2013 No Spend Challenge - Clothing

Now that I've laid out what we spent last year, you can see that there are a few areas we can really cut back. Some of you might think our allowance of $6000 is excessive (which I think too - but DH won't cut back), but at least any of it that is not spent is sitting in a savings account. I usually only get $100/month in cash from my allowance and put the rest in my savings. DH does the same. So really we have a good chunk in extra savings accounts if the "household" ever needs it for an emergency.

 

But the one category I really want to cut back on is spending, specifically online shopping, and specifically clothing. We have a lot of clothes. Just this morning as I was getting dressed for work, I needed to select a pair of shoes to go with my khaki pants. And of course, there are several pairs of tan/khaki shoes in my closet to choose from, in addition to a few brown pairs too that I could wear. I really only need one pair of light colored shoes to wear with my light colored pants. I'm probably not going to throw out perfectly good shoes, but I can put my foot down and quit buying any more shoes. Or any more pants. Or any more shirts. And I certainly don't need another Tshirt in my entire life, with hundreds on hand already.

 

So our challenge this year is to not purchase any clothing. I'm debating whether that should include free clothing. I'm thinking it should include any clothing whether it was paid for, or free. I can just pass on those $10 GC for free clothes at Victoria's Secret, and not reach out my hand to get that free Tshirt at events.

 

In addition to stopping any more clothing from coming into our home, we need to continue to purge excess items we have but no longer wear. Part of our challenge is to empty every single closet in our home this year and only put back the stuff we use. We already did that to our front hall closet and now the floor is actually empty! Prior to the cleanout, we had a large bucket of stuff that took up four square feet of space. The stupid thing is, we didn't touch that bucket for over ten years. We didn't miss anything in it.

 

So this year, even though I know there will be items I'll want to get, I won't.

Have You Started Your Taxes Yet?

Have you started looking at your taxes yet? I have and it looks like I'll get a refund. I did my taxes using Taxact which is free for the basic forms.

Publix Weekly Ad Sneak Peek 1/24 - 1/30/13

BOGOs:
California Pizza Kitchen Pizza, 11.9 to 26.5 oz box, save up to 6.49

Potato Inspirations, 28 oz bag or Fingerling Potato Blend, 1.5 lb bag, save up to 3.99

McCormick Slow Cookers Seasoning, 1.25 to 1.5 oz envelope, save up to 2.09

Buitoni Pasta, Fettuccine or Linguine, 9 oz pkg, save up to 2.29

Kanimi Crab Smart Surimi, 8 oz pkg, save up to 3.69

Banquet Brown'N Serve Sausage, 6.4 oz pkg, frozen, save up to 1.99

Mama Lucia Italian Style Meatballs, 25.6 oz pkg, frozen, save up to 5.99

Kraft Fresh Take Cheese and Breadcrumb Mix, 6 oz pkg, save up to 2.99

Curly's Pulled Pork, Chicken or Beef, with BBQ Sauce or Sauceless: Pork, Chicken or Turkey, or Sliced Beef Steak, 10 to 16 oz tub, save up to 5.99

Totino's Pizzeria Rolls or Pizza Rolls, 19.8 oz bag, save up to 2.89

Concord Strawberry Smoothie, 2 oz pkg, no price given

New York Style Bagel Crisps, 6 or 7.2 oz pkg, located in deli, save up to 2.99

Danish Coffee Cakes, 14 or 15 oz, bakery, save up to 4.99

Eight O'Clock Coffee, 11 to 12 oz bag, save up to 5.87

Taco Bell Home Originals Dinner, 10.75 to 16.35 oz box, save up to 3.09

Kraft Barbecue Sauce, 16.25 to 18 oz bottle, save up to 1.35

A.1. Steak Sauce, 10 oz bottle, save up to 3.41

French's Classic Yellow Mustard, 14 oz bottle, save up to 1.85

Kraft Salad Dressing 16 oz bottle, or Kraft Sizzling Salads Dressing & Cooking Sauce Dinner Kit, 12 oz pkg, save up to 2.83

Welch's Essentials Juice Cocktail Blend, Light Concord Grape or White Grape Juice Beverage, 64 oz bottle, save up to 3.19

How We Spent Our Money in 2012

One of my favorite websites, Mint.com makes evaluating your expenses much simpler at the end of the year. They actually have a pretty good app for smartphones too which I check everyday to make sure no one stole my identity, or money. One of my other favorite websites, Mr Money Mustache has posted his yearly spending so I feel compelled to also drop our drawers and lay it all out there.

 

I thought it would be interesting to see where all our money went last year and what opportunities there are for improvement this coming year. You might not really care what we spend, but you're probably nosy and will continue to read and see how you compare to us, a couple of cheap asses who recycle plastic baggies (not really). I think this may be a useful exercise to see where our money goes and to try to manage it so that when we retire we'll be able to fully enjoy ourselves on a limited budget. We learned a long time ago how fun it is to not have a car payment. And we learned a few years ago how fun it is to not have a house payment. And we learned last year how fun it is to not have to pay for food, gas or household products. So, just there we have three categories of expenses that have just went poooffff! up the air, gone to heaven and hopefully, never be seen again.

 

As you recall, we did a pretty extensive remodel of our home including all three bedrooms, dining room, living room and office. This ended up being our largest expense of the year and its worth every dime. Now our home is totally renovated and modern, and we're on our way to a clean, uncluttered existence as we sort through the outcast stuff we still have in our "green" room or the stockpile room.

 

Anyway, listed here are our largest expense categories of the year.

 

1. Home (Insurance, taxes, remodel, furnishings, appliances) $13,291

This was by far our biggest expense even though we have no mortgage or loans. The taxes $1000 and insurance $2500 are pretty much out of our control so that is a fixed expense. The remodel and new furnishings were a one time expense we  don't anticipate this again, although there are other projects on the horizon in years to come such as a new roof, fenced yard and we expect a new A/C unit will be needed someday since ours is over fifteen years old. However, we paid for everything and expect next years home expenses to be less than a third of what they were. There are opportunities to repair rather than replace, and preserve what we have so it lasts longer. My goal for 2013 is to spend less than $5000 for the year on this category.

 

2. Utilities (mobile phones, internet, TV, electric, water, garbage) $6,056

We are generally frugal in our use of utilities such as water, electricity and try to recycle to minimize garbage. I've unplugged one dorm size refrigerator and hope to empty our small freezer so we can unplug that as well. That leaves two full size refrigerators and a kegerator sucking down electricity at a high rate. In the warm weather, I unplug and drain the hot tub since we use the pool. Likewise in the cool weather I run the pool filter pump less hours per day since we don't swim in it for half the year (although the dog does - every day!) I was hoping to decrease our TV/Internet expense when our contract was up, but that didn't turn out and I feel fortunate to pay the same rate for another two years. Maybe by then DH can be weaned off cable and we can subsist on online streaming of sports events and TV programs. I'm looking to cutting our cell phone costs in half this year as I combine my smartphone with DH's account at only $40 a line unlimited everything. We are both eligible to upgrade our phones, but the frugal thing is to just keep them both as is. So there is definitely opportunity to cut expenses in this category, so my goal this year is to spend less than $5000 in this category as well.

 

3. Allowances $6000

DH and I each get an allowance monthly to pay for stuff that is not a household expense.This category would also include going out to restaurants which we only do a couple times a year - except for the Firehouse where we go regularly for wings and beer. These optional expenses like beer, cigarettes, going out to eat, massages, extravagent unnecessary expenses (Ipad, extra computers, music) are paid for with cash from our allowance. We both save a significant portion of our allowance being the frugal spenders we are. DH used to spend a good portion of his allowance on driving a race car and I purchased computers and photography equipment. If we decide to do something extravagent that the house "can't afford" we both chip in from our allowance. This category will stay the same next year.

 

4. Auto & Motorcycle (insurance, maintenance, gasoline) $4,126

Our two old cars and two newer motorcycles are very expensive to insure in this state of Florida where almost half the drivers do not carry insurance, and I'm sure a good portion of them are driving on suspended licenses as well. It is dangerous and therefore we have probably excessive insurance compared to most people. But after DH was struck by an uninsured driver in 2010 and we received a nice settlement from our own insurance, we feel safer on the roads having sufficient insurance. But this is one area we can still cut back on insurance with the red truck since it sits in the driveway the majority of its life, and its the biggest boxiest safest vehicle we have. Of our auto expenses, over half is insurance $2470, $1657 was maintenance on all four vehicles. I've made a note to mention $1722 for gasoline even though this was paid for with gift cards we got at Publix from overage, and yard sale proceeds. So the opportunity here is to cut insurance a little and to ride my bike more this year, so this year we can spend less than $4000 in this category.

 

5. Travel $3,384

This category has suffered since we have been remodeling. Now that our home is updated, we plan to resume frequent travel. We already have booked a nice seven day cruise to the Virgin Islands this spring, and plan to book another for Fall 2013, in addition to our annual trip up North to visit our families. We have let all our season tickets to NASCAR races go unrenewed and we may attend these types of events at most once a year. I actually desire to travel to places I haven't been to before, or places I traveled to as a child. I would love to visit San Francisco, Hawaii, Yellowstone National Park, Colorado and Canada. We're actually in a holding pattern for extended long trips as long as we have our old dog. When she passes in a few years, we'll be able to take longer trips overseas without having to worry about finding a caretaker for her. So this year, I would expect this category to at least double, if not approach $10,000.

 

6. Shopping $2,793

Amazon is the death of me. It is way to easy to shop online and it shows up here in this category. We have way to many clothes and shoes and could easily go years without purchasing anything to wear. I see this category as an opportunity to cut in half to about $1400.

 

7. Health (Rx, copays, insurance) $1,722

This category just increased this year because of our Governor, for the first time in ten years we were required to pay health insurance premiums. I hope to just maintain the cost of this category in the future, not much hope of decreasing it until I hit menopause or quit having sex, and can quit going to the doctor for those little pills.

 

8. Entertainment (Busch Gardens, Concerts) $1,656

This category is actually not very much of our budget and I hope to be able to maintain that amount this year. We do go to a lot of free festivals and inexpensive concerts to keep this cost down. Actually, since we used to work concert events we have seen almost every performer we care to see and the cost is often not worth it if we've seen it. We did splurge and buy good tickets for an upcoming Lady Gaga concert this spring.

 

9. Pet $695

The love, companionship and protection we receive in exchange for vet bills and medications is worth the cost for our dog. Dog food and treats are paid for with overage at Publix so this is actually less than most pay for a pet. If we keep this expense under $1000, that would be good. In the future this expense will go away when the dog dies.

 

10. Personal Care $249

This category is probably low since DH pays for his haircuts with cash and takes out the money when he gets his allowance. So it really should be double, closed to $500 for hair cuts and perms. It helps being low maintenance people - no manicures, hair color, no pedicures or expensive massages. All that individual stuff comes out of allowance anyway, it is not considered a household expense.

 

The missing category -  Food & Beer

This category is one where we have eliminated the expense by using coupons and shopping the sales. We buy stuff we don't need, to use the overage to get what we need. We actually made $803 last year, spending $2951 in cash and gift cards to purchase $32,729 worth of products (including $3755 in gift cards and gas cards). The cash used in shops was proceeds from yard sales selling our stockpile from couponing. We also use the cash to pay for our beer kegs, and extra spending money when we travel.

 

So, in summary our goal for the upcoming year is to cut our spending by 10% overall.

 

How did you do?

 

My Publix Trip 103% saved

This was a pretty small trip, I just needed to get some salad stuff and then use up some coupons I had printed for the bread and ice cream. The baby food was a moneymaker and will be donated to my neighbor. It must have been shift change when I shopped because my only choice of cashiers was three different guys that I never go to, so we had a newbie coupon cashier. He was so nervous and didn't know what to do with the Rudi's bread coupon because it wouldn't scan. I thought this would have been an easy transaction since I wouldn't need numbers - but when the Altoids rang up at $2.19 and they gave it to me for free, it put me in the negative - and then required manager approval for numbers. They paid me $1.53.

 

Also the Best Meals Happen at home coupon displays are up in the stores now, the same coupons are on the back page of the ad. Get some extra because they are valid through Feb 6.

 

Don't forget to print a $5/$25 Save A Lot coupon from facebook

 

17-Jan	22		45.69	19.41	27.81	tax	-1.53	14	-103.35%
Product	qty	price	subtl	B1G1	-Q	0.00	total	Q#	Q details
lettuce	1	1.49	1.49				1.49
Rudi's GF Bread BOGO	2	3.99	7.98	3.99	4.00		-0.01	2	$2/1 MQ print
haagen daz ice cream pint BOGO	4	3.91	15.64	7.82	7.82		0.00	2	BOGO MQ print (NLA)
mushrooms	1	1.50	1.50				1.50
carrots	1	1.89	1.89				1.89
Chili Seasoning BOGO	2	1.25	2.50	1.25			1.25
Nabisco soup cracker BOGO	2	2.39	4.78	2.39	1.00		1.39	1	$1/2 MQ peelie
Beechnut Fruities BOGO	8	0.99	7.92	3.96	8.00		-4.04	8	$1/1 MQ print
Altoids mints	1	1.99	1.99		1.99		0.00		Rang up wrong $2.19 publix promise
Save A Lot $5 off $25		0.00	0.00		5.00		-5.00	1	$5/25 facebook print

Goodbye 3% Pay - FL State Workers Lose Pension Lawsuit

In a major victory for the state, the Florida Supreme Court ruled 5-2 against state workers and allowed the state to retain the 3 percent levy on worker salaries to offset the state's investment into the Florida Retirement System.  Download Retirement ruling
The ruling allows lawmakers to avoid another $2 billion budget hole next year and state workers will see their salary cuts retained indefinitely. The lawsuit, Scott v. Williams, was filed by the Florida Education Association after lawmakers passed, and Gov. Rick Scott signed to tap salaries of 623,000 government worker.
Lawmakers argued at the time that the change was needed to fill a $3.6 billion budget gap and bring Florida in line with 47 states that require their government workers to contribute to their pension plans. The savings was then plowed back into the budget, not into the retirement fund.
The Supreme Court overturned a ruling by Leon County Circuit Court Judge Jackie Fulford, who ruled in 2012 that the pension changes were unconstitutional because they impaired the contractual rights of the FRS employees, took private property without full compensation and impaired employee collective bargaining rights. She ordered the state to halt the practice and reimburse workers with interest.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Republican legislative leaders immediately challenged the ruling and continued collecting money from employee payments. It is now up to the court to decide but a decision could take months.

If the seven justices had upheld the lower court ruling, state and local governments would have to reimburse active workers in the Florida Retirement System and cover the resulting hole in their budgets. The state has already taken more than $900 million from employees and are expected to take up to $2 billion by June 30, 2013, the end of the state's current fiscal year. State economists have predicted that revenues appear to be meeting expectations and, for the first time in years, legislators may not face another year of belt tightening. 

 

via

1/20 Sunday Coupon Insert - SS

Looks like only one coupon insert this Sunday.

 

Smartsource 1/20/13

Almay $2/1 cosmetic product (2/24/13)

Alouette $1/1 cheddar spreads (3/24/13)

Baileys $1/1 non-alcoholic coffee creamer dnd (3/31/13)

BelVita $1/2 8.8oz breakfast biscuits (3/9/13)

Boboli $1/1 pizza crust dnd (3/31/13)

Campbell's $1/1 skillet sauces (3/31/13)

Chef Michael's $3/1 food for dogs (2/24/13)

Colgate $.50/1 4oz+ Total, Optic White, Max Fresh or Sensitive toothpaste (2/9/13)

Colgate $.50/1 adult or kids manual toothbrush excludes Plaus, Triple Action and Extra Clean (2/9/13)

Colgate $1/1 adult or kids powered toothbrush (2/9/13)

Enzymatic Therapy $2/1 Probiotic Pearls product (4/30/13)

Excedrin $1.50/1 100ct+ product (3/9/13)

Excedrin $1/1 24ct+ product (3/9/13)

Farm Rich $.75/1 18oz+ snack (3/31/13)

Franks $.75/1 Redhot sauce (3/31/13)

Franks $.75/1 Redhot sweet chili or thick sauce (3/31/13)

French's $.30/1 classic yellow mustard (3/31/13)

French's $.50/1 spicy brown or horseradish mustard (3/31/13)

Gillette $2/1 disposable (2/28/13)

Glade $.75/1 Expressions fragrance mist starter kit (3/2/13)

Glade $3/1 Expressions oil diffuser starter kit (3/2/13)

Green Mountain Coffee $1.50/1 10 or 12oz bag (2/20/13)

Green Mountain Coffee $1/1 K-Cup packs (2/20/13)

Hebrew National $1/1 beef franks in a blanket (3/3/13)

Hershey's $1/2 10oz+ Hershey's Miniatures assortment, Hershey's Kisses milk chocolate, Hershey's Kiss cookies 'n' creme, Reese's miniatures or York peppermint patties (3/15/13)

Hershey's $1/2 8-10.5oz stand-up bags of Hershey's Drops, Hershey's with Almonds Pieces, Reese's Pieces, Reese's minis or Rolo minis (3/15/13)

Hormel $1/2 pepperoni packages (3/18/13)

Infusium 23 $1/1 16oz+ shampoo or conditioner (2/17/13)

Infusium 23 $2/1 8oz+ leave in treatment (2/17/13)

Irish Spring $1/1 6pk+ bar pack (2/9/13)

Irish Spring $1/1 body wash excludes 2.5oz (2/9/13)

Johnsonville $1/2 sausage (3/1/13)

Kozy Shack $.50/1 chocolate pudding (3/31/13)

Kozy Shack $.50/1 pudding (3/31/13)

Lloyd's $1/1 barbecue product (3/18/13)

Mariani $.50/1 3oz+ dried fruit snacks dnd (3/31/13)

Marzetti $1.50/11 Simply Dressed salad dressing (3/17/13)

MidNite $2/1 regular, for Menopause or PM (8/31/13)

Mt. Olive $1/1 pickles, peppers or relish (3/10/13)

Nature's Way $2/1 Alive! multivitamin product (4/30/13)

Pepperidge Farm $.75/1 Baked Naturals (3/31/13)

Pepperidge Farm $1/1 Jingos! snacks (3/31/13)

Pert Plus $1/1 13.5oz+ 2-in-1 product (2/17/13)

Precious $.75/1 10oz+ Stringsters or Sticksters dnd (3/31/13)

Progresso $.25/1 light soup can (3/16/13)

Progresso $.50/2 soup cans (3/16/13)

Reynolds $.50/1 slow cooker liners (5/31/13)

Reynolds Wrap $.50/1 pan lining paper dnd (3/31/13)

Reynolds Wrap $.75/1 35sqft+ foil excluding Wrappers (2/28/13)

Similasan $2/1 ear care product (3/31/13)

Similasan $2/1 eye care product (3/31/13)

Similasan $2/1 kids care product (3/31/13)

Softsoap $.35/1 8oz+ liquid hand soap (2/9/13)

Softsoap $.50/1 28oz+ liquid hand soap refill (2/9/13)

Softsoap $.75/1 12oz+ body wash or 2pk+ bar soap (2/9/13)

Speed Stick $1/1 regular or lady antiperspirant/deodorant excludes 2oz, 1.4oz and .5oz (2/2/13)

Sunbelt Bakery $.75/1 granola box or fruit & grain bars dnd (3/31/13)

Total $.75/1 whole grain or raisin bran (3/2/13)

Tylenol $1/1 cold product (3/31/13)

Tylenol $3/2 cold or sinus products (3/31/13)

Tyson $.75/1 breaded chicken strips (4/20/13)

Tyson $1/1 Any'tizers snacks (4/21/13)

Ultra Palmolive $.25/1 dish liquid (2/9/13)

Xenadrine $5/1 product (4/13/13)

Zevia $2/1 6pk (3/31/13)

 

thanks to www.couponpreviews.info for sneak peek.

Publix Weekly Ad Sneak Peek 1/17- 1/23/13

BOGOs:
Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry Juice Blend or Citrus, 64 oz bottle (excluding 100% Grapefruit Juice, Grapefruit Cocktails and Light Juice 64 oz bottles), save up to 3.13

General Mills Cereal, Cheerios: Original or Honey Nut, 17 or 18 oz box, or Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp or Reese's Puffs, 15.6 to 18 oz box, save up to 5.19

McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix, 1.25 oz pkg, save up to 1.29

Bantry Bay Mussels, 16 oz pkg, save up to 5.99

Phillips Crab Cakes, 6 oz pkg, save up to 8.99

Cumberland Gap Ham Chunks, Regular or Diced, 8 oz pkg, save up to 3.29

Hebrew National Kosher All Beef Franks, or Knockwurst, 11 or 12 oz pkg, save up to 4.99

Fresh Attitude Salad, Spring Mix, Baby Spinach, Arugula, Baby Romaine or Baby Spinach, 5 oz pkg, save up to 2.99

Kellogg's Apple Jacks Cereal, or Froot Loops, 12.2 or 12.6 oz box, or Scooby Doo! 12 oz box, save up to 4.29

5 Money Saving Ideas for Long-Term Food Storage Shopping

While many of us are thinking about saving money by buying in bulk and storing the goods for a few weeks or months, there is another type of food storage we should also consider. Storing the right foods in case of an emergency can ensure the survival of your family. Many pre-packed kits can feed a family for 1, 3 or even 12 months, but they are outside the price range of many families. You can shop for food long term, however, without it costing a fortune.

1. Pay attention to calorie counts, servings and nutrition on prepackaged meals.

It may seem that the meal plan which offers the most calories per dollar is the best money-saving choice, but this isn't always the case. Nutritious calories are much more satisfying, in addition to supplying you and your family with much-needed vitamins and nutrients. For example, 100 calories of butter is much less filling than a large apple, which is also around 100 calories. The apple is also much healthier.

2. Packaging matters in prepackaged meals.

Where you store the meals where they are not exposed to excess heat, but it is up to the packaging to protect the food from spoiling due to exposure to moisture or air. The common ways that long-term emergency meals are packaged include Mylar bags, pails and tin cans. In each of these packaging techniques, the air is removed through the process of nitrogen flushing, or an oxygen absorbing pellet is inserted in the package. Pails are not airtight, so are usually used in combination with Mylar bag and cans. Mylar packaging lasts 7 to 10 years. If you plan to keep your emergency rations longer than this time, it may be necessary to replace the meals. Some meals packed in oxygen-free tin cans can last up to 25 years.

3. Find a balance between dehydrated and freeze-dried foods.

Some foods are best preserved through dehydrating, while others can only remain nutritious long term when freeze-dried. Freeze-dried foods may store a few years longer, but dehydrated foods are much less expensive. In order to freeze-dry foods, the food must be flash frozen. The frozen food is then put into a vacuum chamber where the ice is removed by turning it into a gas. This is a complicated process requiring very specific technology and tools. Dehydrated foods simply have had the water removed through heating.

Dehydrated food also shrinks significantly from its original size while freeze-drying does not. This means dehydrated food requires less storage space than an equal amount of freeze-dried food.

Some companies that sell prepackaged meals already offer a combination of the two, but if not do not be afraid to purchase your meals from more than one source. Buying items such as fruits and vegetables that have been dehydrated in addition to freeze-dried meals can help to bring down the total cost of emergency food storage. 

4. Know what kitchen basics have a long shelf life, and buy them in bulk.

When considering emergency food options, it is easy to get sidetracked by all of the companies who sell ready-to-eat Mylar packed meals, tins of freeze-dried foods and other prepackaged supplies. There are some items in your kitchen right now, however, that have a shelf-life longer than many of these purpose-designed meals. These products include wheat, rice, corn, sugar, beans, oats, pasta, potato flakes and non-fat powdered milk. While they will not sustain your family on their own, ensuring you have enough of these basics for several months of regular use can help save money when you are stockpiling your rations. Purchase these items in bulk from a local restaurant supply, warehouse store or even your local supermarket. They can be stored in food grade 5-gallon buckets with rubber seals, which are available at most hardware stores.

5. Shop around, just like you would for your weekly groceries.

The most simplistic way to create an emergency food supply is to in pre-packed, storage ready containers. There are many companies who offer these foods, as well as associated items such as first aid kits. Not all of these deals are created equal, however. Many online stores offer coupon codes for free shipping or special gifts with purchase as well. Look for these specials to get more for your money. 

Ensuring there is nutritious food during an emergency is an important consideration for any family today. While stockpiling and storing several months' worth of food can be expensive, you can reduce the costs by following these tips.

 

This guest post provided by Agnes E Jimenez, a professional blogger and writer.

My Publix Trip - Paid $1.42, Saved 96%

This week I received the $10 off $50 Sweetbay coupons in the Sunday paper and was so excited to use it. However, my excitement turned into anxiety as store after store implemented different rules about its use. In the end, I only used one last Sunday but they wouldn't give out the $10 GC for future use. The other stores stuck to the wording about the total having to be $50 after all discounts. I hated that I was anxious about a stupid coupon, and I didn't really even need it because its the same as a $5 off $25 Save A Lot. So, I got more joy out of giving it away to other people in the store - ahead or behind me in line to use on their orders. What bugged me the most is reading about other bloggers who were able to use it with no minimum after coupons AND getting the $10 GC too. I unsubscribed from one particular blogger bragger who always boasts about their shops. I have a hard enough time not comparing myself to others as far as my blog, or my savings, or my shops so I don't need it.

 

Anyway, this was a small shop to get some produce and mouthwash. All the 80 ct Centrum vitamins were cleared out so I need to get some rainchecks for the Centrum and Pronutrients to get those deals some other week. Hope you have a good week shopping.

 

10-Jan	17		37.63	3.99	33.00	tax	1.42	24	-96.23%
Product	qty	price	subtl	B1G1	-Q	0.78	total	Q#	Q details
avocado	1	1.50	1.50				1.50
Fresh Exp Salad BOGO	2	3.99	7.98	3.99	4.00		-0.01	2	$2/1 MQ print
apples 3 lb fuji	1	3.29	3.29				3.29
mushrooms	1	1.69	1.69				1.69
Temptations Cat treats	8	1.50	12.00		12.00	0.78	0.78	16	$1/1 pq + $0.501 12-2SS
Listerine Mouthwash 1 L	1	3.99	3.99		3.00		0.99	2	2/1 + 1/1pq
Sundown Vit B6	2	3.59	7.18		9.00		-1.82	3	$2/1 +  $5/2 GAB PQ
Save A Lot $5 off $25	1	0.00	0.00		5.00		-5.00	1	$5/25 facebook print