Savings Summary Saturday - Janurary 28, 2012

Grocery Shopping (and other savings) this week:
Bloom -
Our Bloom is closing so I grabbed my dog treat coupons and bought what I could.  50% off started on Wednesday and by Thursday, the shelves were VERY limited.

Cereal Aisle of Bloom, 2nd day of 50% off

I was able to get quite a few treats, some poptarts (no coupons), some store brand cookies (no coupons), and hairspray (no coupons).  Overall, I saved 64%. (50% off all items and $14 in coupons).

CVS

• Combos - 89cents each - on sale for BOGO and $1 coupon off of 2
• Pantyliners - 4 cents each (tax only) - on sale for 99 cents and $1/1 coupon.
• I also got a raincheck for this since I have 3 more $1/1 coupons

Giant

• Kellogg's Cereal - $1.67 each (sale for $2 and $1/3 coupon) - items to be donated
• Arm & Hammer laundry detergent - $2.30 each (sale for BOGO and $1/2 coupon)
• Barella pasta - 50 cents each (sale for $1 and $1/2 coupon)
• Campbell Soup at Hand - 50 cents each (sale for $1 and 50/2 coupon which was doubled)
• Smart Balance peanut butter - $2.13 each (sale for $3.63 and 75/1 coupon which was doubled)
• Nature's Own bagels - $1.89 each (sale for $2.99 and 55/1 coupon which was doubled)

Saved the following percentages on the trips - 48% and 51%

Gas Savings:
All purchases this week were make at Exxon, so money was earned on Upromise.com
Things we got in the mail:

• Entertainment Weekly (Mycokerewards.com)

Rewards programs:
MyPoints (personal account) - 6,967 points (6,932 points -last week)
MyPoints (coupon account) - 2,820 points (2,795 points-last week)
Swagbucks - 2,045 points (2,021 points-last week)
Listia - 14,132 credits (14,127 credits-last week) $0 paid out (when buying credits it is $0.10/credit)
Postpoints -2,395 points (2,350 points last week)
mycokerewards -4,189 points (4,099 points-last week)
Bondrewards - $24.91 -last week)
Upromise - $13.32 ($13.32-last week) available for transfer
Capital One Rewards - 2,236 miles (2,016 miles-last week)
Thanks Again - 0 points

New Year, New Goals

• Use rewards programs to get gifts and daily stuff - Used gift cards received with purchase for at Target.
• Use Restaurant.com coupons - no action this week.
• Buy a New Car - BOUGHT IT!
• Set up an Estate - no action this week

Savings Summary Saturday - Janurary 21, 2012

Grocery Shopping (and other savings) this week:
45% savings this week.  Paid $84.09 ($185.50 before savings)

• Pupperoni was BOGO 10 packages ($3.79X5 minus $8.50 in coupons) = $1.05 each!
• Hatfield ham slices - $2 each minus $1 off each = $1 each!

Stopped at Giant again for Pupperoni & Hatfield ham.  Definitely a good deal!
Gas Savings:

Used Exxon card for money back on UPromise.

Things we got in the mail:

• Entertainment Weekly (from Mycokerewards.com)

Rewards programs:
MyPoints (personal account) - 6,932 points (6,867 points -last week)
MyPoints (coupon account) - 2,795 points (2,755 points-last week)
Swagbucks - 2,021 points (1,987 points-last week)
Listia - 14,127 credits (14,122 credits-last week) $18.15 paid out for 1637 credits = 1 cent each (when buying credits it is $0.10/credit)
Postpoints -2,350 points (2,310 points last week)
mycokerewards -4,099 points (4,063 points-last week)
Bondrewards - $24.91 ($24.86 -last week)
Upromise - $13.32 ($12.47-last week) available for transfer
Capital One Rewards - 2,016 miles (1,881 miles-last week)
Thanks Again - 0 points

New Year, New Goals

• Use rewards programs to get gifts and daily stuff - Used a gift card for Chipotle that I received for Christmas.
• Use Restaurant.com coupons - used a coupon for Main Street Wings.
• Buy a New Car - BOUGHT IT!
• Set up an Estate - no action this week

No longer your house

So I try to check out the hometown paper online every so often.  Today must have been a slow day (as if that's different than any other day).  They posted the following "article" and video.

Remembering the Schwarzenbach house that was
By Christine Loman

The Evening Tribune

Posted Jan 20, 2012 @ 12:32 PM

Hornell, N.Y. —

Jean Travis doesn’t like to go down Hill Street anymore. It isn’t that the neighborhood reminds the Hornell resident of old times, it’s that more recent days haven’t been weathered so well.
Travis used to live at 85 Hill St. in the Schwarzenbach House. Her father bought the house in 1948 from the Schwarzenbach family when he got called up to the railroad from Owego. Travis lived there until 1984.
Travis says when she sees the house now it makes her feel sick.
The house has changed hands and fallen into neglect since the 1980s. It was damaged in a suspicous fire in 2003. The blaze started in the cellar and made its way up through the second floor.
For Travis, 85 Hill St. is a wasting remnant of happier days. A pillar on the front porch is slowly rotting away.
The home where Travis saw her parents celebrate their 50th anniversary and raised her son has fallen queit, hushed by vacancy and decay.
Remembering the inside
“It was just a beautiful home with this beautiful woodwork inside and the sliding panel doors. and diamond cut glass windows and colored glass windows. It was in perfect shape.”
The ‘castle on the hill’
“Daddy used to call it his castle on the hill and Mother had a great big flower garden out back with flowers in it and I tell you it makes me sick to look at it now.”

So - what's your point?  Over half the houses in Hornell are rundown.  Obviously, there was a reason why you moved out of the house lady.  Don't get me wrong.  It's sad that the old houses are becoming rundown, but it's a fact of life.  Especially when people don't have money to fix the house.

I was lucky.  The house I grew up in was sold to someone who took the time & money to fix it up (and sold it).  I think the people who it was sold to are still living in it and have done even more to the outside.  However, I can't drive by it.  I think I've driven by it once since I sold it in 1998.  No matter what the shape of the house, the memories are still there and it's hard.

I wonder why they posted this.  Is the historical society trying to get money to fix locations?

20 cents per bag

So yesterday, it was announced that Virginia is going to try to pass a 20 cent per bag tax at grocery stores. REALLY????  Come on, DC and Montgomery County have a 5 cent tax.  That's reasonable.  I SAVE 5 cents per bag when I bring in bags at Giant now.

Canada has the same tax.  Does it save/prevent on litter?  I don't know.  But what really has me in an uproar is that these two idiots realize that the bill will probably pass at 5 cents - then why are you wasting time and just ask for a 5 cent tax?

20 cents per bag

20-cent bag fee proposed in Virginia

Thursday - 1/19/2012, 9:10am  ET

The aim of the bag law would be reduce the amount of litter that ends up in area waterways. (AP)

Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
SPRINGFIELD, Va. - The latest bag fee proposal is sparking intense debate in Virginia after lawmakers proposed a 20-cent tax on plastic.
The bill, co-sponsored by Delegates Joe Morrissey, D-Va., and Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, would impose a 20-cent fee on all plastic bags used by grocery shoppers to carry purchased goods. It doesn't affect durable, reusable bags, or bags used for ice cream, meat, fish or poultry.
Surovell says the bill is not meant to raise money, but to cut down on litter and pollution. He adds that it will likely be cut down to 5 cents once a review begins in committee.
"You could avoid the fee simply by bringing your own bag," Surovell says.
He also says that his constituents are more accepting of the 5-cent fee.
"Responses on my blog ran about 64 percent of the people were perfectly fine with a nickel," he says.
Surovell's district borders the Potomac River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. He says improperly discarded plastic bags are a major source of pollution and any fees collected would be used to clean up the litter.
The proposal is similar to laws already in effect in D.C. and Montgomery County, Md.
Republicans immediately lashed out regarding the proposal, saying many people already reuse plastic bags around the house.
Three similar bills died in House committees last year.
Follow Hank and WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Do I have to? AKA clothes on dogs

Poor Zed - he has been to a point where he was losing his fur (all of it) and is now at a very healthy, but still his belly is pretty bare and he still has some barespots.  I know whatever breeds he has in him are not winter dogs.  Heck, he's not even a rain dog.  He HATES going outside in the rain.

He LOVES going for walks.  Now that it's colder though, he starts shivering when we stop.  I never really cared about putting clothes on dogs - they have fur - why do they need anything else?  Zed is a perfect example for why they need more layers.

I bought him a parka last year, but it was towards spring so we didn't use it.  Yesterday, it was 18 degrees out - FREEZING! So I pulled it out.  He wasn't too happy with it on (see below).

He's momma's boy, so he'll do anything for me.  We started out and he walked across the street to the first alleyway and peed.  Then kind of lagged behind me.  I thought it was the coat.  All I could think of was "The Christmas Story" where the brother couldn't put his arms down with his snowsuit on, because you could tell he was trying to get used to it.  We made it a block & 1/2 and he went poop then wouldn't go any farther.  I figured it was the coat - nope - I took it off and he still was turned back towards the house.  He was done.  Too cold. 

So, here I am, with one dog facing the way we had came and the other facing forward.  I had to talk Esa into going back home - I was just waiting for the wining to start, but I think she knew.  We dropped him off and off Esa and I went.

I think Zed's turning point is around freezing.  He'd rather just stay home in bed - wouldn't we all.....

Savings Summary Saturday - Janurary 14, 2012

Grocery Shopping (and other savings) this week:
no big shopping spree this week.  I did several stops at Target this week for Smart Ones.  The offer was buy 10 at $1.89 and get a $5 gift card.  I had a $3 coupon off of 10, so without the gift card, it was $1.59 each (great price) with the gift card $1.09 each!

Gas Savings:
Saved 30 cents per gallon at Shell by using my Giant card, plus saved an additional 2 cents per gallon by using the Shell Super Saver. Hubby used the Exxon card which gives us $$$ on UPromise.

Things we got in the mail:

• Entertainment Weekly (from MyCokeRewards.com)
• a $10 off of $50 coupon for Harris Teeter from Recyclebank.com

Rewards programs:
MyPoints (personal account) - 6,867 points (6,827 points -last week)
MyPoints (coupon account) - 2,755 points (2,735 points-last week)
Swagbucks - 1,987 points (1,967 points-last week)
Listia - 14,122 credits (12,475 credits-last week) $0 paid out (when buying credits it is $0.10/credit)
Postpoints -2,310 points (2,270 points last week)
mycokerewards -4,063 points (4,017 points-last week)
Bondrewards - $24.86 ($20.76 -last week)
Upromise -  $12.47 ($12.47-last week) available for transfer
Capital One Rewards - 1,881 miles (1,761 miles-last week)
Thanks Again - 0 points

New Year, New Goals

• Use rewards programs to get gifts and daily stuff - no action this week
• Use Restaurant.com coupons - no action this week
• Buy a New Car - BOUGHT IT!
• Set up an Estate - no action this week

Savings Summary Saturday - January 7

Grocery Shopping (and other savings) this week:
Saved 61% at Giant this week.(paid $143.73; $236.50 before savings)
Gas Savings:
Didn't need gas this week.  Hubby used Exxon card which gives us $$$ on UPromise.

Things we got in the mail:

• Oprah's Life Class Journal
• Kashi cereal bar sample 
• Notepad from National Anti-vivisection Society
• Notepad from National Wildlife Federation
• Entertainment Weekly (from MyCokeRewards.com)
• 4 coupons for a free 12 pack coke product (from MyCokeRewards.com)

Rewards programs:
MyPoints - 6,827 points (personal account) - 6,797 points -last week)
MyPoints - 2,735 points (coupon account) - 2,730 points-last week)
Swagbucks - 1,967 points (1,928 points-last week)
Listia - 12,475 credits - Donated 2,500 credits (14,623  credits-last week) $0 paid out (when buying credits it is $0.10/credit)
Postpoints -2,270 points  (2,250  points as of Dec. 3)
mycokerewards - 4,017 points (3,923 points-last week)
Bondrewards - $20.76 ($20.61-last week)
Upromise - $12.47 ($12.47-last week) available for transfer
Capital One Rewards - 1,761 miles (1,686 miles-last week)
Thanks Again - 0 points

New Year, New Goals

• Use rewards programs to get gifts and daily stuff - no action this week
• Use Restaurant.com coupons - no action this week
• Buy a New Car - no action this week
• Set up an Estate - no action this week

The Daily Cuteness of Zed

I think that almost daily, Zed makes us smile with his big personality.  Don't get me wrong, Esa makes us smile too.  Esa and Zed's personalities are just SO different.

This weekend was no different.  We have our big TV in the basement and when there is a hockey game, we all (hubby, me, Esa & Zed) go downstairs and hangout.  Dan has also been sick this weekend (cold/sinuses), so he's been hanging out downstairs alot (it's his "man cave").

Zed was so cute this weekend.  Dan and I would be upstairs in the kitchen and he would keep heading towards the basement doorway or actually go downstairs by his self.  Then when I would peek around the corner, he would just be standing at the bottom of the stairway and come running back up.  It was like he said "come on, let's hang out downstairs!"  Esa never does this.  Esa only "asks" goes downstairs (when the door is closed) if she left her treat toy down there the day before or if Dan & friends were hanging out there the night before (has to go check to make sure no food was left around).  Even when the door is open, I don't think she's ever gone down by herself.

Dan had a cute story from the walk today.  Esa stepped on Zed.  Zed started yelping and picked up his right front leg, like it was hurt.  Esa started looking around like "what happened?"  Dan said, he was thinking "you stepped on him silly!"  He said that he petted Zed a little and was going to pick him up to carry him home.  Next thing you know, he's back to normal and off the leash running straight for our porch (our normal routine).  When Dan told me it was his right leg, I told him, that's the same leg he picked up after he got his shot.  That little stinker, playing the sympathy card.