Day 51 - Trip 1 - Last Trip of 2008?

I believe this will be my last trip for 2008. I'm heading out on vacation and probably won't be going to CVS in the next few days. It's been a GREAT year - lots of fun, lots of savings. Can't wait for 2009!

So. Today. I almost skipped CVS entirely because there was only going to be the P&G coupons in the paper - which I don't desperately need - and they don't do double papers on holiday weekends. There weren't any deals that I was really excited about either. But then I saw that the Blade coupon worked on the Blade energy drink, and I figured hey, I'll get $1 overage for that, so I might as well go. And my husband said he wanted a hair care product, and I really feel like $50 in ECBs is too much for me to keep track of (I still have a few big ones that I need to split up or use) so I decided to get that for him too. I checked www.couponmom.com and pulled all coupons for hair care products figuring I'd buy the cheapest for him (of course he doesn't mention what he needs on a week when there are amazing sales/ECBs, but what can ya do, right?).

1 Blade Energy Drink - $1
1 Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste - $2.99
1 regular Sunday paper - $2
1 Dove hair care - $4.99
3 J&J First Aid kits - $2.97
1 small bag of CVS cough drops as filler - 50 cents

Used $2/Blade, $1 CRT for Cogate, $1.50 Dove coupon, and $3/2 J&J printable. Used $6.98 ECBs (adjusted down from $6.99) and 12 cents for the sales tax. Got back $2 for the Colgate (so overall, a $4.99 ECB "loss" - but it went toward the Dove and the newspaper - and the newspaper has coupons sooooo....)

The cashier was confused at first by the Blade coupon - "You didn't get this product, ma'am." And I smiled and said "Oh, no, it's the energy drink." And she apologized profusely when I showed her - and then the coupon went through beep-free and I got the $1 overage, woohoo! (Part of me is tempted to go back and do this deal again but A) I don't want to press my luck, B) I don't really need another $1 at CVS right now and C) Nobody in my household drinks that stuff and I have nobody to give it to! Not sure what I'm going to do with it...)



HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! See you in 2009!

Total OOP: $80.51
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 17 double Sunday papers, 2 regular Sunday papers, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 8 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 4 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 2 travel-sized bags of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 2 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 2 Crest toothpastes, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 3 Sally Hansen nail polishes, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 tubes Maybelline lipstick, 1 Essence of Beauty bag with EOB products, 5 bottles Listerine, 1 pack of Benefiber sticks, 1 8-pack Zantac, 2 L'Oreal HIP metallic eye shadows, 2 boxes J&J Band Aids, 1 pack Halls Naturals, 3 J&J First Aid kits, 1 Blade energy drink, 1 Dove mousse.

Current ECB status: $44.80

SwagBucks!

Just another way to earn some gift certificates - SwagBucks! I search about 10 times a day and usually earn between 1-5 bucks. I've only been doing this for a month and have already earned $10 in Amazon gift certificates - and since I recently broke my digital camera, I really could use more!

Click and sign up - it's easy!

My other card

I went to my favorite CVS and got:

10 digital prints
1 J&J First Aid Kit
1 Lumene Men's Shaving Gel
1 Crest Pro Health Rinse
1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips

Used Free 10 prints CRT, $1/any J&J First Aid Item from the Diabetes Book (I have another one...somewhere...if I can find it I'll do this again this weekend), $3 off any Lumene from the email I was sent, $3/Breathe Right CRT. Used a bunch of ECBs, spent about $1.30 and got back $2 for the Crest rinse (I prefer this to Listerine, even though I now have a ton of Listerine - I've already given away and/or donated some of that though). I don't use this card as often so I'd rather not have a ton of ECBs to worry about - instead, got things we needed!

Happy Holidays!

Day 50 - Trip 3

I made one last attempt to find the Arm and Hammer at one more store and failed miserably. Oh well - but that was actually one of the few things I really WANTED from this sale. Anyway, I wanted to get more Listerine but quickly discovered the store was mostly swept clean of ECB items - no Benefiber, almost all the Listerine gone, etc. (I forgot to look for the Thermacare but I really don't think they had any.) So. I found two Vanilla Mint Listerines left in the section and took them to get with my other card, grabbed a Zantac, and got ready to leave.

And then I spied a TON of Listerines in a totally random section of the store. These were marked with a tag that says "Merchandise in Diabetes/Home Diagnostics Set Only - Remove Label Upon Placement" and had a separate bar code sticker (I'm assuming these are related to the Diabetes book...maybe?). I scanned them at the scanner to make sure - and they came up at sale price! So I gave four to my husband (this experiment card *is* his card after all) and handed him an $11.98 ECB to use. For the first time in ages, this confused the cashier. "You didn't spend enough before tax," he said. So I stepped over and said "Yes, it's just 2 cents, go ahead and adjust it." The cashier looked like a rabbit caught in headlights, and I started to explain, but he got another cashier who fixed it in seconds.

So. With this card, I got 4 Listerines, paid zero OOP, and lost 2 cents of ECBs in the process, which is fine with me. With my other card I got 2 Listerines and a Zantac, paid 7 cents, and got back $1 more than I handed over (so I more than made up for the ECBs I 'spent' on things I needed earlier in the day). I *think* I am now done with this sale, although I am kind of tempted to walk back to one store tomorrow to max out the Benefiber on my other card and to look one last time for some Arm and Hammer...

No picture - imagine 4 bottles of Cool Mint Listerine.

Total OOP: $80.39
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 17 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 4 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 2 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 2 Crest toothpastes, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 3 Sally Hansen nail polishes, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 tubes Maybelline lipstick, 1 Essence of Beauty bag with EOB products, 5 bottles Listerine, 1 pack of Benefiber sticks, 1 8-pack Zantac, 2 L'Oreal HIP metallic eye shadows, 2 boxes J&J Band Aids, 1 pack Halls Naturals.

Current ECB status: $49.79

Day 50 - Trip 2 (My Other Card)

So I went walking to the other local store and they told me that one person bought all of the Arm & Hammer stuff. I guess I can't blame her - I might've done that too... But it did throw off the scenario I had in my head. So I thought fast - and then I wandered by the pharmacy and they had ONE diabetes booklet left! I grabbed it and ripped out the $1/Listerine coupon and voila....awesomeness...

1 Listerine - $2.99
1 EAS bar - $1.69
1 Excedrin - $3.99
2 Sally Hansen nail polishes - $11.98
1 L'Oreal HIP eyeshadow - $6.99

Used $1/Listerine, $2/Excedrin blinkie, $1/Excedrin CRT, $3/2 Sally Hansen, $2/L'Oreal. Paid with $18.57 ECBs and 49 cents (42 cents tax!). Got back $27.64! $9 profit! Then went back two more times and got two more Listerines with the $2.99 and paid zero OOP for both and still have the $2.99. I can get two more on this card and four more on my other card if I so desire, and I am going to try ONE MORE store for the Arm & Hammer. (Also haven't seen the Thermacare anywhere.)

Day 50 - Trip 1

Wow, this is probably my best profit day yet - and I don't think I'm done.

1 Listerine - $2.99
1 Zantac - $4.99
2 Band Aids - $1.98
1 Halls - $2.59
1 Excedrin - $3.99
1 Crest toothpaste - $2.99
2 Sally Hansen nail polishes - $11.98
2 L'Oreal eye shadows (MAKE SURE you get the metallic! the regular HIP ones are different!) - $13.98
1 Benefiber - $7.29

Total of over $50 in merchandise.

Used $1/Listerine from diabetes book (I only ever found one book, wish I'd found more because yes, this coupon works), $1/Zantac, 2x$1/Johnson's First Aid (these beeped but went through), 50 cents/Halls, $1/Excedrin CRT, $2/Excedrin from blinkie machine, $1/Crest, $3-off-2/Sally Hansen, 2x$2/L'Oreal (these didn't even beep), $2/Benefiber. $34.55 in ECBs. Paid $1.51 - 78 cents tax. Got back $49.81! Profit of about $13!

I also used my other card to get some things we needed - I got a 3-pack of CVS paper towels, Hyland's Teething Tablets, 1 Complete (finished up the deal on that card), 1 L'Oreal eye shadow, and 1 Halls. I used $2/Complete, 50 cents Halls, and $2/L'Oreal (still have one more coupon and can get one more!). Paid 84 cents (35 cents tax) and $21.56 in ECBs, got back $18.57. :)



Total OOP: $80.39
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 17 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 4 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 2 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 2 Crest toothpastes, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 3 Sally Hansen nail polishes, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 tubes Maybelline lipstick, 1 Essence of Beauty bag with EOB products, 1 bottle Listerine, 1 pack of Benefiber sticks, 1 8-pack Zantac, 2 L'Oreal HIP metallic eye shadows, 2 boxes J&J Band Aids, 1 pack Halls Naturals.

Current ECB status: $49.81

Giving Publix Some Love

My main grocery store is actually Publix. I run to Kroger when there are super deals - or when I need some more free toilet paper - but Publix is where I do the bulk of my shopping. I actually developed loyalty to Publix when they carried a Greenwise line of Morningstar-Farms-esque products. Unfortunately they've since discontinued that line but my loyalty remains. They don't require you to have a card at Publix, but I do uPromise so I have one scanned anyway...

There are some really good deals at Publix that I wanted to share - all were discovered courtesy of www.couponmom.com - the best site I've found for coupon matchups (and it's FREE). All specifics can be found there, I just wanted to show you some deals.

Betty Crocker boxed potatoes are 10 cents after coupon - I bought some of the sweet potato version to donate.
Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix is 35 cents after coupon. I may donate some of this...or keep it for myself to bake for my friends. Yum brownies!
Boxes of Frosted Flakes are $1 after coupon - not the healthiest cereal, but not awful. (Hey, I eat it!)
New York Texas Toast croutons are 20 cents after coupon. I'd never buy croutons but for 20 cents, hey, why not?
Hormel Chili (I didn't get this) is 25 cents after coupon - another great item to donate (I couldn't find it in the store or I would've gotten it to add to my donation pile).
Domino light brown sugar is 19 cents a box after coupon.
Fresh Express salad is on sale 2/$4. I found coupons at Kroger a few weeks ago for 75 cents off Fresh Express, and then in the Publix Advantage Buy circular is a store coupon for $2 off produce when you buy 2 Fresh Express salads.

Also, if you are near a Publix and you have a baby, I highly recommend signing up for their Baby Club. Every few months I get coupons that are excellent - $1 off any deli item, $1 off any produce item, $1 off any dairy item... There are also usually some coupons I'd never use, of course, and I don't really find the magazine to be particularly helpful, but it's totally worthwhile and I can honestly say that while Publix knows I am a parent now, I haven't noticed any uptick in junk mail at all. I also have signed up for all of the Publix magazines (you can subscribe at publix.com) because the ones that are delivered to your home have better coupons than the ones you can pick up in the store. Again, I haven't noticed any increase in junk mail as a result of this, and I have gotten very valuable coupons.

And there you have it! Hooray for Publix!

Tomorrow I will be hitting CVS but I'm not as excited (or stressed) as I was for Black Friday. The deals are fun, but my main goal is just to roll some of my bucks and get a few things for free. And I don't have to buy the paper this week (or next) but I do need paper towels...so that may be where any profit/overage will go.

Kroger!

I went back with my 7 Catalinas and one other coupon and got:
1 avocado
1 quart of organic milk
1 can of organic black beans
1 package of Morningstar Farms crumble
2 boxes of whole wheat pasta
1 jar of salsa
1 4-pack of Cottonelle toilet paper

I used the Catalinas (I made sure to have a 1:1 ratio of coupons to items but I did get only things I needed and I'm not sure if I *had* to do that anyway) and 50 cents off the Cottonelle, which was doubled (making it free) and then I also had a 50 cent coupon from Shortcuts so I got overage there! And I paid a whopping $6 and change. PLUS I got a Catalina for 75 cents off two Morningstar Farms items, and I buy those anyway and they're pricey so yay! That expires in February so I might hold onto it in case of a sale between now and then.

Scenario for CVS - December 21

This is assuming the store I go to has everything in stock. Which I doubt will happen, to be honest, but let's just see.

Listerene - $2.99 -$1 coupon from diabetes booklet
Sally Hansen x2 - $11.98 -2/$3 from CVS beauty booklet
Arm and Hammer - $2.99 -$1 printable
L'Orealx2 - $13.98 -2x $2 coupon*
Excedrin - $3.99 -$2 from Kroger blinkie
Halls - $2.59 -50 cent coupon
Benefiber - $7.29 -$2 coupon
EAS Advantage Bar - $1.69, no coupon

$34, get back 47.50.

*This may not work after all - the coupon does say "any makeup" but that may not include eyeshadow (seems like they mean foundation/powder/blush). I might try it or just buy the eyeshadow outright since it is pretty. I also just printed two more Arm and Hammer coupons so I might use those, and I have one $1/Crest coupon so I might use that too. It will kind of be a "whatever they have, I'll get" kind of day.

Reminder: No coupons this week! No paper to buy!

Day 49 - Trip 1

First, I was going to get the ear rinse to roll some bucks. But as I drove, I thought, I just don't need that, and most of my bucks are rolled, and next week there are some fun freebies...

Then the scanner gave me a $5/EOB tote bag coupon, and I saw the spring bags were on sale for $7.49, and I thought hey, I can spend some bucks for a change. (The bag will likely either become a gift or a toy for my daughter - either way, money well spent I think!) (Could I have combined that scanner coupon with one of the CVS Beauty Booklet EOB coupons? I didn't need to, as you'll see, but I wonder...)

1 double paper - $2.50
1 Dove body wash - $4.50
1 EOB bag - $7.49

Used $1.50 Dove newspaper coupon, $2/any bodywash CRT, $5 EOB bag CRT, $5.98 ECBs. Paid a penny, got back nothing!



Total OOP: $78.88
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 17 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 4 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 tubes Maybelline lipstick, 1 Essence of Beauty bag with EOB products.

Current ECB status: $34.55

Day 48 - Trip 1

2 tubes of Maybelline lipstick - $6.69 (BOGO)
1 bottle of Complete - $8.99
-$2/Complete, -2 x $4/Maybelline, -$5.69 ECB. Paid 69 cents tax (final pre-tax total was negative one penny, tax was 70 cents). Got back $8.99. Profit that brought me to an ECB total that is *OVER* what I ended up with after Black Friday! I still have some ECBs to roll but plan to do some of the freebies (but not all, I don't think) during Christmas/Hanukkah week).

No picture, sorry!

PS I also hit Publix and saved $44.37 while spending $33.54 and getting things we needed, including diapers (I use cloth 99% of the time and eco-friendly disposables the other 1%), frozen veggies, spaghetti sauce, fancy refrigerated salad dressing, salad, beans, ice cream, and more. And the penny item was a substitution - an $8 platter of holiday cookies! Nice!

Total OOP: $78.87
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 16 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 tubes Maybelline lipstick.

Current ECB status: $40.53

Back to Kroger!

Oh I *LOOOVE* this deal!

Transaction 1:
1 3-pack of Fleischmann's yeast. It's $1. I used a 45 cent coupon, doubled. I paid 11 cents. I got back a 50 cent Catalina.

Transaction 2:
5 3-packs of yeast.
1 box of Kroger brand baking soda (we were low on this - we use it for everything from baking to cloth diaper laundry)

I used 5 yeast coupons (4 40 cent and 1 45 cent) and the Catalina. I figured I'd need one item per coupon, so that's why I threw in the baking soda, which is only 59 cents anyway. In the end I paid 55 cents and got back FIVE 50 cent Catalinas. That's $5 in free groceries!

I have 3 more yeast coupons to use later in the week. I also read about free Life Savers - I have the coupons but am not sure if the sale is in my region, so I have to go check. Anyway, I'm pleased. I'm either going to get organic milk, tofu, or Morningstar Farms stuff with the Catalinas. Or, you know, roll them into more and more yeast first.... (at on-sale-with-no-coupon price this week, I could buy one yeast per Catalina and get the Catalina back...).

YAY!

Kroger!

I went to Kroger and got 2 tubs of Daisy sour cream for free ($10/10, I had two 50 cent coupons), 2 4-packs of Cottonelle for free (cellfire + shortcuts + 2 newspaper coupons), and 1 3-pack of Fleischmans Yeast for 20 cents.

The yeast spat out a 50 cent Catalina.

I went back and got a double paper - and the Catalina DOUBLED. Is that standard? So I got the double paper for $1.47 and in it are two more $4 coupons for Maybelline that will net me two free lipsticks AND about $1.50 in overage at CVS! Woohoo!

I think I'm going back for more yeast. I've been planning on using my bread machine more anyway, but if I'm going to spend 20 cents and get back 50 cents (doubled to $1?) it's sure worth it!

Day 47 - Trip 2 - My Other Card

Again with the random dollar - though this time I managed to hand over the ECB...

2 Maybelline lipsticks (neither in my preferred color but I think these will work) - $6.69 for both due to BOGO
1 Complete - $8.99
1 Powerade - $1.59
1 Pert - $2.50
2 travel baby wipe packs - $1.98

Used $2/Complete, $2/Pert, 2x $4/Maybelline (OVERAGE!). I thought I was under $7.99. But then my total was more than that, so I handed over an $8.99. Still owed over $1 so I handed over the $1 ECB. But then my total was negative 24 cents plus tax, so I wound up paying only 50 cents. I'm still kind of confused as to how all this math played out but typing it out, it...sort of makes some sort of sense. So I paid 50 cents tax and got back an $8.99 and a $1.59, so I made a profit when all was said and done. Weird.

My Rolaids coupons, for whatever it's worth, didn't match the products on the shelves. Now I'm not sure if they matched this morning either and the register just accepted them or if I had a different coupon or what. Who knows.

Anyway, in the end I rolled a bunch of stuff this week and feel good about getting more Complete later in the month. I have 2 coupons left and may use my other household computers to get more...heh.

Day 47 - Trip 1

Hmm. I did this all on the fly and my math was off as you'll see, leading to an unnecessarily (for the "game") high OOP that could've been avoided.

1 Powerade - $1.59
1 Complete contact lens solution (my store has it in stock, yay!) - $8.99
1 Rolaids 3 pack - $2.49
1 Pert Plus - $2.50
1 double paper - $2.50

Used $1/Rolaids (I have one more of these coupons, I think), $2/Complete (definitely have at least one more of these), $2/Pert (and one more of these!), $8.99 ECB, $2.98 ECB. And then my total was $1.45. And I thought wow, that's pretty high - and somehow when I did my quick math I underestimated by $1 - and, well, I *had* a $1 ECB I could've used. Oh well, I will use it another time, but I hate when that happens!

Anyway, I am considering copying this deal with my other card and instead of the newspaper, getting some more lipstick with the BOGO Maybelline sale + coupons. I don't mind using up ECBs (though there's a lot of freebies coming out the week of Christmas/Hanukkah, hooray!), but amusingly, since I paid cash today and didn't hand over the $1, I actually came out with more bucks on this card. Ha.



Total OOP: $78.18
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 16 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 6 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 3 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water, 1 3-pack Rolaids, 1 bottle Complete contact lens solution.

Current ECB status: $37.23

Day 46 - Trip 1 (Black Friday deals +)

I did a bunch of transactions today - whee!

First I went to an out-of-the-way CVS and had the BEST experience. The manager was so helpful, making sure I used all my coupons, assuring me of my deals, etc. The staff was awesome too! I told them over and over how fabulous they were. Plus they had started the Sunday sales already AND still had the Saturday sales going. This may be standard, I rarely go to CVS on Saturday, but it was excellent.

Transaction 1:

1 Johnson's meltaway body lotion - $5.69
1 Colgate toothpaste - $2.99*
1 Maybelline Mineral Makeup - $8.99**
2 All Small&Mighty Free&Clear - $7.49 (BOGO)
1 Hershey "King Size" bar with almonds - $1

Used $1/body lotion, 2x$1/All, $2/Maybelline, $20.97 in ECBs, 50 cents (31 cents tax). Got back $15.68 - no ECBs for the Colgate. *Then both the manager and I realized I'd previously maxed out the Colgate deal - my scenario that I'd jotted down was for the Crest, they were out of it, I grabbed the Colgate without thinking...so she immediately was like "OK, you can return it" and gave me a money card for $3.20 without hesitation. Easy as pie.

Then I went to the car and my husband reminded me that I was supposed to get some dishwasher soap and that he was "thirsty." I suppose I could've finagled a deal with my other card to get him more free Gatorade but instead I just wanted to spend the money card to even things out since I'd messed up originally.

Transaction 2:

1 Cascade Action Pacs - $3.49 - on sale starting tomorrow, but it worked today!
1 CVS water - $.99

I used a $1/Cascade, the $3.20 money card, and 54 cents. Except I only had 51 cents in my pocket (and a $5 - which I told the cashier about) and the cashier said "Eh, it's fine, no big deal!" I assured her I'd bring in the change from the car and she and another manager were like "No! It's fine!" and I told them AGAIN how fabulous they were. I did not adjust my running total - somehow I will make this even out, karmically, somewhere.

**Then I checked my receipt and saw that it said I could do one more Maybelline - the one I'd done on Thursday where the manager had to manually print out my ECBs wasn't listed! I had one more $2 coupon so I wanted to do that deal one more time if at all possible. So...we hit yet another CVS. Ha! This one is in a very upscale area, but the cashiers were pretty nice to me.

Transaction 3:

1 Maybelline mineral makeup - $8.99
-$2/Maybelline coupon, $6.99 ECBs. Paid 16 cents tax, got back $8.99. DONE with this card, but not done yet...



Well, then I decided to finish up some deals on my other card! First I got another L'Oreal lip gloss and another Colgate toothpaste (see, I hadn't maxed it out on THAT card which is why I got confused). It was an even exchange - I gave them a $2.99 and a $6.99, and they gave me back a $2.99 and a $6.99 and I paid nothing OOP. Woo! And THEN I came up with a quick scenario to finish up the Cover Girl and get one more Johnson's lotion, but they were out of the lotion, so I just got the Cover Girl - used a $1 coupon and $6.99 ECBs. Paid 8 cents, got back $7.99.



So in total today, I spent $1.24, I got all the above merchandise (including the All and the Cascade which were on sale but were not ECB generating) and while I lost $3.29 in ECBs on my main card (as intended - the December deals are light and I WANTED to spend some of my bucks), I gained $1 on my other card!

(I also bought an iPod cover for 75% off - $3.25 - at Borders - but unfortunately it doesn't fit my iPod, so I have to figure out whether it's worth returning or...what...)

And that's Black Friday for you. I am not sure if I'll buy the paper tomorrow - I checked the early edition of the paper at the first CVS and it didn't have the P&G circular. I may just skip it entirely. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

Total OOP: $76.73
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 3 Maybelline mineral makeups, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control, 1 Johnson's lotion, 2 bottles All Small&Mighty Free&Clear, 1 Cascade Action Pacs, 1 Hershey bar, 1 single-serving CVS water.

Current ECB status: $36.62

Black Friday #3 - My Other Card

1 L'Oreal lipgloss
1 tube of Colgate
1 Aussie leave-in conditioner
1 Aussie "3 minute miracle"
1 Cover Girl pressed powder
1 Maybelline mineral makeup
1 Hershey bar with almonds

Paid 81 cents, got back $19.97 in ECBs - up from $14.58.

The Maybelline ECBs seem to be printing, and I have two more $2 coupons, so I may go one more time...I also kind of want to max out the lip gloss deal...

Day 45 - Trip 2 (Black Friday #2)

I went back and happily the manager told me that the kids actually paid for their merchandise "after they saw [him]." So good. All is well. Then he told me they were out of the headphones - boo! But I actually made a better deal out of it.

1x Hershey Bar - $1 - This turned out to be the wrong one, more on that in a second.
1x Colgate - $2.99
1x L'Oreal lip gloss - $6.99
1x remote control - $6.99 (noticed this was a different brand than advertised, but still worked for the deal - it was tagged on the shelf and the scanner also agreed so I felt safe buying it)
2x Gatorade - $2.98
1x Covergirl Smoother liquid - $7.99
1x Covergirl Smoother powder - $5.99

-2x$1/Covergirl, $1/2 Gatorades [I found the beauty booklet coupons at the very first stop this morning hooray!], $1/L'Oreal, $1/Colgate, $29.25 ECBs (my $6 Schick ECB was causing trouble and the girl was like "you have to buy razors" and I said "No, it's just a regular ECB..." so I had her rescan my card and then it seemed to be OK). Paid 88 cents OOP (68 cents + 20 cents tax). Got back $33.93.

Then I realized that I didn't get the $1 for the Hershey bar. I went back and was going to exchange it but that cashier (who seemed to be really sick of me, heh) returned it and gave me cash - and hey, I didn't need more chocolate, so I said "OK, I'm all set with this return, then." and I left. That lowered my OOP both overall and for this trip (I'd paid 88 cents OOP but she refunded me $1.02...). Yay.

So the total result for today: I started with $21.07 and I ended up with $39.91 ($18.84 profit). I spent $2.15 OOP (after the refund is factored in).



Total OOP: $75.53
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 7 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 2 L'Oreal lip glosses, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 3 bottles of Gatorade G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 1 Maybelline mineral makeup, 1 Covergirl smoothing powder, 1 Covergirl smoothing liquid, 1 universal remote control.

Current ECB status: $39.91

Day 45 - Trip 1 (Black Friday)

Well, I did OK - but I messed up and also there were some extenuating circumstances that you'll see in a minute...

(We started out at my favorite store. They were out of the Bic razors so I left and went to my least-favorite but easily-accessible store that is not a 24 hour store - figuring that since they would've just opened they'd have more stock.)

Transaction 1:

2 Bic Soleil razors - $11.98
1 Aussie shampoo - $2.99
1 L'Oreal Color Juice lipgloss - $6.99
1 Maybelline Mineral makeup - $8.99
1 CVS pocket tissues - 50 cents
1 travel pack of baby wipes - 99 cents (of course, wish I'd gotten the Gatorade here instead of those two things but oh well)

Used 2x$3/Bic, $3/Maybelline, $1/Aussie, $1/L'Oreal, $21.07 in ECBs, $1.17 OOP (37 cents + 80 cents tax). Now I was SURE I had $20.07 in ECBs - I have no idea when that math error came in, but I had $1 more than I thought and if I'd known that I would've changed things up slightly. Keep reading - you'll see my math was off later too. *sigh* So that's why I threw in the baby wipes at the last minute. Also the Maybelline did NOT print ECBs - the manager was able to do the magic trick with the new register program and print out $9 for me - but he also said that it was limit one, and all the signs and flyers say that too so I couldn't argue even though I was sure it was limit two.

I still got back $30.96. I don't know why I'm complaining! Here's the pic of transaction 1 - keep reading for transaction 2 and the rest of the story:



Transaction 2:

1 Aussie conditioner - $2.99
1 Schick Quattro - $7.99 (because the Maybelline was limit one for me)
1 Colgate toothpaste - $2.99
1 Garnier towelettes - $5.99
1 Gatorade - $1.49
AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE but I stupidly handed over more ECBs than I needed to (my math in my scenario? WRONG WRONG WRONG) - I gave a $2.99 extra, she rang that up first, and then she said "Ma'am, you have $3 more, do you want me to adjust it down?" and I said "NO!" and had to think very fast and grabbed the Sally Hansen nail polish - $3.79. Not what I really wanted to do but I was trying to rush.

Used $1/Aussie, $2/Schick, $1.50 Colgate, $1/Garnier, $18.98 ECBs (bleh), $1.12 OOP (76 cents plus 33 cents OOP). Got back $23.25. Again, I really shouldn't complain but...I should've spent less and gotten back less. More of the story after the picture.



THEN I went to the car, dropped off my things, and was going to go back in for one more transaction. My husband noticed a pack of young men go into the store but didn't mention it to me. I went in and saw the manager in an aisle so I asked him where the headphones and remote controls were. He said he'd show me but...could I bear with him because "some guys are in here trying to steal stuff." I pretty much booked it right out of the store and into the car and went home. I hope that situation was resolved peacefully! It really disappoints me, scares me, and on a lighter note, makes me laugh because CVS *paid me* to walk out of the store with two huge bags of stuff and I didn't do anything illegal!

SO. I still think I may walk back to the store later today to try to get the headphones, remote, another lipgloss (I like these) and a Hershey bar, but I may not. We'll see.

Total OOP: $75.67
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 6 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 6 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 4 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 3 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer, 1 L'Oreal lip gloss, 1 Garnier face wipes, 1 Sally Hansen nail polish, 1 Aussie shampoo, 1 Aussie conditioner, 1 G2, 1 Schick Quattro, 1 Maybelline mineral makeup.

Current ECB status: $36.22

Other card - mission accomplished

Easy as pie - the store had *TONS* of the free-after-ECBs mineral makeup (and my receipt doesn't say offer complete - hmmm maybe I can find some more coupons in my stash?), tons of the Crest, and the double paper. I got the travel baby wipes as filler, used $12 in ECBs (adjusted down 3 cents), paid 28 cents, and got back $8.99, $3.49, and $2 for a survey! I may have to finagle extra Black Friday trips to use this card too. We'll see.

I asked my favorite CVS cashier/manager how well stocked that store (a 24-hour store) would be for Thanksgiving and he said "Good question. Pretty good, I think. We're open!" so I may go there for my big deals.

See you Thursday!

Scenario for CVS 11/23

This will be with my "other" card as I have ECBs that are about to expire and I want to save the Maybelline deal on the experiment card for Black Friday IF POSSIBLE.

I have $12 in ECBs on the other card.

Option A:
1x Maybelline - $8.99
1x double paper* - $2.50
1x Crest - $3.49
1x 99 cent filler - likely travel pack of baby wipes
- $3/Maybelline, -$1 Crest, $12 ECBs. Get back $12.48.

*Sometimes on holiday weekends when there's only one coupon circular, as is the case tomorrow, they don't do the double paper. If that's the case I'll get a single paper for $2 and a tissue pack for more filler.

Option B:
1x Maybelline - $8.99
1x double paper - $2.50
2x All Small and Mighty Free and Clear - $7.49
-$3/Maybelline, -$1/All x 2, -$12 ECB, $1.98 cash + tax, get back $8.99. This is obviously less than ideal, but if they are out of the Crest, well, at least I can get something my family uses (though we don't need detergent right now) and pay very little. My store also sometimes is out of Free & Clear Small & Mighty though and that's the only kind we use so...let's hope for the Crest! And the Maybelline! If they're out of everything, well, I'll have to buy SOMETHING because my ECBs will expire...

CVS Black Friday Scenario Post

I plan on updating/altering/playing with this post a lot in the next few days.

So far, this is Plan A:

2x Bic Soleil - $11.98
1x L'Oreal Colour Juice - $6.99
1x Maybelline Foundation - $8.99
1x Aussie - $2.99

-$1/Aussie, 2x$3/Bic, $1/L'Oreal, $3/Maybelline

19.95

I have $20.07 in ECBs, so I'd probably add some sort of filler (my favorite travel pack of tissues for 50 cents?) so I wouldn't lose much. If everything is in stock (I HOPE I HOPE - I would like to go to CVS early on Thanksgiving day...), I should end up with $30.95!

Transaction 2:

1x Maybelline - $8.99 [use $3 coupon]
1x Aussie - $2.99 [use $1 coupon]
1x Colgate - $2.99 [use $1.50 coupon]
1x Garnier - $5.99 [use $1 coupon]
1x Gatorade - $1.49

=$15.95

Use $15.98 in ECBs [8.99 from Maybelline, 6.99 from L'Oreal, 2.99 from Aussie], Get back $21.96 - $8.99, $2.99, $2.99, $5.99, $1.49. Plus have the $11.98 from Transaction 1.

Transaction 3:
The headphones, the remote control, the L'Oreal Color Juice (use $1 coupon) and the Hershey Bar [use $11.98, $8.99]. Get back $6.99, $6.99, $6.99, $1.

Look for a Plan B and Plan C because, well, you know stores are notorious for not having everything...

Plan B was my "if I get a 10/50" plan - but I didn't get one (boo!) so I can't do this. I'll leave it up though in case someone else could benefit from it.

2 Bic Soleil: 11.98
2 Maybelline foundation: $17.98
1 Colgate - $2.99
1 Aussie - $2.99
2 L'Oreal Color Juice - $13.98
1 25 cent filler
= 50.17
- $10/$50, $6 Bic coupons, $6 Maybelline coupons, $1.50 Colgate, $1 Aussie, $2 L'Oreal, $20.07 ECBs = $3.60 + tax OOP, get back nearly $50.

So here's hoping A) I get the 10/50 and B) my store has all that in stock on Thursday - because I'd prefer as few transactions as possible.

Day 44 - Trip 1

So after all that I decided it wasn't *too* cold out and that I will definitely use my other card to get the foundation and newspaper this weekend.

Bought 1 L'Oreal tinted moisturizer blah blah blah - $15.99
Used $1/L'Oreal coupon, $2/L'Oreal CRT, $12 ECBs, $1 bonus ECB from Boston Globe. Paid 6 cents tax, got back $15.99. Now have $20.07 to play with on Black Friday!

I handed the cashier the ECBs and CRT first, then pulled the "Oh, I forgot about this coupon!" after she was done. She looked at it and said "It won't take it, your total is 99 cents." So I smiled and said "Would you please just try it?" and of course it went through. She looked confused and said "Sometimes it doesn't work..." but really, it always does and it saved me ONE WHOLE PENNY on the sales tax, ha. Thank you AGAIN to awshucks from livejournal/my commenter for pointing out to me that tax would be as low as that or I wouldn't have bothered with this AWESOME deal.

Total OOP: $73.38
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 5 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills, 1 L'Oreal Age-Perfect Pro-Calcium tinted moisturizer.

Current ECB status: $20.07

Scenarios

ETA: I came up with another idea. Do the L'Oreal deal with this card. Do the foundation/paper deal with the other card (I have an $8 ECB). That might be my best bet! I'm going to leave this post up though because it has some good ideas.

So after a kind commenter pointed out to me that I wouldn't have to pay a ton of tax on the L'Oreal stuff this week if I used ECBs and a CRT (and a coupon), I thought hey, I could do that!

Then I realized I would end up with a $15.99 ECB. Which is fine - but I need to buy the paper on Sunday.

If I do the L'Oreal deal and I don't want to spend a lot OOP on the paper, I either have to burn my $1.59 ECB and pay about $1 OOP or burn my $3.49 ECB and get a filler and lose the whole thing (but pay nothing OOP, which I always prefer). (Feel free to chime in at any time, dear readers, with suggestions on how to make this work better!)

If I don't do the L'Oreal deal, then I will buy the Maybelline foundation for $8.99 plus the double paper for $2.50, use the $3 foundation coupon plus $8.08 in ECBs ($2, $3.49, $1.59, and the $1 from the Globe), pay about 50 cents OOP and get back $8.99.

Plus it's cold out and a walk to CVS...brrrr. And I'm more likely to use the foundation than the L'Oreal stuff.

So I think I may pass on the L'Oreal moneymaker unless I can figure out a way to come out ahead by doing everything! Am I missing something somewhere? Note that I have two sets of most coupons and no beauty book. (I looked and looked...never found the Duracell coupons either...)

Day 43 - Trip 1

It was a good deal...except that I paid a higher OOP than I really wanted to because of sales tax.

2 Glade Scented Oil Fans - $15.98
2 Glade Scented Oil refills (clean linen, apple cinnamon) - $7.98
Used two buy-refills-get-holder-free coupons, $8 in ECBs (adjusted to $7.98). In my head this meant zero OOP, but I forgot about sales tax - $1.12. Hrmph. So it was a $2 ECB moneymaker as I got $10 back, but I hate paying OOP for things like this. Ah well.

Also I got a CRT for $2 off any L'Oreal skincare - and I have the $1 L'Oreal coupon as well, so I *might* go back for the $3 moneymaker on the moisturizer. Except my stores are always out of this stuff and also with the sales tax I'd have to pay the moneymaker might not really be worthwhile, especially for a product I don't need. While moneymakers are nice, keeping my OOP low is also very nice. Decisions, decisions.



Total OOP: $73.32
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 5 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste, 2 Glade plug in fans, 2 Glade oil refills.

Current ECB status: $17.08

Day 42 - Trip 1

I had $1.98 that was expiring on the 18th, and I'm still away on vacation so...

1 Crest Pro-Health Whitening - $3.49
1 travel pack of tissues - 50 cents

Used $1/Crest, $1 bonus Extrabuck found on the front of the Boston Globe, $1.98 ECBs, 1 cent. Got back $3.49 - yay profit!

Also, my grandmother gave me her $1 bonus Extrabuck. I am not going to count that in my running ECB total - it's more like a coupon - but I'm excited! Now I have $8 in ECBs to roll because they expire the Tuesday before the Black Friday sales...hmmm....

Sorry but no picture again.

Total OOP: $72.20
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 5 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo, 1 Crest toothpaste.

Current ECB status: $15.08

Day 41 - Trip 1

I was totally off my game because I'm on vacation, away from my coupon stash and *my* stores. I'm in another state right now with different tax rules too. But I did OK.

5 greeting cards that I need right now on this vacation - $14.65
1 stuffed snowman - $2.99 (buy 3 cards get snowman free)
1 bottle Smart Water - $1.59
1 Garnier shampoo - $2.99

I used $1/Garnier, got the snowman free, and my B3G1 card CRT (which gave me $3 off). Except that CRT was for my other card - OOPS! Since I'm a stranger here, I just asked the cashier to push it through and she did me a favor and did that. I paid with my $9.99 ECB, a $4 ECB, and $1...something in cash. Seemed like none of that was tax. Got back $2 and $1.59. I have a $1.98 ECB that expires on the 18th, so I really want to get rid of that soon, even if it means buying something and not getting anything back *gasp*.

With my other card, my husband used my $10 from the survey to get razors, a Smart Water, and a travel pack of baby wipes. He paid over $5 OOP though because of a miscalculation, but...hey, it was all things we needed sort of.

So my ECB total will be a lot lower for now but I think it's OK since I don't see any great deals for me/my family right now (until the awesome Black Friday sale!).

Sorry, no picture this week!

Total OOP: $72.19
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor, 5 greeting cards, 1 bottle Smart Water, 1 bottle Garnier shampoo.

Current ECB status: $13.57

Quick Update

I'm on vacation but I'm heading to CVS in a bit. I need birthday cards but I have a B3G1 CRT. My husband needs razors (long story because yes I have gotten many many free razors...) but I think I'm going to let him spend my ECBs on my other card. I hope to get the Revitalift, Smart Water, and Garnier. We'll see! I'll be spending quite a bit but...I do need things, and I wanted to roll some of my ECBs anyway.

Also I hope I can find the Duracell CVS coupons people are talking about!

See ya later!

My Other Card - 11/2

The store was out of the Crest, and that's what any scenarios I had revolved around, so I just got the paper. I used my other card's ECB - $1.98 - to get the paper for 52 cents. Why my other card? Well, the scanner was out of paper, and I knew that I was getting a $10 ECB for doing a survey! And I did - awesome. And I just did *another* survey on this card for $2 ECBs more! Yay.

I still am considering going back later in the week with either card to get one Crest, two Pert Pluses, and a 50 cent filler - use a $4 ECB, get back $3.49. Maybe.

And I had some candy in my basket - half price from Halloween - but the price still wasn't THAT great (I've gotten cheaper M&Ms with coupons) so I put it back. (This is also because yesterday I went to Target and pillaged the Halloween clearance...)

Also trying to figure out if Kroger deals are worthwhile this week. There are some inexpensive things, but do I *need* them? That's a big part of it. Stay tuned!

CVS Scenario - 11/2

I'm debating whether or not to do this scenario, but I suppose in the end I should have a low or zero OOP so I shouldn't worry too much about "losing" a few ECBs. But I don't really need the gum/candy either. So here's plan A:

1 Crest toothpaste - $3.49
8 packs of Icebreakers gum - $8
2 Cadbury candy bars - $2
1 double paper - $2.50
=$15.99

-$1/Crest, - 4x$1/2 gum
=$10.99

Now here's where it gets tricky if I'm going to do this. The best I can do with ECBs is $11.97, so I will have to "waste" $1 on something like toilet paper or travel packs of wipes or...some $1 filler. Not a huge deal but annoying. I'll get back $8.49, so I'll be taking a $3.50 loss.

But honestly, I don't need the gum/candy - it's just tempting because it would come out to $1 for all of it after ECBs (wish I had just one more coupon so it would break even!). So plan B, which is more likely:

1 double paper - $2.50
1 Crest toothpaste - $3.49
-$1/Crest
=$4.99.

Either use $4 ECBs and pay $1 OOP, get back $3.49, or use $5.98 ECBs and do exactly what I described above - find $1 in filler, pay less OOP, burn more ECBs.

The increments I have right now are $9.99, $4 (3 of those), and $1.98. So if you see a better way to do this, do let me know! I tend to have two copies of most coupons, but rarely more than that - but I can get extras of printables pretty easily. (But sadly I only have one Crest coupon - I must've used the other one somewhere.)

Oh and if you're wondering, my other card essentially has the same issue or I would just switch the entire production over there. Oh and I'm going out of town and may not hit CVS for a bit, so I would rather roll the bucks I have on this card, which have an earlier expiration date, than the bucks on that one.

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hope you got cheap candy to give out or to eat all by yourself! I'm planning a big half-price Target extravaganza tomorrow for candy and trinkets for next year. Woohoo!

Kroger This Week

The funny thing is that I'm usually a Publix girl. I prefer not having to flash a loyalty card, and I find Publix to have a better selection and better prices. USUALLY. (Although one of the main draws I had to Publix was their generic line of vegetarian frozen meats and they've discontinued that.)

So. Last night I went to Kroger and got a bunch of things that we needed. I'll just give you the highlights though:

Two free cans of Muir Glen tomato paste with the $1/Muir Glen printable that is out there. I had three coupons left, they all expire at the end of the week, and I didn't know if we'd get to Publix (where I can get free cans of tomato sauce with overage) so I bought these because they were on sale for $1.
Two free bottles of Naturally Preferred water (Kroger's generic Vitamin Water) by combining the BOGO coupon from a few weeks ago with the Cellfire BOGO.
A free bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo and a free bottle of Herbal Essences conditioner by combining the $3/2 P&G coupon from this month with the $2/2 coupon from the P&G e-saver.
Two cans of Progresso tomato soup for 30 cents each by combining the $1.10 printable with the 50 cents/2 Shortcuts coupon.
Two bottles of Purex laundry detergent for $1 each by using the 50 cent coupon in the circulars. There is also a printable at www.purexsavesgreen.com for 50 cents and I plan to go back and get two more bottles.
Morningstar Farms products for $2.74 each with the $1 coupon that came out in the Publix booklet (it is a manufacturer's coupon). This is a decent price - Target has a better everyday price-before-coupon but this does beat Publix's everyday price-before-coupon (because they were on sale).

When all was said and done, I saved 41% on this trip this way - if you don't count the beer that my husband bought (heh, how could he pass up Yuengling now that it's in Georgia?) then I actually saved 48%, and I don't think beer should count toward groceries anyway. Ha!

I'm off to CVS later today with my other card for more razors, SoyJoy, and dishsoap, and I may hit Publix for more Purex, TP, and possibly Pert if they have it.

The end!

Day 40 - Trip 1

I have no idea how I managed this deal. They only had one pack of the razors and that threw me off (and that one pack was actually on the wrong peg). They were also out of the Advil, and the Atkins bars (another plan B item) were not free after coupon and I didn't really want them. But I thought fast...

1 double paper - $2.50
4 SoyJoy bars - $4
2 bags Fun Size M&Ms - $3
1 Bic Comfort Razors pack - $5.89 [ad says $5.99 but this is how it rang up]
1 Nova Max glucose monitor - $9.99
2 Colgate toothbrushes - $5.98
1 granola bar - 25 cents

Used $1/Soyoy, $1/M&Ms, $2/razors, $3 CRT/Colgate [$1/Colgate and $2/Colgate], $5/$30, and $19.53 in ECBs. I should have paid 22 cents - 14 cents tax. I had thrown in the granola bar because I was short about 17 cents and didn't want to lose that ECB money. The cashier said she would buy the granola bar off of me, so she paid the 22 cents. I am still kind of confused as to how that worked, but it ended up with me paying ZERO OOP so it's all good. And then I got back $21.99 in ECBs - so I made a profit of $2.46. I'm still scratching my head because if I'd gotten the razors I wouldn't have made as big of a profit...I think? [ETA: No, I would've made $2 more if they'd had the razors in stock. Ah well. I got candy instead.]



Total OOP: $70.95
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 7 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 15 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 16 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal2, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D, 1 pack Bic Comfort Razors, 2 bags M&Ms fun size, 1 Nova Max glucose monitor.

Current ECB status: $23.97

New and Improved CVS Scenario for 10/26

Be aware, I may fiddle with this post over the next few hours.

Updated 10/26 to reflect that my region has the Bic for $5.99 not $4.99.

4 SoyJoy Bars - $4
2 Bic Razors - $11.98
1 Colgate toothbrush - $2.99[*may be out of stock, can't count on this]
1 Advil - 99 cents
Nova Max glucose monitor - $9.99
1 double paper - $2.50

-$5/$30, -$1 SoyJoy, -$4 Bic, -$2 Colgate, $1 Advil = $19.45
- $7.99, $3.99, $2.99, $2.58, $1.98 (will need to adjust by 8 cents). Just tax OOP.
Get back 19.99. Small profit, everything's free. [I was wrong here - I would've gotten back $23.99 - profit of about $4.]

If they are out of the monitor, I can drive up my pre-coupon cost with another Colgate toothbrush (I just found another CRT for $1!) more Bic Razors and with the candy deal (2/$3 and I have a $1/2 coupon), but I really didn't want to have a $16 ECB [the razors] even though that would give a bigger profit overall. We'll see. I hope they have everything!

Day 39 - Trip 1

I love this type of transaction:

1 Excedrin Express Gels - $1.99
1 CVS-brand Vitamin D - $2.99

-$2 Excedrin printable, -$3 Excedrin CRT. It beeped a few times and the cashier seemed confused, asked to see my card again, and I totally thought she would say no. But she made it work somehow and so I paid 14 cents. Got back $2.99! Plus a $1 CRT for a Colgate toothbrush (moneymaker!) that I will probably use tomorrow with the $5/$30 that printed - both my cards got this and it is being reported that almost everyone is getting one so SCAN YOUR CARD!



Total OOP: $70.95
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 5 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 14 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 12 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal2, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes, 1 Excedrin Express Gels, 1 CVS-brand Vitamin D.

Current ECB status: $21.51

Kroger 10/25

Here's what I wound up with:

1 Cottonelle TP - 99 cents
1 Goldfish crackers - $1
2 Green Giant frozen plain spinach - $2
1 bag of Fresh Express salad - "Manager's Special" (it expires 10/28 but I bought it for tonight so who cares!) - $1.79
1 big ol' potato - $1.66

I got 50 cents off the Cottonelle from Cellfire, but then it did *NOT* also give me the 50 cents off of Shortcuts. I am assuming that it really does only allow one e-coupon per item and not one e-coupon per program. No big deal as I got overage for the Green Giant - I got 50 cents from Shortcuts and then ANOTHER 50 cents from Shortcuts (buy 1, get 50 cents and buy 2, get 50 cents) and I had two 50 cents/GG coupons so I got $1 overage there. Then 50 cents off the Goldfish from Cellfire. And finally, a blinkie of 75 cents off Fresh Express salad. With 18 cents tax, my total was $2.87 - my receipt says I saved 71%!

I think if I'd known I couldn't use two coupons on the Cottonelle I might've skipped it and had the overage go toward the potato and salad, but it's all good, it's just 50 cents. I got the toilet paper, spinach, and crackers for free, basically, plus the salad at a deep discount. Yay!

PS I think we're going to check out Aldi soon - I've been hearing more and more about them and I'm intrigued.

Kroger tomorrow, CVS Sunday

I have two scenarios - might as well note them here so I don't forget!

Kroger:

3 boxes of Green Giant vegetables - $3
1 Goldfish crackers (maybe will get more, but let's say one for now) - $1
1 4-pack of Cottonelle toilet paper - 99 cents

- 2x50 cents off Green Giant printables ($2 after doubling), 50 cents off one Green Giant shortcuts.com coupon, 50 cents off two Green Giant shortcuts.com coupon (making all three free), 50 cents off Goldfish Cellfire coupon, 50 cents Cottonelle shortcuts coupon, 50 cents Cottonelle Cellfire coupon (wish I'd figured this bit out when I had the other coupons so I could've gotten overage instead, but I'll take free TP).

Total cost: 50 cents.

CVS:

4 SoyJoy bars - $4
1 Bic razors - $4.99
1 double paper - $2.50

- B2G1 SoyJoy coupon (sadly, the $3/5 printable wouldn't print for me on two different computers), -$2 Bic coupon. Pay with $7.99, 50 cents + tax OOP, get back $8 ECBs ($4 for SoyJoy, $4 for razor). Yay!

Kroger!

$2.80!

Everything but the crackers was free. I didn't realize I had loaded a Cottonelle coupon on my Kroger card so I got 50 cents overage - and of course I got home and looked at shortcuts.com and found a second Cottonelle coupon I could've used (I think - I don't know if they limit you to one type at a time). Anyway, heads up - combine the e-coupon with the recent 50 cent newspaper coupon to get 50 cents overage and free TP. :)

My Other Card - CVS 10/20/08

With such a great week for moneymaking, I decided to go back and roll up my other card's ECBs.

I started with $8.98 in ECBs.

Transaction 1:

1 JFM haircolor - $7.99
1 Gum toothbrushes - $3.99

-$2/JFM, -$.75/toothbrushes, -$8.98 ECBs. Paid 46 cents (21 cents tax). Got back $11.98. Up $3!

I was trying to decide if I was done or not when the register spat out a CRT for $2 off any Colgate toothbrush. Fabulous!

Transaction 2:

2 pumpkin pails - $1.98 (I would've preferred the glow sticks but the store was out)
1 Powerade - $1.69*
1 Colgate toothbrush - $2.99

-$2 CRT, $3.99 ECBs. Paid 71 cents (4 cents tax). Got back $5.67. *I could've gotten the Brach's candy for a lower OOP with ECBs back, but we'll actually drink the Powerade vs. not eating the candy.

So I end with $13.66 on this card - up nearly $5 from when I started!

I also noticed that the store has the Excedrin in stock, so I may go back later in the week with my experiment card (the one with the CRT) and try to finagle something with the Excedrin and...maybe the vitamin D? Not sure. They're out of the WellPatches - shocker!

Day 38 - Trip 1

OOOOH FUN WEEK!!!!!

Money Saving Mom readers, my Kroger post is here.

Transaction 1:

2 bags of Brachs candy* - $1.58
2 pumpkin pails - $1.98
2 Funlights - $1.98
1 pack of "Crayola" toothbrushes - $3.99
1 Just for Men haircolor - $7.99
1 Powerade - $1.69
1 CVS toilet paper - 89 cents

Coupons: $1/Powerade, 75 cents/toothbrushes, $2/JFM. Used all my ECBs that I had ($17.26). Paid 18 cents OOP - 9 cents tax. Got back $20.21. PROFIT! Plus I am going to submit the receipt for the JFM rebate - I don't know if they will reject it since I paid with ECBs, but it's worth the stamp to try.

*Sadly, these have gelatin, which I don't eat because I am a vegetarian. I almost skipped them entirely but it would've thrown off my math so I got them and will give them to a friend. :)

Transacton 2:

My plan was to get the Excedrin Express Gels, but the store was out of them, so I had to think fast. I couldn't really complain because they had *everything* else I was looking for. So I decided to burn some of my profit ECBs on the paper, rather than pay OOP.

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 pack of Gum toothbrushes that included a bonus cleaner thingie - $3.99

Used 75 cents/toothbrushes, $1.69 and $3.99 ECBs. Paid 12 cents (6 cents tax). Got back $3.99.

Today was the last day for my favorite cashier, who got promoted and is switching stores. I'll miss her and I hope whoever replaces her is as nice!

I still have one more JFM coupon so I may go with my other card and make some profit on that, and I may also try to do the Excedrin deal at the other local store - although some cashiers there are less friendly and they may not let me make such a big profit.



Total OOP: $70.81
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 3 rolls of CVS TP, 5 12 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 1 diabetes monitor (donated), 1 EOB gift bag, 2 EOB lip butters, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 5 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywashes, 5 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 14 double Sunday papers, 1 regular Sunday paper, 3 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 4 Adidas deodorants, 4 Brut deodorants, 5 Dove deodorants, 3 boxes of CVS band aids, 2 packs of CVS cotton swabs, 3 Listerine Smart Rinses, 5 bottles Powerade, 3 Nivea shave gels, 1 Benefiber, 1 bottle Dove shampoo, 1 bottle Dove conditioner, 2 tubes Nutritioniste cleanser, 3 bottles Dove body wash, 2 Oral B power toothbrushes, 2 sets of 2 Oral B power replacement heads, 1 bottle Palmolive Oxy, 12 SoyJoy bars, 3 boxes of Breathe Right strips, 5 boxes of cookies, 2-pack of Oral B toothbrushes, 24-pack Gold Emblem bottled water, 1 tube Physician's Formula mascara, 1 small jar CVS petroleum jelly, 3 photobooks, 2 packs of CVS panty liners, 8 tubs of baby wipes, 3 travel packs of baby wipes, 2 packs of makeup removing wipes, 4 packs of Trident gum, 1 pack of Thank You notes, 1 tube of Banana Boat sunblock, 2 travel-size bottles of Renu, 5 12oz bottles of Renu, 4 bags of Lifesavers, 4 big bags of M&Ms, 2 small bags of M&Ms, 2 bottles infant Advil, 1 bag of 30 CVS cough drops, 1 travel-sized bag of CVS cough drops, 2 bottles of Pert, 1 CVS ibuprofen, 2 bags Dove chocolate, 4 packs of Stayfree pads, 1 pack of Kotex lightdays pads, 4 Suave bodywashes, 2 Covergirl Wetslicks lipglosses, 2 Dawn hand renewal2, 1 L'Oreal Genesis face wipes, 2 Chex Mix bags, 3 Revlon Color Stay nail polishes, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift cream, 1 box 30 Breathe Right Strips, 1 Nivea for Men bodywash, 1 bottle Crest Pro-Health rinse, 1 bottle CoverGirl clean foundation, 2 boxes of 3 Wellpatches, 1 large bottle Vitamin Water, 1 Bic Soleil razor + refills, 4 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads, 2 pumpkin pails, 2 bags of Brachs candy, 2 Funlights, 1 Just for Men haircolor, 2 2-packs of toothbrushes.

Current ECB status: $18.52