Ladies Event and Limit Event 1/18/09 Borgata Winter Open

Sunday morning, DH and I woke up bright and early to head down to Borgata. Me for the ladies event of the Borgata Winter Open (BWO) and DH for the limit hold em event of the BWO. Alarm clock went off at around 6:30 and we snoozed until about 7 or so, and did our normal 'You get up first and turn up the heat' We get up, get dressed, put make-up on (me not DH!) DH packs up the truck and we're off! We stop at Shop-Rite so I can buy some newspapers to drop off at the nursing home (good deed of the day). When we woke up, it was already snowing, so I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. We got on the parkway at about 8:30 after the two stops and then a stop at the rest stop for DH's breakfast sandwhich and choco milk. We got there in good time, a little after 9:30 (I drove). We checked in, and then gave our luggage to the bell guy. We then went upstairs and registered early since there was no line. We walked around for a bit, then met up with my friend Cherryl who was in her PJ's and changed in the bathroom upstairs after registering at 5 minutes to 11 (start time). My seat was the button (sweet!) and the game begun!

I had a pretty nice table in the beginning, we all pretty much got along, however, there were two people who could not get along. The girl to my right (5) and an older woman in seat 1. The older woman did not play 'by the book' but that can be a good thing. She was winning some hands, losing some hands. She won a pot off seat 5 and put her on tilt and they went at it a few times. I felt bad b/c seat 5 kept whispering stuff to me about seat 1, but I'm not there to make fun of people or tell people how to play. But seat 1 came back a few times with some good comebacks. I was never with a huge chip stack, just kind of got by. right as we were switching tables, I look down at pocket kings....sweet! I raise, and the woman in seat 7 raises me, saying something like 'I have no idea what I have' Not sure if she was talking to the person across from her about something else, or the hand, but when it came to me I went all in, she insta called, showing pocket aces. UGH! Figures. Window is a king and I'm praying that two other people folded an ace! Nothing on turn and river, I double up!

On to the next table. Much better table. A little quiet, but I got them talking. The one girl said that I 'livened up their dead table'. Made a few bad laydowns that could have made me a nice profit, but all well. The one, a girl in the previous hand had pocket aces, and showed. Next hand, the deal hit her hand and an ace shows, so he grabs it and gives her the last card. She starts laughing and says 'Oh you guys won't believe this' and I'm like 'she got aces AGAIN, with one showing' UGH. I get pocket 4's and fold (I figure I'm up against aces). Four flops and then she shows her ace queen when the person folds. Are you kidding me? UGH.
I did have the bloggers give me some shout outs, they were really cool. I was nursing my short stack for awhile, but I was happy when I made it to the dinner break. First hand back, I get ace king. Seat one raises it to 4k, I go all in for another 7700 on top, she calls with pocket 5's. Nothing hits for me and I'm out in 55th. To pocket fives, figures.

It's been over a week and I can't remember and good hands I played in. I didn't play too many, sat tight waiting for good hands, especially with non-players at the table calling everything and anything. I tried to put on my IPod, couldn't get the ear plugs in the tiny hole, gave it to DH, he said there's something stuck inside, can't get it out.

DH busted out in 57th or 56th from his tourney, neither of us placed in the money :(

More CVSing on Saturday

I had gotten an early morning text from my friend Tim about his poker stories. I told DH that if he got up to get my phone, I'd buy him breakfast (laziness at it's best!) So he did. On our way to breakfast I asked to stop at CVS and I'd buy him something if he wanted me to. So we went. DH didn't buy anything, he didn't want anything. On my card, I finished out the Stayfree and I got 2 of those to get my $10 ECB's. I tried for some more L'Oreal makeup, but the only 75% off I saw were the ones I got at the CVS by work. I got the Garnier shampoo for DH to put on his card. So here are the transactions:

DH Garnier transaction 1:
Total: 4.29
# items: 1
Store savings: 1.30
Q's: 1.00
Tax: .21
OOP: 2.20
Received 2 ECB's.
Savings: 49%

My Stayfree transaction 2:
Total: 12.38
# items: 2
Store savings: 3.38
Q's: 8.19 (6.19 the guy put in for the BOGO Q b/c they don't ring up, the other 2 is my ECB from the Garnier from the CVS by work)
tax: 0
OOP: .81
Earned 10 ECB's
Savings: 93%

Now, fellow hounds, when you do your spreadsheets, do you count ECB's earned in the transaction as a rebate, and when you use the ECB do you count them as Q's?

Stayfree anyone? LOL

I made my first 'trial' run at CVS yesterday on lunch. On my list were the Stayfree maxi pads, Garnier shampoo and some L'oreal makeup. When CVS had their Glade promotion going, I attempted to go. I went at 11am on lunch at work, and the shelves were completely empty, so I haven't gone back, thinking the good deals would have been had already. So I attempted yesterday and here's what happened:

I go in to the Stayfree aisle and there are quite a few packages still available. They had the 28-36 count on sale for 2 for $9, which is a great deal! I also had the BOGO Q's, so I got 6 of them, so three would be free, three I'd pay for. If you spend $20 or more on certain products (these are included) you would get $10 ECB's. So I got my six, thinking 4.50*6=$27 so I'd be over the limit of $20 to get my $10 ECB's. I then go to the shampoo aisle, expecting there to be NO shampoo left, however, they were fully stocked! It's limit one per household, so I got my one (had a Q too and you get $2 ECB for purchasing one). I then made my way to the L'Oreal makeup. I had grabbed some HIP products that were BOGo, but the one was 8.99, then the other would be free. Still expensive but I had a Q as well. Then I figured out what the hounds are talking about. On select make ups, they had a 75% off sticker! AHA! So I grabbed 2 of those so I can use my Q and I went to check out. I wanted the girl since I had a basketfull of Stayfree, but nope, I get the guy in the suit. I felt confident b/c he seemed like a manager type. I was wrong.

He scans in everything, then I (all planned out) hand him my $4/$20 Q (the total was like $37 and change or something). Then I had him my 3 BOGO Q's, then the Garnier Q, then the L'Oreal Q. He can't quite scan in the BOGO Q's, so he does something to the order. The OOP was $13.96. Then he hands me my receipt and I only had the $2 ECB on it. I couldn't sit and argue as the girls from work were picking me up after they got their lunch, so I went out to the car. I'm now figuring out what he did. Since he couldn't scan the BOGO, he took off 3 from the order, and scanned one in and priced it at FREE. That way I got the 3 free (not on receipt) and I paid for the other 3. SO, with the ECB's, I think I should have gotten the $10 ECB b/c I did purchase 6 of the Stayfree, right?

I'm going back tonight to another CVS since I don't have my Q binder and I found out from sbvs from the hound that you can use the BOGO Q's AND the $2/2 Stayfree Q's. They are at home in my binder, so my idea of going to CVS on lunch again is out. I'm thinking of going tonight and getting my 6.50 worth of Stayfree (with my $2 Garnier ECB) tonight using my Q's and maybe some more make up since I have a few more Q's. Also, was also thinking of having DH use HIS card and try to get the $10 ECB as well on HIS card. So I'll get the 6.50 worth on MY card, and if we have enough Q's, have him get $20 of Stayfree. Any opinions?

Hounding Day 1/6/09 con't - Shop Rite

Shop-Rite (not as great as A & P but Shop Rite only does double Q's, no triple Q's, I can dream!)
Gatorade (5) 6.25
Fresh Bake Shoppe-6 bagels: .25...yes you read that correctly, a QUARTER!
Shop Rite bacon: 2.99 (had some amazing bacon bagel pizza's last night!)
Boneless/Skinless Chicken: 6.87
Shredded Mozzarella: 1.88
Mex American tortillas: .99 (for taco night and tuna wraps!)
Chix of the Sea tuna: 4.79-1.30 store savings=3.49
Seedless Grapes: 2.41-.81 store savings=1.60
Electrasol powerball: (4 in this order and 3 in mom's order-this just has this order): 28.76-14.40 store savings-10Q's= 1.09 EACH! Originally 7.19 a piece! There is a better deal at Target where they are .75 with the Q's, but I hardly go to Target, still this deal at Shop Rite is great!
Canvas Bag Refund: .15

Total before savings: 63.80
# items: 18
Store savings: 16.66
Q's: 10
Tax: 1.79
OOP: 38.93
Savings: 39%

Hounding Day 1/6/09 A & P

Triples at A and P and Pathmark this week :) YIPPEE! I went to A and P on lunch yesterday and got some GREAT deals! I had a co-worker with me and her mouth was wide open when she saw what my OOP was.

A & P - transaction one - meats:
Ground Beef: 11.94 - 7.98 store savings = 3.96
Ground Beef: 12.62- 8.43 store savings = 4.19
Bottom Round Roast: 21.76 - 14.70 store savings = 7.06
Bottom Round Roast: 9.32 - 6.30 store savings = 3.02

Total before savings: 55.64
# items: 4
Store savings: 37.41
Q's: 0
Tax: 0
OOP: 18.23
Total savings of 67%!!!

A & P transaction 2
Green Giant Steamers (8) 23.92-13.92 store savings-12Qs = FREE!!!
L'oreal Kids conditioner (4) 11.96 - 3.96 - 9 = FREE!!!
Colgate Toothpaste (6) 13.74 - 4.80 store savings - 9Qs = FREE!!!
Pringles (4) 5.96 - 1.96 store savings - 1.20Q's = 2.80 (.70 each!)

Total before savings: 55.58
# items: 22
Store savings: 24.64
Q's: 29.71
Tax: .96
OOP: 2.19
Savings: 96%!!!

Note: some of the Q's rang up and gave me a profit, others didn't. The first three things were free, the pringles were .70 each after savings and Q's, so if you do the math, .70*4=2.80 and I paid a ton less than that. Most of my bill was just tax (.96). For 2 bucks and change, you can't go wrong with 22 items!

Some of my resolutions for the New Year

I know I'm a few days late, but better late then never right? So, over the past few weeks, I've been thinking about some resolutions. Of course I want to do the normal 'eat better and start working out' routine, but that's what EVERYONE does. I'll try to do those things but here's what I want to focus on this year:

1. Get on a plane, and stay on it until it LANDS!
2. Get Partylite business up a running. I want to make it successful this year!
3. Get Capital One paid off as well as our balance transfer from Chase.
4. Pay off Hubby Mike's truck
5. Sell Condo
6. Have an additional $10k in our downpayment for new house fund.
7. Get and keep grocery savings at 50% or more.

So most have stuff to do with money, but with this economy, every penny counts!
Any advice on how to stick to my 'resolutions'?

Getting stuff for free still doesn't make this girl a happy camper!

DH and I took a trip on Saturday to Pathmark b/c they were doing triple coupons. I know yesterday was the couponer's holiday, but I just wanted to see what deals were out there with the Q's I already had. I made a quick list of the good Q's I had (.50 to .99) b/c once tripled, it's a pretty good deal. A lot of stuff I had Q's for were not on sale, so I didn't buy them. I did find some Skippy PBJ with a .35Q tripled which bought it down to a little over a buck a piece. I also found Energizer batteries. They were 1.99 and I had a .75Q, tripled would be 2.25, so I'd make .26 off each one! I only had 3 Q's for .75 and one for 1.25. The rest I had were hidden behind the others, they were expired. DARN! So I got a package of triple A's, and two packages of double A's. I also scoured some Betty Crocker Potatoes. They were on sale and I had 1 .35Q. so I got a box of that. When I went to checkout, that's when the madness began!

I get in the self-checkout ( I love self-checkout, no idea why) and there's a woman in front of me. She got the Heinz gravy and it was ringing up 1.79 and the signs all said 1.25. So she tells the lady and the lady walks over. The woman says the display is right there (pointing behind me). And sure enough, everywhere on the display said 1.25 for the gravy. The lady pulls ALL the signs down, as me and the woman in front of me gaped with our mouths wide open. So, she ends up getting it for free since it rang up wrong. Pretty cool!

So now I'm up and the double a batteries ring up wrong. They rang up for 3.99-1.00 for 2.99. DH tells the lady and he goes with her to show her the sign on ALL the batteries. She comes back and fixes the total and gives me the one for free. I thought they both were free, I didn't calculate the total that quickly. As I go to pay, I'm thinking it's way too much, and with a line behind me and people getting frustrated that they had to wait b/c the lady had to check the price, I paid in cash and then got my stuff and checked the receipt. Only the one was free, the other she didn't see on the computer thing. So I go to the customer service thing next to the self-checkout. The lady we had wasn't there, so I show the girl that's there that yes, I got the one for free, but the other is still the wrong price (granted, I still had 2 Qs in my pocket b/c I didn't use them b/c I thought they were free). Then the lady we had came back and gave us a HUGE attitude. I told her that yes, we got the one for free, but the other still rang up at the wrong price (she didn't look to correct it, just one so she didn't do her job fully the first time). So now, she's giving me an attitude in front of the girl saying that 'A and P policy is..' I look at DH and I'm like 'Idiot, this is Pathmark, do you KNOW who pays your paycheck?" So she said that the policy is the one we will get for free, but the other we get at the price is scans. Makes no sense...if I bought 10 of them, I'd get one for free and the other 9 and the $1 extra price? WRONG! So the lady (the other one, not the one we had) fills out a slip to give me what'd due. I wanted it for free at that point b/c I didn't use my Q. As the lady is filling out the paperwork, the woman NOW at the self-checkout got a 12 pack of A and W root beer that was supposed to be on sale. So the lady again had to do a price check. When she came back, she told the customer that the A and W was NOT on sale. At that point, the lady working on me handed me back $1.07, the price difference. I walk out confused as to what happened, then realized I got the batteries at the right price, but couldn't use my coupon...UGH.

We go to another Pathmark to use the rest of the Q's, and still they rang up incorrectly. However, the lady was very nice and did the price adjustment and I got to use the Q's I wanted. I didn't get them for 'free' from the store, but I did get them free using my Q's! I just didn't get the profit though, the second Q's rang up .75 then .98 off.....they're on to me!

I'm going back to Pathmark this week for more triples with the Q's from this weeks inserts, but I'm returning the batteries though. No sense paying 1.99 when I got them for free, right?

Marley and Me

DH and I decided it was time to go see Marley and Me last night. I got him the book 2 or 3 years ago for Christmas. He wanted a yellow lab puppy so bad, and as I was out Christmas shopping those 2 or 3 years ago, I came across the book Marley and Me. Pretty hardcover red book with a cute pic of a yellow lab puppy. I had to get it. DH isn't a typical 'reader' but I figured since it was about the dog he wanted, he'd read it. WRONG! I was the one that ended up reading it. It was a GREAT book! So when I heard about a year or so ago that there was a movie in the making, I was soooo excited. Then when I found out that Owen Wilson and Jennifer Anniston were going to be starring in it, I couldn't wait! It came out Christmas Day, and I wanted to see it then, but we didn't have the time. Finally, DH said last night we should go. I had free tickets from when we moved in here 2.5 years ago, so I figured we'd use those Q's. No expiration date, so we went. We went to Macy's first to get my watch fixed and we got to the theatre in the mall just in time. We got our popcorn/drinks. Ugh. DH wanted the mega deal, which we thought was going to be one huge thing of popcorn for us to share, one jumbo soda and a candy (I got Buncha Crunch). Turned out to be the popcorn and TWO jumbo jugs of soda. I had to carry it with two hands, that's how big it was! Came to $21. However, free refills on the soda and popcorn. DH left his drink in the theatre cuz he was almost done with it. I don't liter and I still had almost all my soda left, so i carried that out and dumped the remaining popcorn and gonna save the bag for next time b/c of the free refill stamp on it. Same with the jug of soda. I'll bring that too :) I'm such a tightass! HAHA!
So, the movie. Was VERY funny when Marley was a pup. We had a yellow lab for awhile, but gave him to a friend b/c our condo was way to small and with work, we weren't home a lot and the pup needed constant attention. He's huge now by the way. Got hit by a truck and got up like nothing happened. When they get Marley, he's the 'clearance puppy' which is what we think our dog 'Slick' was. Nutso dog! It's a cute movie, not all by the book and I brought that to DH's attention throughout the movie. It gets sad as Marley gets older, and the end of the movie, well everyone was crying. Even the teen boys in front of us that were out with a bunch of cheerleaders. DH cried as well. Not sure if many people read the book before going and knew what they were getting into. I cried so hard. Crying now thinking about it. When a pet dies, it's so much worse then a human dying.
All in all, it was a great movie, great actors, etc. and all the stuff in the movie is based on a TRUE story. All the stuff the dog did in the movie really happened. Having had a yellow lab pup for awhile, we can attest to the actions of the dog :) If you go see it, make sure you bring a ton of tissues!
2 PAWS up!

December Totals!

I had to go back and re-do my totals. I posted a blog earlier, but I had added my last two trips to NOVEMBER, not DECEMBER, so here's my 'real' totals.

Totals:
Number of items:142
Totals before savings: $473.18
Store savings: $122.07
Coupons: $91.66
Percentage of savings: 45%
# of coupons: 68
Total OOP: $264.34
Total of savings: $208.84
Final Savings: 44%

We have a weekly budget of $75 a week for groceries (it used to be $150 when I first started 'hounding', then $100, now down to $75 a week. $75 times four is $300, so we actually were BELOW budget by almost $45. I hope I can keep this up.....January's goal will be 45-50%.

2009, Happy New Year!

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but with no Internet at home (or only a teensy bit) it made it hard to do anything online. Thankfully, the cable ppl are coming today (oh they better!) to fix it. They were supposed to come Sunday, had to r/s to Tuesday. Okay. Then Tuesday, they had to r/s AGAIN. OH HELL NO! I gave them an earful and at the end, they are coming today AND they credited me MY WHOLE bill PLUS another $30 on top for the inconvienence. There, that's better!
I'll be posting later (hopefully!) my December grocery totals, my yearly totals (only from November or October, when I started tracking my progress) as well as some goals, etc for 2009.
Happy New Year!