400 or so in 5 weeks. It's really helped me to feel more in control of my circumstances (when you're being run out of the house by shampoo and body wash, look out!) and, surprisingly, with less stuff, I've been able to make better meals. I guess just getting rid of much of the clutter has been helpful in seeing what I have that goes together for a meal.

I have once again unleashed the "eternal taco". You know the routine; some ground beef makes a few tacos, so, you make more ground beef to finish off the tacos, you have ground beef left over, so, you open another box of tacos, and the story goes on. I shouldn't make it sound so bad. I really like them and can stand to have them every day or every other day for a while. You're going to laugh at me, but, last night, I made tacos and some Uncle Ben's Spanish rice in the microwave package. Served up my tacos, got full, went back into the kitchen, and there was my Spanish rice, untouched! What a doofus I am. I put it in the fridge. I'll just have to remember to warm it for the next round of tacos.

Has anyone noticed in the past 2-3 weeks that the size of the peanut butter jar has been reduced? It was 18 oz. and now, for the SAME PRICE, is only 13 oz. My math skills are a little rusty, but, that's about a 30% increase in price due to the reduction of the package contents. Of course, it's been years since you could buy a "pound" of coffee. I'll bet most of you still refer to it as a "pound," when it's only 8-12 oz. Thankfully, I have about a year's worth of coffee in the stockpile. That's one thing I refuse to take to the flea market. It's something I use every day and the price sure isn't going to come down anytime soon. I'm also hoarding sugar. I got mine at a great price and I'm not parting with it. As you may know, southerners drink "sweet tea," which is iced tea made almost into a syrup by the amount of sugar we put in it. Before going to the flea market, I had about 85 boxes of tea, the quart sized bags. I think I'm down to about 60. I think that is something I can sell and not miss it. What the heck, I can drink cokes and get the sugar I crave!

Summer is in full bloom, but, that does not keep me from looking toward fall and winter. I have an ample supply of canned soup for the colder weather. I also found a hefty supply of canned chili when poking around in the stockpile a few days ago.

The freezer is full and the pantry is stocked. I'm in good shape for a long time.

How Do I Handle This "Rebate?"

I learned of the Eight O'Clock Accumul8 program last year. When you join, you save your coffee bags and enter the product information on the website and earn points. I finally drank enough coffee to earn a $25 Visa GC. Now, usually, when I have a store-specific GC, I count that as coupons used when I redeem. Also, when I receive a rebate from a MIR item, I deduct that amount from what I have spent on groceries for a "net spend" amount.

This $25 GC can be used anywhere, not just on groceries, but, a 1/2 a tank of gas, maybe! Should I count this as income in my overall budget or should I subtract that amount from the amount of grocery money spent, since it did actually come from a grocery item, and is something like a rebate?

Does anyone have any thoughts on how I should count this $25? I'm probably going to buy 2 large bags of cat food with it, so, maybe how I spend it matters in relation to how I count it.

Another Great Month

I can hardly believe how well I've done for the past two months. July's total out-of-pocket grocery spending is only $49.09. For the year, I've spent $728.53 and coupon use is an amazing $2197.79. That means I can average $94 per month for the balance of the year and still come in under budget. I bought during July, as I recall, 30 lbs. of cat food. It's about time for more and I don't have any really good Qs for it, so, August will be a higher overall total, I'm afraid.

I scored another $25 CVS GC this week with the purchase of a prescription. I've also scored several restaurant GC from various internet survey sites. Even though I don't include my restaurant meals in my grocery budget, I still want to keep that as low as possible.

My dad's really getting into this flea market thing. He takes me every Saturday; he sells tomatoes, I sell my stockpile items. He's made this our "father-daughter bonding" activity. I'm glad he enjoys it so much, but, getting up at 3:30 every Saturday morning is a bummer!

I Think I've Got This Thing Figured Out

I've spent $49 for groceries this month and that includes buying a lot of cat food twice. I'm really proud of myself for keeping spending so low. I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this!

Oh, goood news. Got my refrigerator repaired; $30. Talk about a bargain! My handy-man guy does not charge what he is really worth. He's a diamond in the rough.

My dad is doing pretty well. He has 7 more radiation treatments, then, the doctors will pow-wow and decide what to do next, if anything. He's weak, but, keeps putting one foot in front of the other. He just won't give up.

I don't anticipate spending any more for groceries this month. I think the $49 is going to be the total for July. Yea, me!

Wow! I'm Cookin' This Month!

It's the 26th of the month and I have only spent $42.71. That was mostly cat food on two occasions. My secret? I've been ignoring the Walgreens and CVS deals. You wouldn't believe how much they suck out of me when I think I'm getting a "deal."

I received another $25 GC at CVS for a prescription filled. I think I have about $90 in GC right now for CVS.

I've been selling some of my stockpile at the flea market for the past 3 weeks. I've made about $265 on things that I only spent a few cents for. American Express will see an extra payment this month! Really, I needed to do something. One hundred bottles of body wash is just excessive, even for an avid couponer. I have found that Tabasco sauce and meat marinades go pretty fast. The slowest mover? Toothpaste. I don't get that.

Oh, this is funny. A woman who had been to my area of the flea market and bought some things came back and asked for toothpaste and a toothbrush. I had just sold all my brushes. She said her husband was trying to clean some old belt buckles. So, I sold her a tube of paste and a Scotch-Brite cleaning pad, the same thing as a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It's just funny what sells and what doesn't.

My dad takes his tomatoes to the flea market. Last week, he sold $95 worth in about 4 hours. Now, that is amazing! People (a lot of repeat customers) were actually lined up to get tomatoes from his table. One woman asked for his address and phone number so she could come midweek and buy tomatoes from him at his house!

Only five days left in the month. I may spend another $10 or so at the grocery. That's going to really turbo-charge my savings. It looks like I'm going to make goal this year even after a rocky start.

I'm Right On Schedule

I've purchased cat food twice this month, among other things. I'm still a bit under $40 and the month is 2/3 over. I feel really good about my progress.

I was dismayed earlier in the month to find that Purina Cat Chow had been downsized from 16 lb. to 14 lb. The price seems to have gone up, too. I was in Target this morning and found the "old" cat chow in 16 lb. bags. The price was much better than I had been paying lately, too.

I think I've been able to keep costs lower than normal for the past 2 months because I am ignoring the Walgreens and CVS deals. I'm going to have to go to CVS in a day or two to use some expiring ECBs. Oddly enough, I can't think of anything to buy! They have some "back-to-school" items that are FAR, but, I don't have any children in the household and I've got boxes of pens and pencils! Listen to me; I'm complaining that I've got too much of things! That's upside down.

A Little Luck At The Flea Market

I went with my dad to the flea market this weekend. He sells tomatoes from his garden. I was trying to unload my excess stockpile. I made $144. It was mostly things that I only paid .25 or less for. We are planning to go again next weekend. It's a good thing I made so much money; my new hard drive cost $182! I'm back in business, though, and the computer is working great. I'm just disappointed that I lost all of my documents. It's nothing I can't live without, but, it leaves me "adrift," if you know what I mean. I keep track of all expenses and income. That's all gone.

I'm going to have to break down and go to the grocery tomorrow. I'm out of coffee cream, nothing to make a sandwich with, a few other things. I'm only at about $12 this month, so, it's looking good. Keep me on track, people! I want to make goal this year.

Computer Crash! AAAGGGGHHH!!!

Thankfully, I posted my year-to-date totals on June 30. The next day, my laptop hard drive crashed and I lost all data. I am trying to re-create some of my spreadsheet, but, all I have to go on is that I had spent a net out-of-pocket of $679.44 through June 30 and my coupon, store cards, and store-specific GC total was $2135.65. I'll pick up from there. I don't know how much I had received in rebates, but, I had adjusted my net oop to reflect those numbers.

When I picked up my laptop, I asked the tech about how long to expect a laptop hard drive to last. He said about 3 years. I came home and happened to run across the date that I purchased this computer. The hard drive lasted 3 years and 29 days. I guess he's right!

Most of you who are reading this are members of HCW. I had a spreadsheet for all my trades with everyone's name and address and what was traded. That's all gone. I've got to start all over with that.

You know, I have become much more dependent on computers than I ever realized. Losing all this data has really left me in the dark in many areas. I kept track of how much I spent on gas and figured the mileage for each tank of gas. I guess that's not such a big loss, but, it just gives you an idea of what kinds of things we depend on and how it can all go away in one puff of wind.

Well, onward we go. I have only bought cat food this month, so, I'm at about $10 so far. I have a stack of receipts from the time my computer died. I may find one or two more receipts that I've forgotten, but, it won't be much.

I never thought I would need to back up my information. Hah! What a lesson I learned!

Update

I just returned home from vacation yesterday after spending 10 days in New England. I think I may have told you that I was attending a sweepstakes convention. Well, I won some stuff; a Garmin GPS, an HP photo printer, 120 stamps, and address book. They also gave away to everyoe a $30 board game similar to Monopoly, but, with a New England slant to it, water bottle, COUPONS for free popcorn (you just never know where those Qs will turn up!), a very nice tote bag, some free razors and men's body wash. The convention was a blast. Met a lot of very nice people. Met a man who, with his wife, have won 12 cars over the years. One couple had won more than 60 trips. Man, I'm really bush league compared to those folks!

I haven't spent any money on groceries so far this month. I will have to pick up a few things today or tomorrow. Before I left for vacation, I had to throw out some bread and dairy products. Well, I didn't exactly "throw away" the dairy. The cats got a big bowl of milk! I didn't want to come home to a stinky refrigerator.

I used free GC for 5 of my meals while I was on vacation. Also, because of my status with Hilton, my $10.85 breakfast was comp'd every day for 7 days while at the convention. We had several meals included with our convention fee. I really spent very little money for this trip except my rental car.

I met an "internet friend" while in Boston. I met her on a travel-related forum. She took me on a walking tour of Boston. She took me to Quincy Market where there were so many food vendors that you can't decide where to eat. I had some authentic clam chowder. Delicious! She invited me to her home for dinner. She and her family couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. This was really a big step to actually set up a "meet" with someone you only know in cyberspace.

Anyway, back to reality and the normal day-to-day routine. I'm going to really buckle down and try harder to make goal this month. Cat food is necessary, but, not much else.

Totals For June

Woo-hoo! Gross amount spent, $63.17, less rebates received of $18.23 for a net oop of $44.94. Year-to-date totals: net oop, $679.44 and $2135.65 in Qs, free GC, store card discounts. That represents 77% of my total grocery bill being paid with Qs.

I have $520.56 left for the year. That's about $87 a month from here to the end of the year. I think I can do that.

On an unrelated note, I want to catch you up on my dad's progress with his pancreatic cancer. He's probably finished with his chemo treatments. He is now beginning 5 weeks of radiation, 5X a week. He has gained nearly 20 lbs. from his lowest and sickest point. He's mowing the yard and working in his garden. Certainly, he isn't working as hard or as much as before, but, he feels that he is being productive and refuses to give up.

Anyone Want To Horse-Whip Me?

I'm in Boston on vacation. Thought I would use one of my MCR free 12-pack coke product Qs. I was informed at the local Shaw's that it is probably a fraudulent coupon and would not be accepted. I know where I got it. It came straight from MCR. I know it's good. To save face, though, I went ahead and bought a 12-pack at full retail price of $5!!! As you can tell, it killed my budget and my % of savings. I also bought a sandwich from the deli, so, I didn't have to go out to dinner last night. I'm having dinner at a friend's house tonight, so, no worries there. I'll be traveling on to Manchester, NH, tomorrow where I hear there is no sales tax. Woo-hoo! Too bad I'm flying and can't carry a load of groceries home with me or I'd go coupon crazy.

The United States is so vast, that you can go just a few states away and see things you never would have dreamed of in your own back yard. I have to admit that this is only my 2nd trip north of the Mason-Dixon line, once about 20 years ago on business. I was expecting summer to have arrived and brought summer clothes. Mistake. It's hardly warmer here than what I experience in winter at home. I always tend to overpack, so, I've got a lot of shorts and tee shirts that I won't be wearing while I'm up here. So, live and learn.

Update--How The Month Is Going

I strayed a bit from the program today. I was able to get a couple of Hormel refrigerated entrees for $2.99 ea. They are on sale this week @ $4.99 and I was able to print a couple of $2 Qs from their website. Still, I've only spent about $20 this month and it's already the 23rd of the month! I've even been able to get 20 lbs. of cat food and still haven't spent much money. This is definitely a good thing, considering how far overboard I went a couple of months earlier this year.

I was at my favorite CVS this morning. I told the manager that I would be on vacation for 10 days. He said, "I'll have to lay off an employee due to the reduction in sales if you're gone for 10 days!" I bought 2 of the Thermacare, used 2 $1 Qs and a $3 ECB, got $4.98 ECB back. I'm not as good at rolling ECBs as some people. I'm trying, but, there's a lot of things that are free after ECB that I just don't care about buying. It really has to have value to me for me to do that.

It's a little early in the month, but, I cleared out all June expiring Qs from my binder today. I don't anticipate anyone wanting a nearly expired Q in trade this week. I hate seeing all those beautiful Qs going out in the trash, but, the upside is that I can now zip my binder all the way around!

I'm Cookin'!

I have spent $21.74 and received $18.23 in rebates for a total oop of $3.51 so far this month!! Whoopie! This is what I call success. I'm eating better. I made dinner last night, ate it for lunch today, and then made dinner (early) tonight. Some good news; I've gained 6 pounds since I saw my gastro doc 6 weeks ago. Saw her on Monday and she was pleased with my gain.

I may break down and buy an item or two tomorrow. I'm completely out of bread. Yeah, I know, I could make some, but, sometimes I'm just lazy and want to do it the easy way. The downside of that, though, is that I hate to make a trip to the grocery just for bread. I almost feel like I have to buy something else while I'm there. I'll try to stay on the straight and narrow. I think I can do it.

I've got enough cat food for at least another month. I joined the Purina Pro Club a while back. Since I feed 5 or more cats on a regular basis, I was eligible. I just sent in my weight circles for which I will receive (2) $6 checks on any Purina 14 lb. bag or more. That's really going to help.

I don't know how things are where you are, but, it's already hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement here. It's not even summer yet (well, O.K., for another day or two)!

Thanks for cheering me on and hanging tough with me. I'm really trying to make goal. I don't want you to be disappointed in me.

I Scored $50 Today

I received a $25 CVS GC for filling a prescription today. I also had enough points in my Accumul8 account to redeem for a $25 Visa GC. I really needed that boost since my medicine was $67! It was only $33 last month, doubled this month, and the pharmacist warned me that it is going to more than double for next month. It's not something I can do without, either.

I was able to get 20 lbs. of cat food yesterday for a total of $6.10. Unless I am able to get some more high-value coupons in the near future, that cheap cat food is history.

For those of you who do not frequent Target, I am happy to report that, at least at the store closest to me, they are giving a nickel back for each of your own bags that you use. Some grocery stores have been doing this for quite some time. I don't know if it is system-wide or for a limited time, but, for the last 3 visits I've made here, I have received bag credit. I hope that this is a growing trend with other types of stores. Wouldn't we all make money using our own bags at CVS and Walgreens if they implemented this program!

I learned from the manager at Bed Bath & Beyond today that while they are still accepting expired coupons, they are going to end that practice soon. When pressed, she said she didn't know just when that would happen. So, use up those good coupons while you can.

I Am Really On Track This Month

I'm really psyched this month. I have spent about $15 for groceries so far, but, have received more than $18 in rebates, so, I am way ahead of the game right now. There's still a 1/2 a month to go, but, the only thing of substance I see in the future is more cat food.

I'm going to take a lot of HBA to the flea market next month. I'll let you know how well I do. I just need to get my non-food stockpile under control. The only food item I'm taking is Kraft BBQ sauce. As you recall, I bought 22 bottles for about .09 ea. If I can sell them for .50-.75 each, I will have really made out well on that deal.

I really made out well a couple of days ago at CVS. They had Coke 12-pack cans for 4/$13. I had 4 free coupons, so, all I paid was $1.01 in tax. Didn't really "pay" that; I used a free GC for that part. Then, I received a $3 ECB for my purchase. The manager and I were talking about my free coupons and he asked where I got them. We discussed the MyCokeRewards program briefly. He told me that his house goes through 4 packs a week and they don't save their codes. I said, "You just stabbed my heart with an ice pick!" I can't believe people just throw away money.

I just redeemed some MyPoints for a $25 Olive Garden GC. All you have to do over at MyPoints is click on the emails they send you. I think I may have purchased something through their portal some time ago. I don't shop a lot online. Heck, I barely shop anywhere! It takes a while, but, eventually you collect enough points for a GC of some kind. It takes practically no effort and it really pays off.

Oh, How Great Are Rebates!

So far this month, I have received about $18 in rebates and have only spent a bit under $8, so, I'm cooking! There's something about success that begats more success. I'm thinking I may be able to stay within my self-imposed budget this month. I am going on vacation at the end of the month through the first week of July. I intend to buy groceries on the trip as I will have a micro and fridge in my hotel room. I have several free coke coupons, so, I won't go thirsty on this trip.

I am really looking forward to this vacation, even though it doesn't include a beach and sand (my favorites). I will be attending a sweepstakes convention. I have not been able to enter as many sweeps as usual, but, I win some pretty good stuff from time to time. I have no idea what to expect at this convention, but, it's going to be fun to find out. And just maybe I will win something there!

I'm Hanging In There

Well, it's the 10th day of the month and I have spent $6 on groceries. Some of it was for the Dial trial size body wash with Qs, like I really needed more trial size stuff of anything!

I gave my dad 4 boxes of OR popcorn today. Does that count towards my "3-a-day" rule? I surely hope so, because several days ago, I used 8 items from stockpile and made dinner to last for 5 nights. No fear. I ate all of it. Didn't throw anything out. Still, it messes up my "3-a-day" plan.

In summer, my dad takes his garden produce to a flea market about 20 miles out of town. He says you have to get there an hour before daylight just to get a place to set up. I had mentioned to him that when he goes with his tomatoes, I might tag along and see if I could sell some body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, you know, all the stockpile stuff. I think we are going to try to do that on July 11. I'll let you know how it turns out. Ya'll know what it means, though. I'll have a couple hundred in my pocket seeking the next great deals!

I'm Using! I'm Using!

I prepared a huge meal yesterday and used eight stockpile items. Of course, it made enough to last for four days, so, I guess I won't be using so much out of stockpile for the next few days. Double bonus; everything turned out really well. I have to admit that my cooking is hit or miss. Sometimes I can turn out something fantastic, sometimes the cats get a special meal.

I had $5 in OYNO at Bi-Lo that I had to use yesterday. The only thing I really needed was half-and-half, so, I browsed the produce section to spend the rest. I told you about the great deal I got on mushrooms, so, I thought, a saute of bell pepper, Vidalia onion, and mushrooms. Bought what I needed for that and picked up a few bananas. Now, I was sure that I had $5.05 worth (needed to spend that extra nickel since I'd get it for bag credit). I checked out at the self-checkout (I really hate those, but, the lines were long elsewhere) and found that I hadn't come as close to $5.05 as I had thought. I needed to throw something else in there and quick. There were some candy bars right next to the counter (of course, don't they always?) and I grabbed a bag of M&Ms. Scanned those, they were 1/2 price, still needed another one to get over the top. Now, I'm not crazy about spending my money on candy when I could have bought something a bit more substantial, but, there it is. That's how I went about spending my free coupons. I ended up spending .72, most of which was tax.

I think I'll drop the M&M bags into the bottomless pit I call a pocketbook. Sometime when I least expect it, I'll come across a bag as I dig for my wallet or lipstick and have a treat!

Good News

Good news--Harry came back home. I don't know where she's been hiding out for the past few days, but, she looks none the worse from her adventure. She's clean and well-groomed which indicates that she hasn't been sick, or at least, any sicker than her usual condition.

This Is Why We Have Stockpiles

I have an 85-year-old neighbor with whom I have tried to befriend, only for him to think I had romantic intentions. I have had to keep him at arm's length for quite a while. Well, today he came over to tell me that a "lady friend" had stolen his checkbook and forged over $1,200 in checks. Well, he said that he only had $1.20 and put that much gas in the car to get back home. He said he had a handful of oyster crackers at home and nothing else. Well, even though he's acted inappropriately with me in the past, you know what I did. I jumped into action and bagged up about $75 worth of groceries. He said he would replace everything and I told him that I did not want him to do that, that I save a bundle using coupons, and he could never buy it as cheaply as I had done.

Look, I'm not bragging on myself. You all know that what I did is the real reason we all have such tremendous stockpiles, or are working on getting one. We don't necessarily just help people we like; we help people who need help.

For everyone who has ever taught me a couponing trick, an insider view, or done anything to enhance my couponing abilities, I say, "thank you." You are the reason that I was able to rise to the occasion today.


Oh, yeah. Got an $8 rebate today. Good thing. I said that I wanted to make it a week before I went to the store. I was out of town last night and on the way home, passed by the Monterrey Mushroom facility. Well, I didn't pass it by. I pulled in and bought a 3 lb. bag of mushrooms for $4. I NEVER buy mushrooms in the store because I know that soon, I will be able to go to the mushroom farm and buy a giant bag for only $4. You just pull up to the guardshack and the guard brings them to your car. Oh, man, you know it's out in the country to get service like that!

What Is It About A New Month, Or A New Year, That Makes Us Think We Can Do Great Things?

It's a new month and I'm pumped up about the grocery game. I checked the freezer today; there's a half-dozen Hormel entrees which make 3 meals each for me, I have about a week's worth of spaghetti sauce, and miscellaneous other things, like French fries and fried shrimp. There's ice cream, but, I don't really eat it too much. If I don't eat it soon, I fear it will fall victim to freezer burn and have to be thrown out. Well, not exactly thrown out. I'll put it in a dish and put outside for the cats. Hey! At least something (somebody?) will get the benefit of it. I have an ample supply of side dishes to prepare to go along with the Hormel entrees. I have some of those divided, microwavable plates. When I prepare a Hormel and some sides, I put the balance of it in the plates and then on nights when I just don't want to prepare anything, there it is, just waiting on me. O.K. You all know me pretty well. Most every night is a night I don't want to prepare a meal! I do fine if I prepare a full meal in the middle of the day, I just run out of energy by suppertime.

I seem to be missing a cat. There are so many around the house that it took me a few days to realize that Harry is missing. She is kind of sick, born with something that makes her eyes water and nose run. I treated her with meds for over a year and it didn't make a lick of difference for her. I rescued her when she was about 3 weeks old. I found her crying on a busy highway. I started crying and scooped her up and took her home. I think maybe her momma got run over near where I found her. She was so young, I really didn't think she'd survive, but, I just kept giving her evaporated milk with a little food soaked in it and she thrived. All my cats are rescue cats. My vet says that people don't pick cats; cats pick people. I wish I weren't so popular!

I'd really like to make it a week before I spend any grocery money. That will really give me momentum to make it through the month. I promise I'm going to do better than last month.