Walmart Savings and other Money Matters

Yesterday I tried something new.  I did my first ever grocery store pickup.  With the rising prices of seemingly everything, I am focusing on being even more frugal.  There are days I seriously question how much more frugal one can be.  Leave no dime unturned, and I’ll see what else I can find! 

One perk of this first grocery store pickup was having a $15 off code sent to me by a friend.  As a bonus, she will also receive $15 for the referral.  I continue trying out more store brands to stretch our grocery dollars further.  The order went smoothly, with a wait time of maybe 15 minutes before they brought out my order.  Although I only had 28 items, I know I couldn’t have gotten in and out of the store in 15 minutes, so this was undoubtedly a time saver.  Not going into a store also saves on the money end of the equation as it removes the temptation to buy more.

Next door to our Walmart is Menards.  For those unfamiliar, it is similar to Lowes or Home Depot.  Hubs has his birthday this month, and a week or so ago, I had a lightbulb moment as to what I could get him.  I also had in-store rebate money to use that reduced the gift I bought for him by 50%.  Hubs will occasionally read A Dime at a Time (mostly when he is super bored!), so I won’t take a chance of ruining his surprise by mentioning what I purchased.  Hubs knows I’m frugal, so the 50% off thing wouldn’t surprise him in the least.  Haha.

The one thing about Menards is they often have some excellent buys with their rebate program.  The trouble is that you then need to spend that rebate in the store.  Given the type of store, though, this is never a problem.  I had a couple of these rebate deals in my cart (mostly cleaning supplies) but then decided I didn’t really need the items and put them back on the shelf.  There are always deals to be had, and in keeping with my “mindful spending,” I left Menards with the item I went in to buy.

I also needed to stop for my prescription (one wasn’t ready, but I have enough pills for eight more days), so I did that as well.

Gas.  Let me vent about that for a moment.  When I filled my tank on January 23rd, it was $3.29.  Yesterday, it was $3.49.  Yep, a full 20 cent per gallon increase.  While I didn’t absolutely need gas, I went ahead and topped off my tank.  I figured the price would likely only be higher the next time I venture out.  Topping off my gas tank was $32.69.  I’m thankful I no longer do the amount of driving I used to when I worked.

Hubs received an email that nasty SIL and her attorney are working on a partial distribution—still no progress regarding the house.  Good SIL thinks nasty SIL is trying to drag it out so the market will change in her favor.  Hubs is adamant that he won’t sell for less than the potential seller offered, regardless of what the market does.  If nasty SIL screws up the deal, she best get used to paying her third of the upkeep.  Although we don’t want to keep the house, we are financially able to do so.  Hmm, perhaps we might consider spending part of our winter in a milder climate.  Our attorney says we all have the right to use the house as much as we want.  Unlike good SIL and nasty SIL, we have family and friends in the same community.  As I’ve mentioned before, the house is entirely separate from the trust.  All three siblings need to agree for it to be sold.  What a royal pain this estate has been!