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!