Hi, thickbluebug here.
In this blog we will chart our journey of the deals we are chasing and the rebates we are hunting.
Tossing in some daily thoughts and tips.
Of course there will be drama too. We are couponers and someone is always trying to pee in the cornflakes - so drama is a given. Deal jealous fools trying to spoil the fun.
In this blog we will chart our journey of the deals we are chasing and the rebates we are hunting.
Tossing in some daily thoughts and tips.
Of course there will be drama too. We are couponers and someone is always trying to pee in the cornflakes - so drama is a given. Deal jealous fools trying to spoil the fun.
November stockpile & personal challenge totals
So I am participating in the November stockpile challenge. Same reason as always, I want to rotate my stock.
This time I am broke and tired. Tired of having stockpile coming out of my ears and having to move something to find something else. LOL, Broke because I am buying way too much "stuff" using the 10%.
Time to add a few rules for myself.
I am going to try limiting my retail amount I buy. The below 10% normally takes care of itself between my buying with competitor coupons, store dollar off coupons, incoming mirs, stockpile trades and yardsales.
For a spending limit, I think my retail cap should be $1000. Which is about 1/3 to 1/4 of my normal retail buying.
That should be pretty hard for me since I use so much in coupons and there will be bunches of sales for November.
The other thing is to limit my outside of the home eating. I will limit myself to 4 times. Yeah, I can do that.
Time to put the nuts, bars and some fruit and water back in the car for "incase" my blood sugar drops. No excuse to hit a drive through or convenience store. Well I can still look for q's - just not buy anything. 
The stockpiling cap for my retail will include everything except
milk, bread, produce, and soda
. Which is truly all I should be buying.
Those "necessities" will fall in a budget of $100 for 3 people and 2 pets. Generous, but we eat a lot of fresh produce and out of season produce.
The reason I am still buying stockpile and choosing to set a cap on spending instead of a STOP on spending - I have 10 relatives I supply with my freebies after q's.
So after I re-thought about me quitting my stockpiling efforts - it's really not fair to them - for me to just quit - especially at this time of year.
The $1000 limit is a big deal because I bought 750 in retail just yesterday (sunday/10/27/09). Yep zero oop since I got it for than $50.
I figure a limit of buying $1000 retail for stockpile purchases is the bare bones for us. This is turkey, seafood, salty snacks and other holiday items stockpiling season. This is the time of year when I get most of our baking and pantry supplies.
Trying to abstain from these sales will be hard, really hard.
eta: ummmm duh...how can I buy for all my mirs with the $1000 retail....this cap has to be with the exclusion of mir items. I have to buy the stuff for the rebate. This cap was a bad idea.
Here are my other budgets/restrictions:
Eat out 4 times for the month. Yes, big deal!
Holiday
I normally have 3 or 4 holiday parties for the remainder of the year. Not sure which ones I will get this year.
I expect to have incoming money to offset these expenses.
Nov 1
starting with zero
Spent on bread 3.76
publix penny item used up snuggle rc
1.09 x2 orders
no oop for less than 10%
food-world several stores and several family purchases
5 marcal oop .09 less than 10%
no oop
_________________________________
tbb special totals
retail of spending
4.69 x 8 snuggles 37.42
3.48 penny item
2.48 penny item
1.49 paper towels x 5 = 9.25
52.63
Budget:
$100 essential/grocery/hh 3.26_____________
$1000 retail totals (excluding above essentials) 52.63 (zero for contest per 10% rule)__________________________
black friday _______________________
tt actual spending _____________________
yardsale __________________________
mirs _____________________________
stockpile trades, 32 & 25__________
eating out limited to 4 times ack! first time on the first day for 3.96 3 left for the month!
This time I am broke and tired. Tired of having stockpile coming out of my ears and having to move something to find something else. LOL, Broke because I am buying way too much "stuff" using the 10%.
Time to add a few rules for myself.
I am going to try limiting my retail amount I buy. The below 10% normally takes care of itself between my buying with competitor coupons, store dollar off coupons, incoming mirs, stockpile trades and yardsales.
For a spending limit, I think my retail cap should be $1000. Which is about 1/3 to 1/4 of my normal retail buying.
That should be pretty hard for me since I use so much in coupons and there will be bunches of sales for November.

The other thing is to limit my outside of the home eating. I will limit myself to 4 times. Yeah, I can do that.
Time to put the nuts, bars and some fruit and water back in the car for "incase" my blood sugar drops. No excuse to hit a drive through or convenience store. Well I can still look for q's - just not buy anything. 
The stockpiling cap for my retail will include everything except
milk, bread, produce, and soda
. Which is truly all I should be buying.Those "necessities" will fall in a budget of $100 for 3 people and 2 pets. Generous, but we eat a lot of fresh produce and out of season produce.
The reason I am still buying stockpile and choosing to set a cap on spending instead of a STOP on spending - I have 10 relatives I supply with my freebies after q's.
So after I re-thought about me quitting my stockpiling efforts - it's really not fair to them - for me to just quit - especially at this time of year.
The $1000 limit is a big deal because I bought 750 in retail just yesterday (sunday/10/27/09). Yep zero oop since I got it for than $50.
I figure a limit of buying $1000 retail for stockpile purchases is the bare bones for us. This is turkey, seafood, salty snacks and other holiday items stockpiling season. This is the time of year when I get most of our baking and pantry supplies.
Trying to abstain from these sales will be hard, really hard.
eta: ummmm duh...how can I buy for all my mirs with the $1000 retail....this cap has to be with the exclusion of mir items. I have to buy the stuff for the rebate. This cap was a bad idea.
Here are my other budgets/restrictions:
Eat out 4 times for the month. Yes, big deal!
Holiday
I normally have 3 or 4 holiday parties for the remainder of the year. Not sure which ones I will get this year.
I expect to have incoming money to offset these expenses.
Nov 1
starting with zero
Spent on bread 3.76
publix penny item used up snuggle rc
1.09 x2 orders
no oop for less than 10%
food-world several stores and several family purchases
5 marcal oop .09 less than 10%
no oop
_________________________________
tbb special totals
retail of spending
4.69 x 8 snuggles 37.42
3.48 penny item
2.48 penny item
1.49 paper towels x 5 = 9.25
52.63
Budget:
$100 essential/grocery/hh 3.26_____________
$1000 retail totals (excluding above essentials) 52.63 (zero for contest per 10% rule)__________________________
black friday _______________________
tt actual spending _____________________
yardsale __________________________
mirs _____________________________
stockpile trades, 32 & 25__________
eating out limited to 4 times ack! first time on the first day for 3.96 3 left for the month!
Total Comments 14
Comments
-
Nov 2 and 3
I was so bad and it's too early in the month for this. LOL.
Publix had a typo in their ad and I just couldn't pass it up.
Some Publix shoppers were able to get $4 off any 4 gm items, but other stores had up signs saying it was a typo and only gm cereals and nut clusters counted.
My store opted to go by the store circular wordage - which really blew my limits out of the water.
I waited until the end of the sale.....lol - I almost made it.
I finally decided since I could get grand jr biscuits, yoplait, bc frosting, bc corn bread mix, progresso beans, bc muffin mixes all either completely free to making money buying them - to do it.
Sigh...........
Good thing is that most of it will be passed out to the family members. So no more junk in the house.
I did get frostings, broth/stock, and dairy products for the holiday - so that was good.
Still, because of my goal I needed to keep that precious retail low as possible for those sales closer to the holidays.
Wags is already killing me too!
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incoming
2 wags lost 1 crt so I am reconstructing the final retail total - lol I remember my oop
Wags
A
8 masc, 3 lubriderm, 2 herbal essence, and 8 holiday clearance items,
4.57 for 76.27 no oop
Wags
B.
5.79 for 25.52 ...
3 lubriderm, 2 herbal essence, 2 sets holloween/pumpkin candles, 2 cheeseburgers, 1 milk, bread and 8 mascaras.
This transaction I completely messed up. First my tt was $38 so I had to take off all the mascaras (deal was over) then I missed my $6 in lubriderm man q's....so I have the $6 to get another set on another day.
personal tt I am taking out 2.19 for bread and 1.29 for dairy
so #1 is 76.27 + #2 is 25.52 - 3.48 for milk/bread
#1
publix
order tt .51
tax 3.11
grand tt 3.62
saved 51.27 no oop
personal tt
13 progresso broth....needed for a holiday turkey
I use 8 containers for a turkey brine soak
17 oep sauces/mixes
publix vinegar
so the 51.78 counts in my retail cap
#2
Publix
sub tt 5.31
tax 6.08
tt 11.39
saved 97.23
total order was 102.54
I was so close on the 10 rule! LOL 11.39 oop
my personal tt
12 cake frostings
2 oep taco sauce reduced 1.30
3 holiday bags
5 banana nut cereals ( never have q's for these and are a splurge for spouse)
8 hhelper
8 ground beef
12 yogurts .75 don't count in personal tt for dairy - 9.00
12 biscuits x89 don't count in personal tt for dairy dept item....- 9.98
102.54-18.98 = 83.66 for my personal tt
#3 wd
1.29 retail personal tt
paid 1.09
#4
publix
made a buying boo boo
this store didn't have the bags for my bogo coupon - and I had in my mind they had a sale for bogo on the bags.
yeah, really dumb, but I do this when I am tired.
Soooo,
145.43 retail
tt 17.13
tax 8.40
grand tt 25.53*
note this tt is off and I went back and got my refund none of my .80 (.40 dbd) q's were taken off. They fell and the bagger picked them up and the cashier never took them off. :shrug7:
So I got a refund 8.80 and will get another refund for 1.60 for 2 more missed q's - that's 11.40 off the total
so 25.53 - 11.40 * 14.13 oop and zero oop for the contest
13 zip loc bags:sad:
4 hh,
4 cheez its
holiday shopping bag
4 banana crunch cereal
8 progresso beans
13 yogurts
4 ready bake cookies
vinegar
3 pilsbury biscuits 1.39 .89 .89
3 glade candles
2 banana muffins
my special tt - 28.39 for dairy
so 145.43 - 28.39 = 117.04
Budget:
$100 essential/grocery/hh 3.26_____________
$1000 retail totals (excluding above essentials)
retail in pink, red nov challenge total
76.27 (zero oop per 10 % rule (4.57),
22.04 ( 5.79),
52.63 (zero for contest per 10% rule)_
117.04 (14.13/ zero oop)
1.29(1.09 oop)
83.66 (11.39 oop)
51.78 (3.62 oop)
November challenge totals
43.85 (incl fast food)
incoming $55
black friday _______________________
tt actual spending _____________________
yardsale __________________________
mirs _____________________________
stockpile trades, 32 & 25__________
eating out limited to 4 times ack! first time on the first day for 3.96 3 left for the month!Posted 11-04-2009 at 08:57:35 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-09-2009 at 07:56:12 PM by thickbluebug (added totals) -
Posted 11-04-2009 at 06:16:28 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 10:22:21 AM by thickbluebug -
Yard Sale incoming
1476.00
expenses:
___________________
150.00 + 26.71
176.71 from above
More totals for the stockpile challenge:
My $10/50 competitor coupons were lost, really hurt my oop.
Dinning out for the yard sale 5.55, 9.35, 7.55, $8.60 and $12.66 - I think this should count as one trip because all this was brought to the yard sale because we couldn't leave when we spent the night.
Publix:
retail 34.96
oop 11.83
saved 24.94
special total: 6 x 3.19 = 19.14 for sodas
cap spending 34.96 - 19.14
Publix:
retail 40.07
oop 9.80
saved 31.87
special total: 6 x3.19 = 19.14 sodas
cap spending 40.07 - 19.14
Publix
retail 30.01
oop 9.98
saved 21.66
special total: 19.14 sodas
capped spending 30.01 - 19.14
Publix
retail 43.18
oop 6.88
saved 36.53
special total: 19.14 for sodas
capped spending 43.18 - 19.14 for sodas
What I did not buy oodles of this week that was w/i my free to stockup price:
herbal essence, almay, lubriderm, chocolate chips, b c potatoes, oikos yogurt, tooth paste with a rc and choc chip cookies
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incomingPosted 11-07-2009 at 05:42:03 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 10:21:55 AM by thickbluebug -
Posted 11-09-2009 at 09:05:33 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 10:20:30 AM by thickbluebug -
November Stockpile and Totals
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incoming
Wags oop
zero oop on the 6 transactions.
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
1.16 (less than 10%)
savings 79.99 ouch!
Publix
bought a $100 gc to do the gift card mirs
this is xmas money and I do not count it in my oop totals. I did incorporate the gc in the transactions to hide being negative
20 of these boxes are for a friend -
I did not have to time to mail her the q's and just bought them. The last 4 were sil's.
6 boxes of potatoes (1.69 retail)
and a $25 gc
paid using a $100 gc
oop .30 - less than 10%
no oop
6 potatoes
free gift bag .99
tylenol 3.99
tylenol 3.99
6 baking chips 2.50 x6
29.38 - 25.00 gc rolling
4.38 retail
used .40/1 coupons for her potatoes so the oop is not mine....
really
so 4.38 - .55 (potatoes)
zero oop
less than 10% (41.06 - 1.69 x 6 jack n roxie)
publix
25.00 gift card and paid using a gift ( rolling for a rebate) x 15
Publix
6 potatoes .85 (1.69)
2@.99 chips for fillers
total
.41
saved 15.46 - no oop
no retail on the potatoes these were for sil and friend
.99 .99
stockpile trades $15
Posted 11-11-2009 at 06:15:51 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 10:21:22 AM by thickbluebug -
November stockpile challenge and totals
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incoming
Publix
75 lipton tea 1.09 (1.09 x 75)
3 20 oz dt mtn dew 1.49 x 3
1 pint mc n cheese needed 15 worth of extras for my overage
7.84 1# chicken tenders
3.09 gallon milk
.99 bread
added in $100 gc to do my rebate....no oop - rolled my previous 4@$25 in gc to hide my overage.
stockpile retail cap 108.66 - 3.09 - .99
essentials total 3.09 + .99
total oop 0
neg 3.98
less than 10% no oop
3.98 neg
Posted 11-12-2009 at 12:38:13 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-18-2009 at 06:58:26 AM by thickbluebug -
November Stockpile and Challenge Totals from Nov 13&14
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incoming
Produce stand 7.96 7.96
Need to reconstruct family dollar totals
combined mother stuff with mine.
so I had 10 snuggles boxes .18 after tax - less than 10 % oop -- so no oop
retail 3.00 x 30 30.00 retail to count in my cap
wags 126.99 retail
oop was 12.65 no oop and got 5.00 5.00 8.00 in rr back
126.66 counts in my retail cap
wags..........need totals for #2
RA *
thought I had already entered this....:shrug7:
no oop
tax was less than 10%
bought 8 shampoos and 8 stylers x 3
used a $5 off and got my 5.99 nuts for my dads xmas gift with those. I have a diff budget for xmas and even though this crosses over I am not counting it. I have always used my neg money toward my gifts.
I also will get the $5 scr rebate on nuts from ra -
retail cap - 24 x 4.49
nuts x 3 - for an xmas gift do not count
Posted 11-14-2009 at 11:53:26 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 10:27:10 AM by thickbluebug -
Stockpile challenge and personal challenge
Wags
2.13 oop no oop less than 10%
3.68 oop no oop less than 10%
bought
2 mascaras 6.99 x 2
2 aussie shampoos 2 x 2.99
6 imotion mini starter kits 7.99 x 6
2 ivory bar soaps 1.39 x 2
4 chapsticks 1.49 x 2
used $10 rr x 2 and got back $5 $2 rr x 2
Not a good roll of my rr - so I won't do that one again. Losing $6 in rr for nothing aint good. Especially when they aren't expiring.
LOL
walmart
bread, milk, eggs, buns, sub rolls, chicken salad, pimento salad chips, bag of oranges
' what can I say -- I was in a mood.
Decided I would buy sandwich stuff for the boys cause I aint doing nothing for the next few days.
TBB is on strike in this house.
LOL
50.70 oop
Totals
pink - my personal challenge total
burgundy for my personal $100.00 budget spending
red oop for codys
green incomingPosted 11-15-2009 at 10:10:56 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-15-2009 at 02:41:57 PM by thickbluebug -
Posted 11-16-2009 at 07:02:41 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-16-2009 at 08:06:15 PM by thickbluebug -
November Stockpile challenge and personal totals
Need to do some adjusting on these totals - they include a shop for someone else.
Piggly wiggly
25.68*
will calculate a new oop after I take out these totals
* 20 x .29 (5.80) and add in 10% tax 1.53
25.68 -5.80 - 1.53 = 17.82
Publix
total was 688.47
after q's and sales oop was 116.79*
*need to sub out 60 green giant steamers &
need to sub out what my sil pulls from the stash
-30.83 and tax of 9% 2.79 = 33.62
So oop is 116.79 - 33.62 = 83.17
83.17 oop for 688.47
my oop was so high because I had some missing wd cats and I didn't get to split up my orders and use $/$ coupons.
Won't be special ordering like that again....I depend on those coupons to keep me at 90% savings. I added in a bunch of things that generates overage because the store is changing and is about to suppress overage too. They started a dnd policy for the dnd marked coupons.
Sad day
11/16 wags
saved 16.00 oop was 3.10
saved 16.00 oop was 3.10
11/15 wags
saved 36.64 oop was 1.86
saved 36.64 oop was 3.11
11/14 wags
saved 10.30 oop was 1.86
saved 41.60 oop was .77 sub 3.51 tt
saved 132.59 oop was 12.95
11/13 wags
saved 62.29 oop 5.87
saved 81.99 oop 6.52
saved 82.29 oop 5.87
saved 14.48 oop 12.97
saved 38.20 oop 11.10...retd this order for 13.58
saved 38.20 oop 11.10
__________________________________
- personal stockpile cap
- remove sodas of 15.00 22.35 (37.35) from retail
remove sil's stuff from capped spending
remove gg steamers 2.39 x 60
remove 10 boxes of muffins 2.69
remove 10 boxes of hh 1.50
remove 20 cans of .79 evap milk (15.80)
_____________________________
11/18/2009
incoming stock pile trades
$15.00 & $10, $10, $10
Posted 11-18-2009 at 06:32:04 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-23-2009 at 10:31:40 PM by thickbluebug (totals) -
November Stockpile challenge and personal totals
incoming stockpile trade $13
incoming mirs $2, $3
OOP - went and made a drive thru run last night for a sick ds - knew he wouldn't eat it.....but can't say no to a sickie
6.84
-----------------------------------
11/20/2009
stockpile trade $33
Wags oop.....4 transactions benefiber aussie hairspray and beard dye. Cheaper than walmart.
#1 3.82 saved 21.99
#2 4.67 saved 24.00
#3
#4
Plan on a few more orders today of benefiber, comtrex, beard dye. I was planning on keeping some rr for black friday but I need these for the stockpile for us
--------------
11/21/2009
Publix
1 turkey
saved 52.34 oop 11.81
1 ham
saved 56.50 oop 22.50
Winn dixie
turkey
saved 21.77
22.95 oop
11/21/09
wags
3.38 saved 29.30
5.86saved 67.71
8 will return the 14.99 monitor...they didn't take my $5 q to make it free. So I will retd it. so no oop
Target
chinet deal
saved 117.78 oop 11.40 no oop
saved 115.82 oop 29.70 rolled gc from glade and kellogg's deals no oop got back 30.00 to play again
walmart
last min baking hen for stuffing/dressing
6.83 6.83
Posted 11-20-2009 at 10:43:38 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-25-2009 at 02:17:32 PM by thickbluebug -
November stockpile challenge and personal totals
Nov 23
target
saved 30.00 oop 2.70
batteries no oop
publix
picked up items for parties,,,,bread and butter pickles and ritz crackers - (plan is to do the $10 jingle mir and a condiment mir)
saved 28.01 oop 3.70 * minus refund of 2.56 for penny item...no oop
saved 19.12 oop 3.12
saved 30.39 oop 3.18
saved 16.40 oop 4.52
saved 19.29 oop 2.44
saved 24.20 oop 3.21
Wags
subtotal .25 tax 1.86
oop 2.11 saved 23.00 no oop
cashed 129 in mirs/stock pile trades....ck totals counted
got back $8 rr
wags...lost crt
10.90 used 8rr and should have gotten 10.00 rr back.
.90 oop
11/18
checks cashed 238.00
11/20
cashed 219 in checksPosted 11-23-2009 at 10:15:52 PM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-30-2009 at 09:12:07 PM by thickbluebug -
Auction and yard sale 374 & 912 yesterday. Yep made that off selling my extra stockpile in one day.
Made the 374.xx in a 30 minute sale plus my son and sil did a yard sale for me from 7 to 2 yesterday and sold 912.00.
We only buy stuff that is free after rr, ecb's or coupons and rebates. My instore price is a quarter.
So for an example -
glass plus - I can get it bogo at 2/2.49 and I have $2.00 in coupons. So .24 25 a bottle.
Then sell the glass plus for 1.50 a bottle.
I have decided that I was an idiot to put a cap on my spending. I can help others with what I buy. I do look at it that way.
We don't clear shelves while getting my stockpile and we bought my items by going from store to store.Posted 11-29-2009 at 11:00:43 AM by thickbluebug
Updated 11-29-2009 at 04:47:15 PM by thickbluebug -
November challenge totals
Final totals
oop 260.67
incoming 3165.00
personal challenge totals
retail spending 3137.79
essentials 240.66 - went over here because of thanksgiving dinner
I wasn't having the party - then ended up having to cook for 2 shut ins. My party budget was 150.00 my essential spending budget was 100.00
I was under.......
Didn't do worth a crap,,,,,and we stayed out of the stores and did very few deals.Posted 11-30-2009 at 09:11:03 PM by thickbluebug












