REBATE CHECKS

I got another rebate check today for Adidas Deodorant $4.99.

I've added it all up and so far I've gotten back $48.99 !!

Woo~Hoo!!!!

CVS 6-30

I ran out to CVS this morning because they were having a two day sale on their water. I had no ECB's to spend but I did have a $3/$15 Coupon that expired today so I wanted to make sure to use that.

This is what I got....

2 Gold Emblem Water(24pk) $4.99Each
1 Physicians Formula Mascara $7.99
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.99
1 CVS Chapstick $1.79
Total $23.75
Sales -$4.50
Coupons -$5.79
Total OOP $13.83
Earned $11.48ECB

I may go back this week to get the Shick Intuition refills that are on sale BOGO!

Want to see more CVS savings????

Visit the Centsible Sawyer's CVS Superstars or Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday!! You can find both of their links in my list of favorites!!

WEEKEND UPDATE

The last three days I've been so busy that I haven't had time to get on the intranet which means I haven't posted anything of course.

Friday I went for a manicure and pedicure and then headed to do some errands at a nearby mall. My first stop was Petco to pick out a carrier for Mia. Her appointment to be spayed is July 18Th and I need something to transport her there. I found one that was the perfect size for $26.99! They usually range around $50+ so I got pretty lucky on that one!

My second stop was Yankee Candle. I was almost out of the tarts which I burn daily plus I had seen a $10/$35 coupon on another blog. I was very surprised to find that their big summer blowout sale was going on. I got 20 tarts and 1 large size candle and I paid $26.25 with the tax!

Woot Woot!!

My third stop was at Costco to pick up the pictures I had ordered via intranet. I hadn't really printed anything from the past year so I ordered it all it once....800 + prints! I just wanted to do it and get it over with. The bill was $159 :(

I stopped over at Danni's house on the way home. We hung out for awhile and then decided to go to Walmart together. I got some stuff for the house I needed like a carpet runner, cupcake pan, salad spinner, camera case, and 2 new waste baskets because my apartment complex starts recycling July 1st... Yeah!! I also bought a few groceries and a new game for Nevaeh which of course needed batteries. I only spent $119! I thought I had done much worse so I was excited!

Saturday I hung out at home and finished reading my book and also watched some Baseball. I was really sore from the day before so I didn't want to do anything. My friend Andy brought over Chinese food for supper and we ate that and watched more Baseball.

Today He came over again and we went out and looked at Open Houses all afternoon. He plans to buy one in August sometime. It was a long day but fun! I love to look at other people's stuff/house, I'm not sure why?? I hope I'm not a complete weirdo! hahaha

I also got in more rebates this weekend!

Another for Freighor's Bread $2.59

Another for Minute Miad $3.00

2 for Listerine $3.49Each

That's another $12.57 back!

Woot Woot!!

THIS AND THAT

Well I'm starting to feel a little bit better. Sore but not in agony anymore and my headache has gone away. At Physical Therapy today the girl gave me a great workout. We did all our normal exercises and then I got to use the arm bike. It was tough but a good workout all the same. I really need to strengthen up so every little bit helps. Then my therapist got a empty milk crate and place various weights in it and had me practice lifting it from the floor to waist level and then from waist level above shoulders. I was completely exhausted and sore when I left but I wasn't having any sharp or stabbing pains so I think most if it was just workout tired.

OK now on to a few frugal things, This morning in the local paper there was a ad for a new feature "Thursday Freebie". Each week there is going to be a coupon for a free item or service guaranteed to be worth more than the price of the paper! This week's freebie was a free round of mini golf at our local range. I don't play much mini golf these days but my friend Andy goes all the time with his daughter so I cut it out to give to him. Then this afternoon when getting the mail there was an extra paper laying on the table in the foyer(this is the spot people put extra papers, magazines and some lazy people put all their junk mail). So I got to cut out another coupon and now the two of them can play a round totally free!

Last week there was a coupon for a free Thomas the Train thingy at Toys R Us which was valid through next week. Today I found another coupon which expired today for basically the same thing. I decided I would take the 20 min drive there and pick up 2 free toys. Although I don't have any little boys in my family I figured I would get it and put away for a gift later(my friends always invite me to their kids parties). Once I finally located them in the store I saw a sign that said that the 1st online coupon I had had been a mistake and was no longer valid and then the 2ND online coupon they were out of stock on and offered no rain check. I went to customer service to see if I could substitute a lower priced Thomas for the out of stock and was told no and sorry there was nothing they could do. Every time I go to Toys R Us there's is a problem and I'm really starting to hate them and thinking about boycotting!

I was so aggravated on the drive home since I had gone out of my way to drive all the way there and back. My attitude improved however when I opened the mail and found a $3 rebate check from Minute Maid. I love rebates!

PAINFULL WEEKEND

Once again I've been slacking but this time it's because I hurt myself again and have been in chronic pain. I was lifting something light Sat afternoon (which I've been instructed to do since I need to rebuild my strength and get to a 25lb limit before I return to work in a couple of weeks) and I strained everything in my shoulder and neck and I heard something "pop". Within just a few minutes my pain level tripled and a heat came over the entire area.

I was in awful pain all day on Sunday and couldn't move my neck in certain positions. The later it got in the day the more everything hurt and I developed a slight headache. By the time I went to bed around 11pm I had a full blown migraine. I tried everything to get rid of it and four hours later I finally passed out with an ice pack on my head.

Monday things were no better. I only had a slight headache thank goodness it never turned into a migraine. I was once again in pain and didn't know what to do with myself. I tried ice, heat, med, exercises, hot showers etc etc. Nothing works :(

Today I still feel the same. I slept all right last night getting about 6 hours which is great for me but when I woke I felt the pain instantly. There is a huge knot on the base of my scalp that seemed to get larger overnight. I have an appointment with Physical Therapy in a few hours so I'm hoping that will help. I'm unsure weather or not to call the Dr. I have an appointment next Tuesday so I may just ride it out. They keep saying if I strengthen up they pain will go away and I won't need surgery on my herniation but obviously that's not working and I'm afraid now I may not be able to go back to work as planned :(

WELCOME BABY GIANNA

I went to my friend Amy's Baby Shower this morning. Amy and Gianni are expecting a baby girl, Gianna in early August. The shower was very nice. They served a yummy breakfast and then we got to watch Amy open all her great presents!

Congratulations Amy & Gianni

and

Welcome to the world Baby Gianna!!!

WORK PLAN

Nothing new around here to report. It's been fairly boring lately, alot of resting and Physical Therapy. I'm still not feeling any better but I think I'm going to be forced to go back to work. I think I have to work 8 months at full time to re qualify to go out with pay. Well I know that after 8 months you can qualify for FMLA(Family Medical Leave Act) again so I'm assuming you would be able to take another leave. I think what I'll have to do is suck it up and go back to work and do the best I can and as soon as I qualify take another leave and have the herniation taken care of.

Boy it sucks to be put in a predicament like this but I guess you do what you have to do to survive. For now I'm going to continue to be frugal and work on getting my debt paid off and put some in savings so if I ever go through something like this again at least I'll have a little cushion. It really isn't hard to clip out coupons and watch the flyers for sale items. I enjoy the challenge and see how much I can save. In fact I got another rebate in today for some Land O' Lakes Butter for $2.69. That's over $28 in rebates just this week. I know alot of people don't send these back because it's too time consuming but it works for me!

REBATES

I was happily surprised to find three rebate checks in my mailbox today!!

Live Active Cheese $7.46

Freihofer's Bread $3.19

Ascenia Glucose Monitor $14.99

That's $25.64!!!

See it really does pay to send back those rebates!

CVS 6-16

I made a run to CVS this morning basically because I needed refills for my Shick Intuition Razor so I figured I would try to work some sort of deal so I wouldn't pay so much out of pocket. I don't think I did that bad considering I would have paid $20 for the razor refills alone. This week's flyer didn't really appeal to me so I'm not sure I'll go back again. Here's what I got today....

TRANSACTION 1
2 Alavert D (12ct) $10.99Each
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.99**
Total $25.97
Sales - $8.50
Coupons/ECB’s - $16.00
Total OOP $1.54
**Plus have Mail in Rebate For Listerine $3.49

TRANSACTION 2
1 Shick Intuition Refill (6ct) $19.99
Total $19.99
Coupons/ECB’s - $11.49
Total OOP $8.93

DAYS TOTAL $45.86
DAYS SALES -$8.50
DAYS COUPONS/ECB’S -$27.49
MAIL IN REBATE -$3.49
DAYS TOTAL OOP 6.38
SAVINGS OF 86%

Want to see more CVS savings?
Visit the Centsible Sawyer's CVS Superstars or Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday!! You can find both of their links in my list of favorites!!

ALL TIRED OUT

Last Wednesday when I had my niece Nevaeh, we played so hard all day. Nevaeh was still running around the house around 6pm so I gave her a bath to calm her down some and then I figured we could color or watch her Pooh videos until my sister picked her up at 9. The poor little thing was so tired that when I was putting a DVD in and turned back around she had crawled up on my chair and ottoman and fell sound asleep. I don't blame her I was just as exhausted!!

THIS AND THAT

Yikes! I had no idea it's been five days since my last post. I've either been busy or in pain and haven't gotten on here much.

Wednesday I volunteered to take my niece Nevaeh for the day. I need to start doing more things and lifting more weight in order to go back to work so what better practice than to chase a two year old around for nine hours. By the time she left I was exhausted and very sore. I think all my muscles were aggravated. They were just as sore Thursday when I woke up so I rested all day.

Friday I had an appointment for more Trigger Point Injections at 8:15am. I had three shots total and this time I asked him to put one into the knot at the bottom of my scalp. He said it would feel weird since there is no tissue there and boy did it ever. Right after I went next door for Physical Therapy. They give you a deep tissue massage to work the medicine through the muscles.

By the time this was all done I was in pain and wanted to go home but I had to run to Costco. I was suppose to have a two day paycheck deposited and when it didn't show up Fri morning I called our payroll clerk and she said she had forgotten to key it in and would issue me a manual check if I could stop by and pick it up. No big deal because I needed to pick up a prescription anyways(our ins co makes us get them there).

I was pleasantly surprised by my paycheck. It was more than double what I expected. Being out of work so long and living on 60% of my salary, I had completely forgotten what I made regularly! I decided I would treat myself to a manicure and pedicure. My Manicurist couldn't fit me in for an hour so I ran across the street and into Pet co to get a scratching post for Mia. She is destroying the corners of my couches and everyone said this would help(update~3 days later she is still tearing up the couch). I than went over to Barnes and Nobles and picked out two new paperbacks and a Mint Mocha Frappachino at Starbucks. Hey.. I decided to splurge a little on myself since I've been so frugal lately! The pedicure was great! I love sitting in the massage chair and having it work on my muscles. It felt good after the injections earlier that morning. When my nails were all done I went home for the night and started reading one of my new books.

Saturday I got up and had a few chores to do. Vacuum, empty cat box, take trash out, etc. I wanted to get it done early so I could rest for a while since we were planning on going to a New Britain Rock Cats game. I love to go to Red Sox games but they are so expensive so this year I don't think I'm going to go so this was a great alternative. It's approx $27 for a pair of tickets and it's a fun night out watching baseball! Well as it got later in the day it started to pour so we scrapped that idea and decided to try again next weekend.

Even though I really wanted to go I was OK with skipping it since I decided I would get up at 5 am Sunday morning and drive down to the Cape. My parents have a second home there and were spending the weekend there with my sisters and their families. I am not a fan of the Cape and never go but thought it may be a nice surprise for my Dad to drive down for the day and hang out with them.

When I woke up this morning I looked on the intranet for Cape Cod's weather and learned it was gonna pour all morning and most of the afternoon so I decided the 3 hour drive each way wasn't worth it to hang out inside because of rain. So that idea got scrapped and I went back to bed.

CVS 6-10

This morning when I woke up I saw that the Bananas I had bought last week were turning brown. I remembered seeing a pretty easy recipe for Banana Bread over at The Sparrows Nest so I thought I'd give that a try. Thanks Mrs. Wilt for the recipe! The bread was real yummy!!

After finishing baking I had to go to Physical Therapy. My shoulder is starting to feel a little better but my neck is still killing me. We started working on body supporting exercises today like push-ups. We did some girly ones but they worked out OK and didn't increase my pain so I'll continue to do those at home as well. The therapist is trying to strengthen me up so when I hopefully go back to work next month it won't be a huge shock to my body. Let's see if it works!

After therapy I wanted to run to CVS to pick up some pics I ordered online. If you sign up for their online photo, they give you the first 50 prints free. While I like Costco pics the best I ordered these anyways since they were free. The colors weren't great but whatever!

Here's what I got today....

TRANSACTION 1
2 Honey Nut Cheerios Cereal $3.33Each
2 Total Cereal $3.33Each
1 Lucky Charms Cereal $3.33
1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal $3.33
50 Photo’s FREE
Total $20.00
Coupons - $16.50**
Total OOP $3.50

TRANSACTION 2
1 Case CVS water $4.99
2 Nivea Shaving Gels $2.99Each
1 Nivea Men’s Body Wash $4.99
3 Reese’s Cups $0.79Each
Total $18.33
Sales - $1.87
Coupons - $6.50
ECB’s - $10.00(adjusted down to $9.96)
Total OOP $0.00

DAYS TOTAL $38.33
DAYS SALES - $1.87
DAYS COUPONS/ECB’S - $32.96
DAYS TOTAL OOP $3.50

SAVINGS OF 91%

**On the first transaction I ended up getting an additional $9.50 taken off my order due to their mistake. I tried to explain it to the cashier and then the supervisor and they still didn’t understand so I gave up! The confusion was with my photo’s, since they were free they had their usual barcode(to charge $9.50 for pics) on them plus an additional coupon barcode(to subtract the price so they would be free). Well the kept scanning just the coupon and never actually scanned in the original barcode so in effect the took an additional $9.50 off my total. Normally I don’t like to “scam” anybody and always tell when something like this happens but I tried and nobody understood so oh well!!

Want to see more CVS savings?

Visit the Centsible Sawyer's CVS Superstars or Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday!! You can find both of their links in my list of favorites!!

WATER BALLOONS

Saturday was a real fun day. My parents invited us all over for a little impromptu Barbecue. It was extremely hot out and very humid so I brought up a bag of water balloons I had and a couple of water balloon slingshots. My Dad ran the hose for us and my sisters and I took turns filling up the balloons. We couldn't do it fast enough for them. We must have gone through at least 200 balloons!

Here's a pic of Nevaeh all ready to go in her swimsuit.

Nevaeh kept coming up the stairs and would grab one balloon at a time and then went back down the steps and throw it on the lawn. I can't tell you how many times she did this, I was tired just watching her. She was having a ball!!

She liked to take the bigger balloons but that's OK because the guys wanted the tiny ones since they flew through the air faster and didn't get stuck in the slingshot.

Jonathan and Nevaeh play really well together despite their age difference!

Jonathan had a blast shooting them off with my brother in law Dave Jr and his son Dave III. It's a three person slingshot where 2 people have to hold the ends and the person in the middle loads the balloon and then pulls back and lets it rip.

This is a view of the flower garden in front of my parents house. They were shooting the balloons up over those trees and almost hitting the neighbors house. It was a super fun afternoon and we all got a little relief from the heat!

A LOOK OVER THE LAST WEEK

First up is my beautiful niece Nevaeh. My sister Danni made her a nice breakfast of mini pancakes with fresh blueberries and syrup. I watched Nevaeh pick up a pancake and then ever so carefully squished it all in her mouth! She is so darn cute!!

"What Titi?? See it all fits!"

As you can all see, Miss Mia is adjusting nicely. She has a great playful personality that comes out more and more each day. She's a great companion to have around.

I spoiled her a little with a whole bunch of new toys which she loves!

Earlier in the week I had read from Andria over at Boy Crazy how she makes these Glazed Orange Brownies and they're a big hit. Turns out it's a Paula Deen recipe and I absolutely love her so I thought I'd give it a try. They came out great!

CATCH UP

I've been slacking the last few days on posting. Monday was payday so the first thing I did when I got up was to order Mia's Spaying Certificate online. She is now coming out of her heat which is good but I still need to have her spayed since this will just repeat itself over and over. I'm assuming I may have to go through one more heat cycle before I have her fixed. I'm not sure how fast the certificate comes in and I can't make the appointment until it comes plus the old owners ordered a copy of her kitten shots from their last vet which is out of state. When I called to ask if the vet was still participating in the spaying program I was told that unless I could prove Mia had her kitten shots, they would have to be repeated and thus I would have to pay more. The vet also said they preferred not to spay them when they're in heat. It's much more dangerous for the cat and it cost more so I'm assuming by the time I get all the paperwork in and make the appointment Mia will be in heat again and I'll have to reschedule. Whatever, at least it's getting taken care of!

After the certificate was ordered I called and paid a few bills over the phone and then it was off to pick up Danni. We were both going to Walmart to do our monthly shopping. It's the second month we've used coupons so we were excited to see how much we would save. The trip took us a little over 3 hours which isn't bad with stacks of coupons and a 2 year old! I spent $150.51 which was right on budget. I was thinking I wanted to be somewhere between $150-$175 so perfect! Since I had tons of condiments, beverages, spaghetti sauce and plenty of snacks(all that free Chex Mix!!) I focused more on meats, my freezer was completely bare except for a turkey. I also got some frozen veggies, rice, and potatoes.

Danni did real well too! She feeds a family of three everyday plus she has 3 step kids that are always around, two of them are 18 and 21 year old men so I don't have to tell you what they eat! She also has a huge in-law family that are always around on a daily basis. We do alot of big family diners/hangouts(approx 2-4 times a week). She ended up spending $300 and some change! Not too bad for feeding that many people! Danni had almost $70 in coupons!!

Once we were done with all of our shopping and we got back to her house I had to transfer all the stuff to my car and then once I got home drag it up to the second floor. Oh, did I mention that I didn't park in front of the building like I usually do but in a side lot instead cuz they're re-roofing the building and dropping all kinds of shit and I don't want anything to fall on my car! So needless to say I had to drag the groceries across the parking lot before I climbed the stairs. Now remember I can only lift on my left side which is my non dominate side so it isn't as strong, this whole process took many, many trips. Once it was all done and put away I was tired and in excruciating pain:( and I flopped on the couch and did nothing the rest of the evening.

Tuesday when I woke up I had all my usual pain plus a sharp stabbing pain shooting up my neck. I had an appointment at Physical Therapy so I was hoping that would help. The therapist gave me a deep tissue massage and the muscles still wouldn't loosen, as usual. She tried manual traction next but that didn't work either. She asked if I wanted to try mechanical traction, my usual response "Sure what have I got to lose".

That helped a little. When I left it wasn't as bad but still not feeling great. I still had a few more errands I wanted to run though so off I went. I needed kitty litter and some wet cat food. The grocery store by my house has it cheaper than Walmart so I waited to get it. Plus I wasn't in a rush, the box isn't due for a few more weeks, I use those once a month crystals but because I only get paid monthly and I know it's an expense I will occur this month I just went to got it over with. I found out that the store doubles coupons everyday but only up to $0.99. I had some coupons so it worked out well. Next I went across the street and stopped at CVS to do the Charmin/Bounty deal. It was the last thing I wanted to do for the week there. After I got my $10ECB I went back in and got case of water, fabric softener and a Father's Day card. On my way out I picked up a couple of June Monthly Deals Flyer. Although I've already seen it online I like to keep a hard copy to reference through the month and Danni need one too.

Next I headed over to Dave's Soda and Pet Food City. I wanted to look at cat toys. I bought two when I got Mia. One is lost and I've looked absolutely everywhere and the other was a feather boa thingy that she loves and has totally pulled apart and destroyed. I had gotten it at Dave's so I figured I would go back and get another. They were all out so I got her a few other feathery things and a couple of balls with bells in them. OMG she loves the balls. It's all I heard yesterday and overnight. I'm glad she is adjusting so well!

This morning I woke up in pain again probably mostly due to the rain(it's pouring). I had a early appointment to have three more trigger point injections and then an appointment immediately after at PT to work the medicine through the muscles. I'm very sore right now but figured I would post now cuz I know the pain will be much worse later.

When I got home I called my work to ask about my vacation time. The thing is my disability co may not pay me this month depending on what the paper work the Dr passes in says. I cant afford not to get paid since I live alone I need to be able to pay next months bills. A thought popped into my head when I was at PT about my vacation time. The way it works at my employer is whenever you got hired is your anniversary date so every year on that day you get next years vacation allotment. You are only able to carry over one week and the rest you must use or lose. I rollover on July 20Th and haven't used any time this year obviously because I've been out of work so I called to find out how much I had and if I could use it this month just in case disability co doesn't pay me. I found out I have 167 hours!! 127 of them must be used before July 20Th or I lose them. I'm hoping to return to work around July 1st which is when my next Dr follow-up visit is so if I'm not allowed to use them now then I'll have to take a four week vacation as soon as I come back. That would be real silly. The payroll clerk told me she would look into it and call me back. Hopefully they will let me use it, it's much more reassuring to have a back up pay plan!!

***UPDATE***

The payroll clerk called me back and I can use my vacation time to get paid this month if I don't end up getting paid from the disability co. Even if I do get paid by disability since I'm only earning 60% of my salary, the payroll clerk said she can supplement me also to bring me up to 100% if I want to use up my vacation time that way. Awesome!! This is such a relief because I was starting to worry about paying next months bills. I knew if I put my brain to it I would be able to think up something!

Whew... One disaster avoided for now!

CVS 6-1

I went to CVS today to get a jump on the weekly and monthly deals plus I still had a few of the $5/$15 Coupons left that expire today. Goodbye sweet coupon, you were fun while you lasted!! So I worked out some deal scenarios last night and was lucky enough to find everything I wanted in stock!

Here's what I got today....

TRANSACTION 1
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.99
2 CVS Plastic Band Aids $2.29Each
1 Bayer Heart Advantage $7.99
Total $16.56
Sales - $2.10
Coupons -$8.50
Total OOP $6.26
TRANSACTION 2
1 Listerine Smart Rinse $3.99
1 Bayer Heart Advantage $7.99
1 Oral B Toothbrush (2pk) $7.99
1 Reese’s Big Cup $0.79
Total $20.76
Sales - $2.50
Coupons/ECB’s - $17.97
Total OOP $0.29
TRANSACTION 3
1 Tampax Pearl Reg(40ct) $8.49
1 Tampax Pearl Super(36ct) $8.49
1 Oral B Toothbrush (2pk) $7.99
1 Reese’s Big Cup $0.79
Total $25.76
Sales - $5.98
Coupons/ECB’s - $19.48
Total OOP $0.30
TRANSACTION 4
6 Dawn Dish Liquid $1.69Each
1 Cascade Action Paks $5.49
1 Secret Flawless Deodorant $5.49
2 7-up Soda(20oz) $1.59Each + Deposit
1 Reese’s Cup $0.79
Total $25.29
Sales - $7.14
Coupons/ECB’s - $17.78
Total OOP $0.27
TRANSACTION 5
2 Chex Mix $1.99Each
2 Dawn Dish Liquid $1.69Each
1 Gillette Fusion Razor $9.99
2 7-Up Soda (20oz) $1.59Each + Deposit
Total $20.63
Sales - $3.36
Coupons/ECB’s - $16.59
Total OOP $0.68
DAYS TOTAL $108.00
DAYS SALES - $21.08
DAYS COUPONS/ECB’S - $80.32
DAYS TOTAL $7.80
MAIL IN REBATES(For the Listerine) - $6.98
TOTAL OOP $0.82
SAVINGS 0F 92%

Want to see more CVS savings? Visit the Centsible Sawyer's CVS Superstars or Money Saving Mom's Super Savings Saturday!! You can find both of their links in my list of favorites!!