Friday, October 31, 2008

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!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

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!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

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.]

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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

Saturday, October 25, 2008

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!

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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.

Friday, October 24, 2008

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!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Kroger!

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$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!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

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.

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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

Friday, October 17, 2008

CVS Scenarios for 10/19

Oooh, this is going to be a fun week. Last week all I did was buy the paper - I used ECBs from my other card but...nothing really fun about that!

I hope my store has everything in stock - I plan to go early so I can maximize the chances that it will.

2 pumpkin pails - $1.98
2 Funlights - $1.98
2 bags of Brach's candy (probably candy corn) - $2.58
1 Powerade - $1.69
1 set of 2 toothbrushes - $3.99
1 Just for Men haircolor - $7.99
1 roll of CVS toilet paper (filler!) - 85 cents (I think - will have to check)

= $21.06

Use $1/Powerade, $2/JFM (printable), 75 cents/toothbrushes (this should work), $17.26 ECBs (all I have), 5 cents plus tax.

Get back $1.69, $1.98, $1.98, $2.58, $3.99, $7.99 = $20.21 (profit of about $3)

THEN:

1 pack toothbrushes - $3.99
1 pack Excedrin gels - $1.99
1 double paper - $2.50
1 50 cent filler - either cough drops or tissues

-75 cents/toothbrushes, -$2/Excedrin (printable), -$3 CRT for Excedrin (I think this will work). $3.98. Pay with $3.99, get back $3.99. Free paper! Profit!

And...what are the odds I'll get all this? The keys are the Just for Men, the Powerade, the Excedrin, and the toothbrushes as they are all moneymakers. I really do want the candy, lights, and pumpkins though! We'll see...

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Day 37 - Trip 1

Two identical transactions:

1 box Bic Soleil refills - $5.99
-$4 ECBs, $2 coupon (in that order). Paid 13 cents tax each time, got back $4 ECBs each time.

I maxed this deal out on this card and got 4 out of the 5 on the other card. Woohoo!

I also hit Publix and got 2 more free cans of Muir Glen tomato sauce (free + 15 cents overage with the $1 IP) and found a big stack of their recent coupon book that includes a $1 manufacturer's coupon for Morningstar Farms products - which we buy every week. I grabbed...a few...or a lot...or a ton...something like that.

No picture - you know what these razors look like by now!

Total OOP: $70.51
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, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 13 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, 4 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.

Current ECB status: $17.26

Friday, October 10, 2008

Kroger Post!

If you have a Kroger, there is a REALLY great deal that I just learned about.

The Febreze noticables starter kits are on sale for $7.59.
There was a $5 coupon in the most recent P&G circular.
PLUS if you go to kroger.com, you can load an e-coupon from P&G onto your card for $5 off.
YOU CAN USE BOTH.

That gives you around $2.50 to apply toward whatever you really need. I used it toward a half-gallon of organic milk.

I believe the Febreze sale is over Saturday but even regular price they're under $8 according to the shelf tag.

Yeehaw! (I also combined a real coupon with a ShortCuts e-coupon - also available at kroger.com - to get a Betty Crocker Warm Delights for very cheap. Totally unnecessary item, but I deserve a treat once in a while!)

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Plan for Starting from Zero

Here's my plan for later in the day *if* the other store I go to has the diabetes monitor in stock. I have zero ECBs on my other card right now so I figured I'd post this as an idea for those of you starting from scratch - but you would have had to be saving your coupons since June and/or have another way (ebay, etc.) to get a monitor coupon.

Transaction 1:
1 Breeze 2 monitor - $14.99
Use Breeze 2 coupon from June. Pay nothing, get back $10.

Transaction 2:
1 Always pads - $4.98
1 Bic Soleil razor - $5.99
1 Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste - $2.99 [*NOTE* A friend of mine just told me that there are some little stand-up bottles of this toothpaste on clearance for 83 cents that still generate the ECBs! So look for those - and/or combine with a coupon for overage! You can also use the Colgate cavity protection as 25 cent filler if you have the 75 cent coupon from last week!]

Use $2 printable Soleil coupon, $1 Colgate coupon from the newspaper last week (and if you were lucky enough to get a CRT, throw that in - but you'll have to redo the math a bit).

$10.96. Use $10 from the monitor, pay 96 cents plus tax, get back $10.98 - $4.98, $4, $2.

Then do it all over again (because you can print 2x the Soleil coupons per computer, and there's a printable Colgate coupon out there and/or you may have two just like I do...) and pay zero OOP, get back $10.96 again!

To recap, you'll spend about $1 and get a diabetes monitor, 2 boxes of Always pads, 2 tubes of toothpaste, and at least 2 razors (the more coupons you have, the more you can roll that $4 razor ECB to get even MORE razors up to the max of 5).

Then if you're really feeling frisky and your store has them in stock, you could use the $4 and the $2 to get a few boxes of Wellpatches for you or your friends or family - they're on sale for $5.99, get $5.99 back, limit 5, all month. There's also a coupon out there for $1 off, if you have it (in that case you could get the patches plus $1 of something else - toilet paper? paper towels? baby wipes? - and still get the $5.99 back...).

Basically, if you've been saving coupons for a while and always wanted to try CVS, this is a GREAT week to start!

Day 36 - Trip 1

OMG what a great week.

(Oh and please vote in my poll on the right!)

Transaction 1:
1 Breeze 2 monitor - $14.99
1 Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste - $2.99

Used Breeze coupon ($14.99), $1 CRT for Colgate, $1 newspaper coupon for Colgate, $1 ECB. Paid 7 cents tax, got back $12.

Transaction 2:
1 double newspaper - $2.50
1 Vitamin Water - $2.29
1 Always Infinity pads - $4.98 (these were hard to find - the packs are small! You get 16-18 pads per pack, hrmph.)
1 Bic Soleil razor (included 2 refills) - $5.99
1 Colgate cavity protection toothpaste - 99 cents

Used $2 printable Soleil coupon, 75 cents/Colgate coupon (I needed a 25 cent filler so this was perfect!), $14 ECBs. Paid 5 cents tax, got back $11.27.

Transaction 3:
1 Always Infinity Pads - $4.98
1 Bic Soleil razor refills - $5.99

Used $2 Soleil coupon, $8.98 ECBs. Cashier put ECBs in first so I got a penny off the sales tax thanks to the coupon. Paid 13 cents. Got back $8.98.

Transaction 4:
1 Bic Soleil razor refills - $5.99

Used $2 Soleil coupon, $4 ECBs. Again cashier put ECBs in first for me. Paid 13 cents. Got back $4.

So I made a major profit, spent 38 cents, and got everything noted above! Plus I still have Soleil coupons (my Sunday store gets a bit antsy if I start doing a lot of transactions and since they're so super amazing nice, I don't push it) and I have another Breeze coupon for my other card. I have an outing planned for later for the other CVS.

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Total OOP: $70.25
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, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 13 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, 4 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, 2 boxes Soleil refills, 2 packs of Always Infinity pads.

Current ECB status: $17.26

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Scenario for October 5

I'm just a posting fiend today!

I have two options.

Option 1

Buy diabetes monitor - pay nothing, get $10.

Then buy:
Vitamin Water - $2.29
Always Infinity Pads - $4.98
Bic Soliel Razors (pack with razor and refills) - $5.99
Newspaper - $2.50

Use $2/Soleil printable coupon (from www.feelthesoleil.com).

Total - $13.76. Use $10 from monitor and $2 and $1. Pay around $1 (including tax). Get back $2.29, $4.98, $4.

Then buy one more pack of the razors (just the refills) with the $4 and the $2 coupon. Get back the $4. Go home.

Option 2 - No diabetes monitor in stock! (It happens all the time...)

Buy:
Always Infinity Pads - $4.98
Bic Soliel Razors - $5.99

Use $2 coupon, $8.99 ECBs (everything I have). Get back $8.98.

Then use the $4 to buy one more set of razors. (I actually have 5 coupons- and I don't know how I managed that! - but I probably wouldn't push it.)
Then use the $4 to buy the newspaper + the vitamin water. Pay a bit OOP. Get back $2.29. Take a loss but still pay very little for the paper.

Poll!

I was thinking that my "experiment" should probably have an end date, and then I can start over from zero every so often. Or not. To the right, you'll see a poll. Please vote!

Day 35 - Trip 1

It went almost perfectly.

Transaction 1:

2 bottles of Renu - $13.98
1 Wellpatch 3 pack - $5.99
1 Dawn hand renewal - 99 cents

Used 2 $2 coupons for Renu (these were in Redbook and Real Simple by the way, and are of the "$1 to Susan Komen" type), $1/Wellpatch, $1/Dawn (adjusted to 99 cents), $5.79 ECBs (thanks for the 30 cents CVS!). Paid $10.24 ($1.06 tax). Got back $9.99 ECBs, then also got my quarterly bucks - $1! Sadly, the scanner had been broken at the store so I didn't get this beforehand to use in this transaction, which I would've preferred, but hey, money is money right?

Transaction 2:

1 bottle of Renu - $6.99
1 Wellpatch 3 pack - $5.99

Used $2/Renu, $1/Wellpatch, $4 ECBs from Renu, $5.99 from Wellpatch - the cashier was confused about adjusting it and tried to get me to buy something else (but was so nice about it - "Don't waste this! Get something else!") but I caught the error and explained how it was just a penny so it was fine to adjust it. I paid nothing but tax - 21 cents. Wish I'd handed the ECBs over first but I forgot.

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All in all, not bad - that's the best price I think I've ever paid for Renu, and each box came with a contact case!

Total OOP: $69.87
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, 4 travel tissue packs, 1 Dawn dish detergent, 12 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, 3 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, 4 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.

Current ECB status: $8.99

Plan for Today - October 2

I'm just writing it out so I have it all set in my head.

Buy 2 bottles of Renu - $13.98
1 thing of 3 Wellpatches - $5.99
1 Dawn Hand Renewal - 99 cents

= $20.96
-$4 Renu coupons, $1 Wellpatch coupon, $1 Dawn coupon (from Home Made Simple booklet), $5.79 ECBs

= $9.17 - a high OOP but I use the Renu every day.

Get back $4 for the Renu and $5.99 for the WellPatch.

Then buy:

1 more bottle of Renu - $6.99
1 more Wellpatches - $5.99

=$12.98

Use $2 Renu coupon, $4 ECBs from Renu, $1 Wellpatch coupon, $5.99 ECBs from Wellpatch (one of the ECBs will have to be adjusted by a penny). Pay only tax, get back $2 for the Renu, $5.99 for the Wellpatches.

This gets me 3 bottles of Renu for $9.17 plus tax, plus Dawn, plus some Wellpatches (may give these to a relative), plus $7.99 for later. I like it! Here's hoping my store has everything on this list! (If not, I'll just get the Renu - it's a monthly deal, but this week it's on sale.)

Oh, and I should be getting around 50 cents in quarterly ECBs so that will lower my OOP a bit...