Pay Attention- The Service Car Light

It Pays to Pay Attention!

Life is so busy that sometimes paying attention is near impossible.

However, taking a moment to give things a once over can be very rewarding.

In my last post on this topic I discussed the benefits on paying attention to your register receipts.

Well, this post is on the topic of automobiles!

Several weeks ago I noticed my headlight was out.  As I began to pull out of my driveway (I was driving in daylight, so the headlight was not an urgent matter) I noticed the service light come on.  I also noticed that it triggered flashing headlights.  I was determined to change the headlight myself and hopeful that, as odd as it sounds, the flashing of the headlights coinciding with the service light meant the problem was simply that the headlight needed to be replaced.  I headed to the auto parts store and purchased the necessary lamp.

When I finally got around to changing the lamp, the service light went off.  I took the car for a quick drive and nothing appeared to be wrong. 

Paying attention to my automobile and recognizing the correlation between the blown lamp and service light saved me a trip to the mechanic and the bill that accompanies that trip!

It pays to pay attention!

Adams Farms Deals 11/30-12/2

79c/lb- Green Beans

89c/lb- Green Peppers

99c/lb- On the Vine Tomatoes

39c/lb- Chicken Leg Quarters

For the full ad visit Adams' website!

Shoprite Printable Deals wk of 11/28/10

There are a few great deals to go with the Holiday Cash catalinas this week at Shoprite and some are even better deals since they are working on Pre-Price Plus Prices!

 Hormel Chili $1.67-$1.69 ~ 55c/2 Hormel Chili Products
Hormel Chili Master $1.99 75c/1 Hormel Chili Master
Buy $20 Get $20 in Catalinas

If you have access to multiple computers:
Buy 8 (at least 2 varieties) of $1.67-$1.69 chilis
Buy 4 Chili Master $1.99
Total = $ 21.48
Use 4 55c/2 IPs
Use 4 75c/1 IPs 
Total after Qs = $11.08
Receive $20 worth of catalinas
$8.92 Money Maker!

Pompeian Organic EVOO $3.99 ~ $1/1 any Pompeian Olive Oil
Buy $10 Get $10 in Catalinas


The great thing is that this is working on pre-price plus card value, which is $6.99.
Buy 2 Organi EVOO $3.99
Total = $7.98
Use 2 $1/1 IPs
Total after Qs = $5.98
Receive $10 worth of catalinas
$4.02 Money Maker 

Fruitables 2/$4 MB2 ~ 75c/1 Fruitables Q
Buy $10 Get $10 in Catalinas


This is another great deal, since it is working on Pre-Price Plus Values, which means each bottle counts as $3.69 toward the $10!
Buy 4 Bottles Fruitables $2
Total = $8
Use 4 75c/1 IPs
Total after Qs = $2
Receive $10 worth of catalinas
$8 Money Maker
 

Menu Plan- The week after the turkey! :)

MONDAY-  Shredded chicken and chili tacos with

rice, peppers and zucchini

TUESDAY-  $5.55 Pizza Night with side salad

WEDNESDAY- Baked chicken legs with rice and brussel sprouts

THURSDAY- Spaghetti with meat sauce and side salad

FRIDAY- Salmon with pasta and pesto

SATURDAY- Sheperd's Pie

SUNDAY-  Chicken Yassa with rice and carrots



Shopping Trips 11/13-11/26---WAY OVER BUDGET!

I finally sat down to add up all of my receipts and was only moderately surprised to find that I went Way Over Budget this month!  On the plus side, there have been several months where I was under budget and very few where I have been over budget, so all in all this month's splurges are not the end of the world.  It was also nice to try a few new recipes that required more expensive ingredients.  I really liked the Gruyere cheese in the Walnut and Sage Gratin we made for Thanksgiving!
I don't have pictures of all my trips, but here's the shopping I did the day before Thanksgiving!

Total Spending Weeks 1&2 = 39.52

Total Spending Week 3 = $48.43

Total Spending Week 4 = $121.73

Total Spending for November = $209.68

Total Budget for November = $160
November Savings = $895.xx or 81%

Over Budget by $49.68

Did your Thanksgiving budget put you over budget?

Mine certainly did, but I'm perfectly fine with it :)

I've been really under the weather, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things here.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be thankful for!

Check back soon for my end of November shopping trips wrap up!

Adams Farms 11/19-11/24

 

$3.99-Full Peck Ida Red Apples (that's 10.5lbs or 38c/lb)

69c/lb- Hot House Tomatoes

For the full ad visit Adams website!

Menu Plan Monday- Wk of 11/15-11/21---I'm back to menus!

It's been awhile since I've posted a menu, but I assure you we've been eating!

MONDAY- Potato Bacon Chowder with grilled cheese sandwiches

TUESDAY- Salmon with Zucchini and couscous

WEDNESDAY- Campfire Sausage and Potato Soup with Rice and Salad

THURSDAY- Leftovers

FRIDAY- Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with Green Beans

SATURDAY- I'd love a suggestion...my parents will be here and I'd love to try something new!

SUNDAY- Leftovers

Shoprite Printable Only Match-Ups 11/14-11/20

FREE- Whole Grain Total $1.99 - 75c/1 IP here, here or here and 75c/1 Cellfire
FREE- International Delight Creamers 99c- 55c/1 IP
FREE + Money Maker- Green Giant Boxed Veggies $1 - 50c/1 IP , Buy 3 and also load the 60c/3 Cellfire
29c- Heluva Good Dip $1.29 - 50c/1 IP
33c- Muir Glen Tomatoes $1.33 - $1/1 IP when you register
49c- Wise Cheese Doodles $1.49- 50c/1 IP
49c/each WYB2- Friendship Sour Cream 99c- $1/2 IP
50c/each WYB2- Totino's Party Pizza or Rolls $1 - 50c/2 or $1/2 IP
54c/each WYB 2- Goya Olives $1.29 - 75c/2 IP
74c- Fisher sliced Almonds $1.74- $1/1 IP
99c- Stash Teas $1.99- 50c/1 IP 
$1.75/each WYB2- Ziploc Containers 2/$5 - $1.50/2 IP
$1.99- New England Coffee $2.99 - 50c/1 IP

Did you find any great deals that match-up with the printable coupons available?

Shopping Trips 11/6-11/12---Another great week!

Well, for the second week in a row I spent around $20 on our groceries.
I didn't buy a lot, but a few things that were needed here and there and it definitely helped that I had a Rite Aid gift card and (2) $10 ONYOs to use up at Shoprite!  Here are the pictures:

 Walmart: $0.44 (tax Only)

Shoprite: $1.88 (used $10 Cat, received $3 Cat)

Adams: $10.07

The oily paper bag contains the best apple cider donuts in the world! 

The deli ham was a special lunch treat!

Shoprite: $0.68 (I used another $10 Cat)

Rite Aid: $0 ( I used a GC from a previous deal.)

Amazon: $0 (The REAL VT Maple Syrup was a special deal on Amazon and I used swagbucks giftcards to pay, so this was a great way to score something that rarely is on sale!)

Mother Earth's: $7.43 (That's Spices and Couscous!)

Total Spending = $20.50

Total Savings = $183.13 or 90%

November Budget (4 wks..Oct 30-Nov 26) = $160

Total Spending Weeks 1&2 = 39.52

Remaining Budget for November $120.48

I'm super pleased that I'll have the extra money for some special ingredients for Thanksgiving Dinner!

November 21st-- Hudson, NY---Locavore on a Budget

 

1-4pm Sunday, November 21
Locavore On a Budget: Talk, Workshop and Book Signing
Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
FREE and For Adults

Register by preceding Saturday: (518) 828-1872 x 109. 

Most of us want to eat green and local (just as the Church's farm bounty was presented on the dinner table). Tight schedules and even tighter budgets can make it seem like an unattainable goal. Leda Meredith will cover budgeting; sourcing, growing, and preserving food; shopping efficiently; and supporting local merchants and planet Earth. Meredith will also demonstrate ways to preserve the herb harvest. Her book: The Locavore's Handbook: A Busy Person's Guide to Eating Local on a Budget will be available for purchase/signing.

Olana State Historic Site
5720 Route 9G
Hudson, NY 12534

Pay ATTENTION!

 

It Pays to Pay Attention!

Life is so busy that sometimes paying attention is near impossible.

However, taking a moment to give things a once over can be very rewarding.

Last week Shoprite had a "manager's special" on select varieties of Activia at 97c.  I had a couple 75c/1 IPs in my coupon folder.  I was prepared to pay 22c for the yogurt.  Now, here's where it gets a little complicated.  For those of you who know Shoprite, you are wondering why I was expecting to pay 22c when the coupon should double to make it FREE.  Let me backtrack for a moment.  Sometime ago ( a year or so) my local Shoprite "upgraded" their registers.  I began to notice that not all of my Qs were doubling correctly.  There are a variety of scenarios, but in most cases if something was on sale for $1.49 and I had a 75c/1 Q it would not double.  Previously (and according to Shoprite policy) the Q should double by taking off 75c then 74c to make the total 0.  You may remember my post "Why I'll pay 9c for a can of beans I could possibly get for Free!", which also deals with this same issue.  Well if a coupon didn't double I had to get CS to override the Q and so forth and so on.  This often was a waste of time.

So, back to the Activia....

I like to try and keep an eye on the register as the cashier scans the coupons, but on this particular trip I had a rather speedy cashier.  As the numbers flew by on the screen I was pretty certain I saw the Activia double 75c and 22c to 0.  I checked my receipt and sure enough, this was the case.  I've tested this out with a variety of Qs now and it appears Shoprite has resolved the computer problem!

It pays to pay attention!

Check back next week for another Pay Attention post!

Shoprite Printable Only Match-Ups 11/7-11/13

It's a pretty slow week so far, but there are a couple very cheap/free items using IPs!

FREE- Ronzoni Quick Cook 88c - 50c/1 IP here, here or here

(some of these have reset since I printed them a month or so ago, 

so you may want to check even if you have printed before)

24c- Hefty Garbage Bags $1.24- $1/1 IP (zip 30015)

38c- Carnation Evap Milk 88c - 50c/2 IP

$1.27- Nestle Baking Morsels $1.77- $1/2 IP

Shopping Trip 10/30- 11/5--- Under $20!!!

I had a great week!  While my budget is set at the usual $40/ week I was "secretly" hoping to keep it under $25 this week, so I can build up some extra money for Thanksgiving Dinner.  So, you all know I was quite pleased when I did my final tally and was under $20!!!  Another reason that this week was great is that I earned my Free Shoprite Turkey!  We're planning to donate this to a local soup kitchen with some other pantry goods.  I didn't get pictures of everything, but I did get pictures of a few shops, so here they are...

Shoprite: $0.12 

( I used Catalinas from previous deals to pay!)

Adams: $4.54

(See we really did start to buy produce, again)

Shoprite: $2.29

(I had another Catalina to use up!)

Walmart: $4.81

Adding these trips to the others not pictured here:

Total Spending = $19.02

Total Savings = $264.68 or 93%

November Budget (4 wks..Oct 30-Nov 26) = $160

Remaining Budget for November $140.98

How was your first week of November?

November 6th- Poughkeepsie, NY- Magic's in the Air!

 

11 a.m. Saturday, November 6

FREE and Open to the Public

Dutchess Community College

James and Betty Hall Theater

53 Pendell Rd

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

845-431-8000

November 14th- Hudson, NY -- What are we feeding our kids?

 

1-3pm Sunday, November 14
From Garden to Table Series: What are we feeding our kids? From Modern Times to the Good Old Days Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex
FREE and for All Ages

Register by preceding Saturday: (518) 828-1872 x 109.

Times have changed since Frederic Church raised real food for his family on the land at Olana. What is in the food we are serving our kids each day? Local nutritionist Betsy Cashen will teach you how to navigate the grocery aisles and the farmers markets and make informed choices about what your family eats. This workshop will educate about the wonders and the pitfalls in the modern food supply. We will also have a hands-on demonstration of making traditional, fermented sauerkraut.

Olana State Historic Site
5720 Route 9G
Hudson, NY 12534 

 

The 75c/2 Zatarains IP is back!!!

It's just in time to score some cheap rice at Shoprite this week.

25c each WYB2- Zatarains Rice $1 - 75c/2 IP

Wednesday Tip Day- Every Last Drop

I'm frugal and I don't like to waste.  

That being said, nothing stresses me out more than a drop of something good stuck in the bottom of the bottle. 

When you've got some honey or maple syrup that you need to get out of the bottle, simply place the bottle in a bowl of warm water to loosen up the good stuff!

On a related note, I take the last bit of ketchup and add a tiny bit of water.  I then combine this watered down ketchup with the new bottle once there is room and give it a good shake to distribute.

Waste not!

New Karo Q = 99c Corn Syrup at Shoprite!

There is a great new Karo IP here for 75c/1!!!

This is perfect timing for the baking sale at Shoprite!

99c- Karo Corn Syrup $2.49- 75c/1 IP doubled