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!