Day Twelve - Trip One

Bought:
2 Adidas Deodorants, one at a time

Used $4.99 ECBs (twice), got back $4.99 ECBs each time



Also, the store I went to today got a scanner! I got $3/$10 CVS brand, $1 off cookies, and a coupon for Excedrin!
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Current tally:
Total OOP: $5.08
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 1 travel tissue pack, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 2 double Sunday papers, 2 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 3 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 3 Adidas deodorants

Current ECB status: $10.98



In the end, the only May freebie I didn't do was the Orapiks. Here's to June!

Not a real update

Well, Sierra Mist wasn't on sale in my region and while yes, the nail polish is a money maker, it's also not something I ever use so I skipped CVS today (though in theory I could walk to a closer CVS tomorrow and do the nail polish deal - but I've read that the $2 coupons are beeping and, well, I hate dealing with that).

But I did just hand my husband (hey, it's his card) $10 in ECBs to go buy two things we need (which will cost more than $10). I won't count them as part of the experiment, but I will adjust my running ECB status.

Current ECB status: $10.98

My Other Card...

I think I did my only CVS trip for the week this morning, and I used my other card because I wanted to do some profit-making deals and I'd already maxed them out on the experiment card. In the end, I bought 2 Tums Quik Paks, 2 CVS Loratadines, 1 travel pack of tissues, 2 Colgate toothbrushes, and the double paper. I walked in with $11.77 in ECBs and I walked out with $13.17 in ECBs, and I paid the sales tax with the money card (which began its life as ECBs). Not bad. :)

Now on both cards I've maxed out the Tums (the best deal of the month - I made $3 in profit from that and there is a mail in rebate in today's paper as well - the coupon I requested because I couldn't print it arrived, and it was the wrong coupon unfortunately - $1 off a large bottle of Tums rather than $2.25 off the Quik Pak, which was kind of disappointing). I can get 2 more toothbrushes (and use the $1/2 coupon) and one more Loratadine. In theory I could get a bunch of Adidas deodorants and some tooth pick things, but I am not really interested in either and will likely skip those deals this month unless I find that I need filler, which is unlikely at this stage of the game.

Next week there is no paper to buy (no coupons for Memorial Day), but there are some nifty freebies (Sierra Mist soda and nail polish). Looking forward to it!

Day Eleven - Trip One

Bought:
1 Adidas deodorant
2 Colgate toothpastes
1 Colgate 360 toothbrush

Used 2 $1 off toothpaste coupons, $8.97 ECBs, $3.99 ECBs ($12.96 total) (this trip was just to roll those as they expired on the first and third of June - too early!)
Paid 14 cents, used gift card from return of sunscreen (so I don't count it as OOP as it already counted*)
Got back $3.99, $4, $4.99 ECBs ($12.98 - 2 cents up, haha)



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Current tally:
Total OOP: $5.08
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 1 travel tissue pack, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 2 double Sunday papers, 2 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock [returned], 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 3 Colgate toothpastes, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills, 1 Adidas deodorant

Current ECB status: $20.98

Day Ten - Trip One

Returned the CVS brand sunscreen (I think the cashier thought I had used it up in its entirety and then returned it. For the record - just putting this here to make myself feel better ;) - it was a spray that felt empty when I bought it to start with, we used it once, and my daughter had a skin reaction to it) and I got a gift card for the full price plus tax. So I have a gift card now for $5.34 that I can use with either card.

I'm looking forward to using the gift card to cover my 10 cents here, 20 cents there OOP purchases. I also am very close to earning a $10 gift card to CVS from mypoints.

And here's some more shamelessness - I have been a mypoints.com member for years. I've gotten TONS of gift cards from them, including Target, Amazon, and CVS. It's easy - they send you emails (which all have a common header, so I filter them into a single email folder to keep the clutter down - I got NO other spam from them) and you click the link in the email for 5 points (sometimes more, sometimes if you do a survey it's 10 points if you don't qualify/50 if you do, that sort of thing). You can also click through mypoints.com and make purchases to get points (I do this all the time - from the Entertainment Book to gifts from Babies R Us to purchases at drugstore.com). They add up pretty quickly and then you can cash them in for gift cards! I just got another $25 Amazon gift card and like I said, next up is $10 at CVS!

Why am I telling you this? Because if I refer you, I get points. If you find my blog or this post interesting, leave your email address in a comment and I'll send you a referral. Thanks!

Oh, and I bought stuff with my other card (toothpaste, razors, cereal, toilet paper - they were out of the toothbrushes, which I don't need but may buy anyway for the $1 profit) and plan on walking to the other CVS later in the week to do my other deal for the "experiment" card to roll my ECBs.

Two Scenarios for the Week

I'm putting these here so I don't forget!

With experiment-card, I have one more ECB to roll because it expires on June 1. It's $8.97 - so 1 Adidas deodorant ($4.99) plus 2 Colgate toothpastes ($2.99 each minus $1 coupon for each) is $8.97 with $8.97 back. Roll away! I'll probably do this later in the week, watch this space!

For the other card, my main goals are to get more Intuition razors and more Smart Start, so I have this planned:

2 toothbrushes ($3.99)
1 toothpaste (2.99)
Intuition refills ($9.99)
2 Smart Start Cereals ($5)

-$1/2 toothbrushes
-$1.50 toothpaste
-$4 razors
-$3/2 cereal

$16.46

Pay with 5.98, $3.99, $5 ECBs, plus $1.49 cash (plus tax)
Get back 7.98 , 2, 6 = $15.98

(If I skipped the cereal I could either get a tissue pack for 50 cents and ask the cashier to adjust the ECB 1 cent - but I still have drama with that sometimes and prefer to avoid it - or more toilet paper and pay a small OOP. But I try not to pay more than $1/box of cereal - so this is a great deal - and Smart Start happens to be one of my favorites...and we need cereal!)

Day Nine - Trip One

Another "I need stuff, so I'm going to take a loss" trip. Plus my ECBs on this card were going to expire on June 1 and I wanted to extend that (and I don't see much more coming up in May that I want/need). I still have some to roll within May, but I wanted to break up the biggest one. (By the way, I plan to return one of the CVS sunblocks from the last trip. It's a long story but it didn't work for us. I'll keep you posted.)

Bought:
2 boxes of Smart Start cereal (Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the tip!)
1 Colgate toothpaste (only because it was a 50 cent moneymaker, and I wanted to offset the ECB loss a bit - I do NOT need more toothpaste!)
1 package of 3 Schick Intuition refills
The double Sunday paper

Used $3/2 Smart Start cereal coupon (printable from Smartsource - it makes the cereal $1/box), $1.50 off Colgate printable, $4 off Schick, $11.37 ECBs

Paid $1 (39 cents tax). Got back $8 (Loss of $3.37 ECBs)



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Current tally:
Total OOP: $5.08
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 4 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 1 travel tissue pack, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 2 double Sunday papers, 2 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock, 1 small tube sunblock, 2 boxes of cereal, 1 Colgate toothpaste, 1 box of 3 Intuition razor refills

Current ECB status: $20.96

Day Eight - Trip One

While getting only free stuff is fun, I do *need* things sometimes, and I'd always rather lose some ECBs if it means not spending actual cash. That said, I tried with the deal below to minimize my loss...

Bought:
1 CVS spray sunblock - $4.99
1 small tube CVS sunblock - $1.09 (Buy one, get one 50% off)
3 of the CVS Claritin knock-offs that are free this month - $3.79 each

Used $2/$10 CVS purchase, $5.49 ECBs, $9.38 ECBs

Paid 62 cents (4 cents tax). Got back $11.37 (Loss of $3.50 ECBs)

No picture yet.

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Current tally:
Total OOP: $4.08
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 4 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 1 travel tissue pack, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 1 Sunday paper, 2 Tums Quik Paks, 3 boxes of CVS Loratadine, 1 spray sunblock, 1 small tube sunblock

Current ECB status: $24.33

Day Seven - Trip One

Bought:
1 double Sunday paper
1 toothbrush
2 Tums Quik Paks
1 Dawn dish detergent
1 CVS travel tissue pack

Paid 19 cents (16 cents tax). Got back $3.99, $9.38 ($13.37 - $1.40 profit!)



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Current tally:
Total OOP: $3.46
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 4 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps, 1 travel tissue pack, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 1 Sunday paper, 2 Tums Quik Paks

Current ECB status: $27.83

Unfortunately, the Dawn leaked. I noticed it before I left the store and got a plastic bag just for it (I was using a reusable shopping bag for everything). Nothing was ruined except one tissue in the pack - and I needed to open the toothbrush because I rinsed it off and water got into the packaging, but I needed a new toothbrush anyway. I am annoyed, but I can't get too upset since everything was completely free, you know? I may write to P&G though to complain about their packaging!)

A tip for you - getting your Sunday paper for free!

This just came up in a comment someone left me, so I thought I'd share!

Since starting all this saving fun, I simply hate to pay for anything out of pocket at CVS. Yet every week I buy the double paper for $2.50 - and there aren't coupons/deals for that! (Well, at the end of last year the early edition of the Sunday paper was $1, so I could get two papers for $2, but that's unusual.) So I try to roll my paper into my ECB deals to get it for free or at least for as little as possible.

It's simple - at the most basic level, I just pay for the paper with ECBs. Nothing out of pocket - but I "lose" the $2.50 in ECBs at the same time. If I can, I'll pay for the paper with coupons instead. How? Here's an example using current deals:

Buy 1 Tums Quik Pak, use a $2.25 coupon (As a side note, this coupon is no longer available to print, but I emailed the company and requested a coupon be mailed to me - if I get it, you'll see me use it soon!)
Buy 1 Colgate toothbrush, use a $1 coupon
Buy the $2.50 paper

In this scenario, you'll get the paper for free AND come out ahead by 75 cents!

This isn't possible every week, but I usually manage to get the paper for at least a discount using this method. And considering that the paper is the doorway to more savings, this is always a great deal!

And of course, if the Sunday paper in your area costs less than mine, you can work this to an even bigger advantage!

[Shameless request - if this tip helped you, 1) please comment and 2) please consider signing up for Revolution Money Exchange through me. The link is in an earlier entry, and you will get $25 for signing up while I will get $10 for the referral. It's totally legit! The offer ends May 15 but if you sign up, then you get your own unique referral code that you can use for the rest of the promotion.]

Day Six - Trip One

(I think I need to label these entries differently.)

Bought:
1 18 oz. Softsoap SPA bodywash
3 Colgate 360 toothbrushes
3 Aquafresh toothpastes
4 Johnson's Buddies soaps
1 pair of pantyhose
1 toilet paper

Used 3x $1 off the toothpaste, 3x $1 off the toothbrushes, 4x $1 off the Buddies soap, the $3/$15 that CVS emailed to this card (not the newspaper version), $15.96 ECBs, $5 ECBs

Paid $1.07 (.72 tax), got back $11.97, $8.97, $5.49

THEN, went back and bought 4 more bodywashes, 1 at a time.

Each time, paid with the $5.49 ECB. Ended with the $5.49 ECB and nothing out of pocket.



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Current tally:
Total OOP: $3.27
Total merchandise: 5 boxes of Excedrin, 5 boxes of CVS pain relief, 2 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, 3 Colgate toothbrushes, 3 Aquafresh toothpastes, 1 pair of CVS pantyhose, 4 Johnsons Buddies soaps

Current ECB status: $26.43

(On my other card I turned $11.97 into $13.97 but missed a grand opportunity to have nothing out of pocket and instead paid $2.74 for 4 more of the bodywashes, a toothpaste, and a Gatorade for my husband, so the ECBs are a wash. If I'd done the math in my head more quickly, I would've added in one 50 cent item, used the $3/$15 from the newspaper, and paid zero or at least close to zero. Oh well.)

Options for CVS May Deals

I popped into one of my CVS stores (I can walk to it) to scope out the inventory but I'm waiting until Sunday to do any deals because I want to get the newspaper (or papers, as you'll see) for free.

I have come up with two scenarios - one makes more money, but one includes things that I actually need. ;) It all depends on what's in stock on Sunday and how I feel that day, I suppose. Remember, I have $20.96 in ECBs right now.

Plan A

3x toothbrush = 11.97
2x toothpaste = 5.98
1x deodorant = $4.99
1x Orapik Traveler = $2.79
1x toilet paper = $0.89
1x Newspaper = $2.50
- $3/$15
- $3 (toothbrushes)
- $2 (toothpaste)
About $21 - low OOP.
Get back $25.73.
This would work all month - and just so you know, the $2.50 is for the double Sunday paper - 2x the coupons! I buy that every week.

Plan B (more likely- updated...)

3x toothbrush = 11.97
3x toothpaste = 8.97
1x pantyhose (need for an event on May 10) - $3.75 (approx.)
1x tissues - 50 cents (may not need, depending on hose price)
1x deodorant - $4.99 (if in stock - otherwise 2x newspaper)
- $3/$15
- $3 (toothbrushes)
- $3 (toothpaste)
About $21 again. ($20.98 if my calculations are exact, but the hose might be a bit more.)
If getting the deodorant, get back $25.93, use $4.99 from deodorant to buy 2x newspaper - I can try this on Friday or Saturday and then do the $4.99/newspaper on Sunday.
This deal also would work all month, but this week I really want the extra coupons as there are a few I'd use for sure.

I also have a Plan C for my other card that has a higher OOP but is the best money maker I came up with... (This would have to be for this weekend since the $5/$30 is only good until Sunday. It was sent directly to me to use with this card, and it has my name on it. :) )

3x toothbrush = 11.97
2x toothpaste = 5.98
2x newspaper = 5
4 Johnsons Bath Buddies = 3.96
CVS Non-Drowsy - $3.79*
= $30.70

- 4 (Johnsons - each soap is 99 cents, the coupons are for $1, I could have problems if the cashier doesn't know how to deal with this)
- 3 (toothbrushes)
- 2 (toothpaste)
- 5 (5/30 - this is the reason this deal is so good - this + the Bath Buddies...)
= $16.70

-12 ECBs
$4.70 OOP plus tax
Get back $21.74

*I am reluctant to do this as I could instead buy 3 of these at once, use a $2/$10 CVS coupon, and make a separate profit later in the month when I need to roll things - so we'll see. I am still trying to keep my OOP low and I don't really need the deodorant - wish I had that free coupon for it! - but I could get one of those instead for higher OOP/higher ECB return.