Totals Through January

Well, I was looking at my numbers and while I spent more than I'd planned, I did buy 100 lbs. of cat food this month. I believe I have enough to get me completely through February without buying more.

I spent $172.95-$29.81 in rebates=$143.14. I used $230.83 in Qs, store cards, and store-specific GC. That's about a 62% use of Qs. Not bad. That's about $400 worth of goods coming in for $143. I'm not going to pat myself on the back too much, though; I know there are many of you out there who do better than that on a regular basis.

You know, I think couponing is good for the brain. It requires mental dexterity and on-the-spot math skills. Maybe I'm warding off dementia by using my brain power this way!

Another Complete Meal From Stockpile

As I mentioned earlier, I'm trying to gain a bit of weight. My doctor wants me to gain 10 pounds. I'm not sure I can, but, I'm working on it. To that end, I've decided that if I am going to have a substantial meal, I'm going to have to prepare it in the middle of the day. By dinnertime, I'm just too tired or don't care about cooking and eating.

I was rambling through the refrigerator and stockpile yesterday to see what looked like a good meal. I had some leftover cornbread in the fridge from something I'd made last week. I thought about making some chicken cornbread dressing; however, my last 2 attempts failed miserably. I called my aunt for help. Since my grandmother died, my aunt has become the de facto matriarch of the family. She helped me out with the details of the dressing and I found that I had absolutely everything on hand to make it. With that, I opened a couple of cans of veggies to go with it. To my complete surprise, the chicken cornbread dressing turned out almost exactly right! One tip she gave me that probably saved the day; if your dressing mix is too thin, add some instant mashed potatoes to absorb the extra liquid. I had to resort to that and used the remainder of the chicken broth and instant potatoes to make some mashed potatoes to go with the meal. Everything I used yesterday was obtained at little cost; the canned chicken was a weekly special + double Qs. The canned veggies and chicken broth, also weekly specials with Qs, and the instant mashed potatoes free with double Qs. The upside, or downside, I'm not sure! is that I will be eating this for a few days. I suppose the upside is that I don't have to prepare anything or think about putting a meal together, the downside being that I'm going to have the same thing for a few days. Either way, it was a very inexpensive meal and substantial enough to at least maintain my weight. I think when I warm some for supper tonight, I'm going to add some cranberry sauce. I found that at Walgreens for .42 ea. right after Christmas. I guess no one buys it except at the holidays. It was in their Christmas clearance items.

Oh, that reminds me; at 2 different Walgreens I found a bottle of Karo Syrup for a dime in the Christmas clearance bin. Since when is that a seasonal item?

I've Promised To Be Honest With You

I would like to hide some of my purchases when I go over limit, but, I've got to be completely honest with you. Food Lion had Purina Cat Chow BOGOF this week. I couldn't pass up a deal like that. I believe I have enough cat food now that I will not have to buy any in February. Also, I bought some things, not necessarily necessities, but, things I would eat in the near future. I spent a total of $43.12 today and used $27.51 in Qs and bonus card savings. I don't have the exact figures at hand right now, but, I've spent about $125 this month, but, I have logged in over $200 in Qs and bonus card savings. I believe I can "make up" the overspending next month if I don't have to buy any cat food. I am going to get a $2.49 rebate from some of the things I bought today. I know, that's not really a drop in the bucket, but, I find a bit of comfort in that.

The homemade veggie beef soup went over well at my parents' house. I also got around to baking that carrot cake I've been meaning to do for a while. I ate one slice. It's really all I wanted. My parents got the rest of it. My dad went at it backwards; he ate the cake first, then finding he was still hungry, tried some of the soup. I guess that old saying has some merit; "life is short, eat dessert first."

I don't know about the rest of the country, but, fresh produce is going through the roof here. I bought 3 bananas for .74; eek! .25 per piece. I bought one baking potato, medium sized, and it was $1.36 for ONE POTATO! For the price of two baking potatoes, I could get a bag of potato chips. Wouldn't be as good for me, but, that's the comparison I made.

I admit I bought canned pinto beans rather than a much less expensive bag of beans to cook myself. The reason is that my bean cooking skills are not that great. I can turn out a great pot of beans one day and completely flop the next. I also had some high-value Qs for the canned beans and I'm just guessing that by the time I bought a bag of beans and the ham hock to cook in it, I would come out about even.

I'll be eating veggie soup for the next couple of days, at least. I know it's not polite to pat myself on the back, but, it really is good.

You know a while back when I mentioned that I thought I had about 20 boxes of Kraft mac & cheese? Well, I must have used a lot more than I thought because I only have one left. I do have several boxes of elbow macaroni and a loaf of Velveeta, so, I'm still in good shape for mac/cheese. I like to have that when I make an all veggie meal. It's filling and looks pretty good next to something green. Gotta color coordinate those veggies!

Just An Update

Considering my yearly budget for groceries, I will be spending approximately $100 per month; sometimes less, sometimes more. Here's how I've done for the first 20 days of the month.

Groceries $114.39, less $29.81 in rebates=net spending of $84.58. I have used $183.40 in Qs.

I found a recipe for vegetable beef soup somewhere recently. It caught my attention because I had all ingredients on hand. I made it today. The recipe says it makes 4 servings. It made about 18 servings. I have bowls and bowls of leftovers. I'm going to have to eat it twice a day for a week to get rid of it. I'd freeze it except I'm a bit overloaded in the freezer with Michael Angelo's single serve entrees and Green Giant boxed vegetables. I guess I could take a large bowl to my parents' house. They'll eat anything. My dad eats everything I put before him and never criticizes my cooking. He always says it's delicious. He's a great liar! Maybe I'll get around to making that carrot cake I've been thinking about lately. That would do well. I could take soup and dessert. I'll keep a slice or two of the carrot cake, but, I really don't eat things like that too much. I like baking, I just don't eat that kind of thing. Perhaps I should find another hobby!

I'm still holding about $18 in Rite Aid GC and a $4 CVS ECB. I have about $50 worth of free grocery Qs. I'm waiting to see if there's going to be a rebate on the items I can get free. I don't want to "waste" them. I would prefer to get a double play out of it.

What's the best deal you've found lately? I think the Michael Angelo's rebate this month is about the best thing I've found. There's been BOGOF printables plus a rebate for 6 single serve entrees when you host a lunch with your friends. A great deal all around since I love those things anyway. I've found out from having some leftovers that my cats will eat lasagna noodles. They don't just lick the meat sauce off; they eat tomato sauce, noodles, everything. They clean out the dish and keep looking for more. Smart cats. I'd eat other food, too, if all I got was that crunchy Chef's Blend every day.

I Did Very Well Today At The Grocery

I spent about $10 today, used more than $44 in Qs, and will be able to send off for $26.00 in cash rebates. At least it was all people food. The cats are in good shape for a while. So far this month, including all the cat food, I have only spent about $55 in groceries. I have used over $150 in Qs. That amount includes some GC that are store specific. I count that as Qs as they cannot be used anywhere else.

Oh, yeah. The rice pudding recipe from the Leftover Wizard. Big flop. The cats won't even eat it. My cooking is really hit or miss. That's why I rely on frozen single serve entrees so much. You recall that I was out of town for a couple of days. I had room service one night and they served a gigantic salmon fillet. I brought the rest of it home with me and served it today with a couple of veggies. Free fish, veggies with Qs, very inexpensive for a delightful lunch.

I have about $60 in rebates just waiting for them to arrive. I will be using that for groceries. I am always on the lookout for a good rebate offer. I'm not doing so many of the FAR at Walgreens and CVS since that is mostly non-food items and I'm trying really hard to not bring any HBA or stuff like that into the house.

I will be able to pick up a $25 Walgreens GC in a couple of weeks when I transfer a prescription. What a racket! Coupons abound for transferring meds around town. Next stop, Rite Aid.

Big Oven's Leftover Wizard

I'm afraid I do not have the URL for this, but, googling will get you there. I made a stir-fry a few nights ago and had some rice left over. I usually throw it away, but, this time I didn't. I was determined to find a way to use it. I used the Leftover Wizard to find a rice pudding using already cooked, leftover rice. Since I have a stocked pantry, I had everything I needed for the recipe. It called for 2 cups of milk and I was out of that, but, I used a can of evaporated milk that I had on hand. I just took it out of the oven a bit ago, and it says to serve at room temperature, so, I'm going to stick it in the fridge and bring it out tomorrow to use. I would think with milk and eggs in it, it won't last if I leave it out until then.

It's dreadfully cold here tonight. I think it's supposed to be 7 degrees F by morning. I leave a window open in the basement for the cats to get in and out. I know it will be much better for my house and my pipes if I close that window, but, I can't shut them out. I'll just have to grin and bear it so that they will have a relatively warm place to ride out this cold spell. The water heater is down there and I suppose a couple of them could sit on it and keep their little tail feathers warm!

I found a recipe for ground beef vegetable soup from the Everyday Cheapskate. Instead of chunks of meat, you brown ground beef and continue with vegetable soup from there. I looked over the recipe today and it looks like I have everything on hand for it, even down to a couple of stalks of celery. There's something comforting in a dish like this, especially in very cold weather. I guess I will make it tomorrow. Oh, yeah, besides the ground beef and frozen veggies, it requires elbow macaroni. A week or two ago, my store had a special in which I bought 2 jars of Ragu (with a Q, of course) and received a 1 lb. box of elbow macaroni. Great timing!

Colgate Palmolive Deal And Some Unnecessary Shopping

Jenise, I couldn't figure out how to post a comment (I couldn't get my username and password to work), but, I know you are following my blog, so here's the answer to your question.

At HCW, there is a thread called "Smokin' Promotions." I found the Colgate Palmolive tote bag offer there. You can download the official form from the link found there.

I must confess to a bit of unnecessary shopping yesterday. As you probably know, Walgreens has Windex products BOGOF this week. There is a rebate for Windex. I used 2 Qs for the Windex. Does that qualify as a triple play or a home run? Anyway, I may very well do it again today. I redeemed Qs for 4 free bags of cat food yesterday, so, I spent a bit on tax. I will receive a cash rebate of $3.79 for the Windex and I don't think I spent that much in total yesterday.

On a side note, I traded something that I didn't need to someone for a $20 Chevron GC. I think I came out on the good end of that trade! It's not enough for me to save a ton on groceries; I've got an itch to save in restaurants, at the pump, at the office supply store, just everywhere.

Speaking of office supplies, I had to have a color ink cartridge refilled in a hurry yesterday. I had it done at Walgreens because they give one-hour service. Although I had to spend $16.39 for it, I found a $5 rebate in the Wags Easy Saver. I feel better about the price now. I will tell you a joke on myself. I really needed that color cartridge because the one I recently had refilled would not work. My computer refused to acknowledge it. Later, I realized why; I hadn't pulled the tape off of the contact piece! Ha-ha on me. Was my face red! At least, I didn't get so exasperated with it that I threw it away! That was going to be my next move.

I'm Such A Sucker For Anything That Says, "FREE"

There's a current offer from Colgate Palmolive in which you purchase $15 or more from their list of products, send in the proof of purchase, and receive a tote bag w/ $25 worth of product and high value Qs. I know I said I wasn't going to bring any HBA or cleaning products in the house for years, but, yep, you guessed it, I fell for this promo. In my defense, let me say that I had a sufficient amount of money on my Rite Aid GC to pay for all of it, so, I didn't spend any money on groceries. The bad news, of course, is that I spent all of my RA GC. They also had Christmas stuff @ 90% off. There were some toys for 50% off that are just the right age level for my 3 great-nieces.

I guess I'm just going to have to stop going into any stores for any reason. I can't seem to control myself. On the plus side, I'm going to get a nice tote bag in the mail!

I Really Blew It Yesterday

Since I am a penny-pincher when buying groceries, you would assume, and you'd be right, that I am frugal in other ways, as well. One thing that I do is collect frequent flyer and hotel points to use for free, or nearly free, vacations. I was able to fly my aunt with me to Hawai'i in 2007, staying for a full week on Waikiki Beach in a beautiful resort, for zero money. Oh, excuse me, I had to pay a $10 tax on each free air ticket. We even received free breakfast every day at the hotel. I have a big trip coming up this summer. I will be on vacation for 10 days and I have "paid" for 9 of those 10 nights with points, as well as the airline ticket. I will have to pay for a rental car, but, I have a discount on that.

I tell you this to lead into the "thing" I did yesterday. I found on the internet that I could order a case of Fijiwater for 40% off, delivered to my door, no delivery charge, no tax, and, here's the kicker, I would receive 2,500 Delta SkyMiles. That was the deal closer. I couldn't get my credit card out fast enough for that offer! It is a subscription for home delivery, but, I can cancel the subscription after the first delivery and I will still receive the Delta SkyMiles.

My only defense for falling for this offer is that I'm a points junkie. I don't think there's a 12-step program for that, either.

The Fine Print Got Me

I had some Bi-Lo Qs for a $20 GC when you transfer a prescription. The coupon says, in part, "limit of one prescription, per person, per day, per visit." Now, that sounds to me like I can do one a day for as many transfers as I may have. Not so, says the pharmacist. It is one per person, period. She's a personal friend of my dad's, so, I know that she would have allowed me to do one every day if that was how it was supposed to work. I trust her to be telling me the truth, but, I'm sure they are going to get a lot of flack from people who read the fine print and interpret it the way I did. It's O.K., though. I'm coming out pretty good. The prescription costs $8.72 and I'm getting a $20 grocery card. Still, I was counting on a lot more.

I received $10 in McDonald's gift certificates yesterday from a Post-It promotion. I don't really eat much fast food, but, every now and then I get a yen for some hot, fresh French fries and a coke. Oh, yes, of course I had Qs for the Post-Its!

Do You Know About SwagBucks?

http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=70785

Do your searching through swagbucks and earn points. You can redeem points for GC, i.e. Target, Starbucks, Subway, many other prizes to choose from. I haven't been on swagbucks very long and I already have points enough for $20 worth of Starbucks GC. While this is not technically saving on groceries, it sure saves on your Starbucks $$!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do receive a small benefit if you sign up with the link above.

I'm Confessing To Unnecessary Shopping

Stopped in Walgreens today to take advantage of the free Reynolds aluminum foil (20 ft. roll, $1.69, with a .70 Wags Q and a $1 man. Q). I had noticed in the flyer that Lysol spray was only $3.50 this week, not a bad price, but, I don't need any. I did, however, have a $1.25 catalina for it and found it packaged with a free canister of Lysol wipes. You know I took advantage of that deal. Found a bottle of Karo syrup for a dime. It was included in their Christmas stuff and all of that was .10 each today. So, I spent $5.99 and used $2.85 in Qs. I also bought some of the .10 items from Christmas, but, that's a different account in my book. To be completely honest, I also bought 2 boxes of Fig Newtons. I'm going to be out of town for a couple of days and need a snack while holed up in a hotel room.

I have 3 precriptions that I can transfer to Bi-Lo this month, each of them just a few dollars and netting me a $20 GC each time. Then, next month, they will be transferred to Walgreens, netting a $25 GC for each. Actually, I only have 2 Wags Qs for GC, so, I'm a bit limited there.

I think I read or heard something about Rite Aid closing a lot of their stores this year. Does anybody have any concrete information on that? I'm holding about $46 in GC for RA and don't want to wake up one morning and find all of them in my city have closed.

I found something I really needed today on the internet. At the Land O Lakes website, they are now offering a .75 Q for a quart of 1/2 & 1/2. I was able to print 2 which should be enough as they expire 2/7/09. I'm guessing that they are good for a month from printing. I have 2 computers in the house, so, after these expire or I've used both of them, I'll use the other computer to get some more.

Those Darn Cats Expect To Be Fed EVERY Day

If it weren't for cat food, I could live practically free for a year. My local store had my favorite brand at a special price and I had a Q about to expire. I bought 54 lbs. of cat food, used $5.50 in Qs, plus a $20 GC from a rebate. My total oop for that much cat food was only $10.58. I'm hoping this recent purchase will last about 6 weeks.

There's a Michael Angelo's single serve entree rebate for up to 6 packages. The premise of the rebate is that you throw a party and invite up to 5 friends, send in the UPC and cash register tape, and you get a full price rebate. I had paid $3.75 for these and also had B1G1F Qs, so, 6 of them at full price total $22.50 for the rebate.

Here's the link for the printable rebate form:

http://familytable.michaelangelos.com/files/BuyFriendLunch.MichaelAngelos.pdf

This is definitely one of the best cash rebates I have seen in a long time.

I spent all of my CVS GC, but, I didn't spend any money!

I stopped in a CVS this morning, one that I do not normally shop. I found a stunning array of Christmas stuff @ 75% off. I was able to buy several gifts for next Christmas and used my GC to buy it.

On the grocery side, I received a total of $26.57 worth plus I received a $4 ECB. I paid for all of it with a GC. For those of you who have not been reading my blog from the beginning, let me repeat something. When I have a GC specific to one store, I do not count that GC as income or money received. When I use it, I count the amount I used as coupon use. So, for groceries today (including 20 double rolls of Cottonelle!):

$$ Spent: -0-
Q Use: $26.57

There is also a $2.99 cash rebate in the deal.

Some good news from yesterday; my dad dropped by just as I had finished my large meal preparation. He stayed and ate with me and I sent the rest of it home to his wife and her brother. I was able to eat well from the pantry yesterday and didn't have to stare at the leftovers! It all worked out perfectly for me. Well, almost perfectly. My dad didn't hang around to help with the dishes! The cats were a bit disappointed, too. It was a veggie meal with just a bit of chicken in the dressing. There were no meaty leftovers for them. They're very good. They watch while I eat, but, do not disturb me. When I start toward the kitchen with my plate in hand, they dance all the way to the kitchen and stop at their feed bowl to see if I put any tasty morsels in it.

Let The "Savings" Begin!

I find that I cannot go to the grocery store for only one item and come out with only one item. I will admit to a bit of stockpiling today. I had some really good Qs for Success Rice expiring tomorrow and while in the store, found an unadvertised special to receive a free one-pound box of spaghetti or elbow macaroni when you purchase 2 jars of Ragu. Of course, I had a Q for the Ragu or I wouldn't have done it!

In total today:

Spent: $9.70
Qs Used: $17.46

In addition, I will receive $5.88 in cash rebates from two items I purchased today.

I'm happy to say that the one item for which I went into the store, I actually remembered to buy. I realize that some of you may consider this a luxury item, but, I just will not drink coffee without real half-and-half. I did, though, buy the "house" brand instead of the more well-known brand. I'm always on the lookout for Land O' Lakes half-and-half Qs; it comes out to be less expensive than the store brand.

I'm just getting ready to prepare a large meal for lunch. I find that if I wait to prepare a substantial dinner, I've run out of energy by that time of day and usually just skip eating altogether. If I cook early in the day while I still feel well, I'll start eating better and hopefully, gain a bit of weight. I just looked around in the pantry and found everything I need for a really great veggie meal with just a bit of chicken. I really enjoy cooking when I'm feeling well enough. Thankfully, I live alone and no one else has to go hungry when I don't feel like cooking.

New Year, Clean Slate

I love New Year's Day. It's the day I can say, "All mistakes are in the past, now I can only look forward." The first 6 months of last year, I spent way too much on groceries, most of it on non-food items, chasing the "great" deals at CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. We delude ourselves when we say, "Wow! Look how much money I saved!" Well, the contrary is more true; it should be, "Wow! Look at all the money I spent!" Let's face it, when you spend money, even if you are getting a "deal," you are spending, not saving.

I have been couponing for over 35 years and I am so guilty of thinking I'm saving tons of money when I am actually spending tons of money. Last June, I decided to turn the tide and start using all those things of which I thought were a great "deal" and start using it up. A stockpile is only as good as the amount you use of it.

I have learned a lot from Hot Coupon World in the past year. The best tip I probably garnered in all the chatter is how to maximize my prescription medications by transferring them around the drug and grocery stores that offer an incentive to get your business. I have 2 prescriptions that only cost $8 or $9 each and if I can find a coupon for a gift card for transferring, I can make $50 every time I move them around. Now, THAT is saving money!

As I told you a few days ago, I am budgeting $1,200 for all grocery purchases for 2009. That includes cat food and all consumables that you would normally buy at a grocery or drug store. I will use free GC and rebate money in addition to the $1,200. To begin the month, I have on hand $30.77 CVS GC and $46.57 Rite Aid GC. I have 2 prescriptions I am going to transfer to Walgreens during January that will net $50 GC. I plan to move them again in February to Bi-Lo where I will net $40 GC. I am expecting a $20 MasterCard debit card soon from a rebate. I bought my dad a bluetooth for Christmas and got a great deal on it besides the GC. So, you can see that I have a plan and I owe the good people at HCW for teaching me how to do this.

I am looking forward to the new year and to see just how well I can use my stockpile. I'm always open to helpful hints from my readers and new recipes for my stockpile items. Several months ago, I learned many ways to use French's fried onions. You'd think anyone as old as I am would have known that, but, I didn't. That's why I need you to help me.

I'm wishing for all of you a very happy new year and good fortune through the next 12 months. If you are a member of HCW, you are already on your way to good fortune!