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.