Sunday, May 24, 2009

CVS - Tons of freebies, tons of profit!

After all my figuring and fiddling in that last post, it turned out that my CVS had *everything* in stock that I wanted - and then some! Also, my math was slightly off and I guess I didn't really need the Diet Dr Pepper (that nobody in my family will drink so I'll give it to a friend) - but it added a whole 3 cents in sales tax to my total, so that's all good.

I got:
1 Colgate Total Advanced Fresh toothpaste - $2.99
1 Playtex sport tampons (with a peelie for $1 off right on the box!) - $3.99
2 Hello Kitty bandaids - $5.98 (yay!)
2 Purina dog treats - $5.98
1 Clearasil facewash - $3.99
2 Speed Stick Pro deodorants - $7.98 (my store had a ton)
1 Diet Dr Pepper - $1.49

I used $5/$30, $1/Colgate, $1 (peelie)/Playtex, 2x$1/bandaids, $1/bandaids CRT, 2x$3/Purina printables (big big thanks to iheartcvs.com for those!), $1.49/Diet Dr Pepper (free coupon from promotion), $12 in ECBs. I paid $1.84 OOP - on the high end, but 93 cents of that was tax. I got back $20.97 - nearly a $9 profit!!!!

Next week it looks like there's not much to get at all, so I'll just get the paper for free. But the week after that (I think) there's another monitor deal. Hooray!

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Total OOP: $19.55 ($7.88 tax)
Total merchandise: 11 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 6 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 4 bottles Dawn, 3 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 2 3-packs of CVS brand paper towels, 1 box of CVS cold medicine (Dayquil-ish), 1 Gillette shampoo, 1 Gillette conditioner, 1 Gillette shampoo+conditioner, 1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips, 4 Gillette Gamer razors, 2 L'Oreal towelettes, 1 KY product, 1 CVS toilet paper, 1 10-count Excedrin, 1 chewable aspirin, 2 Johnson's Buddies soaps, 1 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, 1 small CVS mouthwash, 10 25-count CVS cotton rounds, 4 small boxes of Wheat Thins, 1 Boost Kid Essentials, 2 Cascade Action Pacs, 2 bags of Halls cough drops, 2 Energy Shots 2 pack, 5 Colgate toothpastes, 1 small box Breathe Right strips, 5 bottles Suave body wash, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 1 Snickers heart candy, 2 bottles Mylanta Mint, 1 Fruitopia shampoo, 2 Venus Spa Breeze razors, 1 Renuzit Tri-Scent starter kit, 1 box 10-count Carnation Instant Breakfast, 2 single-serving Pringles, 1 bottle Vaseline lotion, 1 tube Crest toothpaste, 1 bottle Irish Spring body wash, 5 Dry Idea roll on deodorants, 1 Colgate Max White, 2 Colgate Max Fresh, 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel, 2 Hylands teething tablets, 2 Skintimate shave gels, 1 pack Juicyfruit gum, 1 Softsoap coconut scrub, 2 Colgate sensitive toothpastes, 1 Zantrex 2-pack, 1 Adidas deodorant, 2 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 1 tub CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 2 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper.

Current ECB status: $20.97

Thursday, May 21, 2009

CVS - Scenario for 5/24

So my $5/$30 doesn't expire until Sunday. SCORE! Let's see if I can make a scenario that makes it worthwhile:

1 Clearasil face wash - $3.99 [-$2 coupon]
1 Playtex tampons - $3.99 [-$1 coupon]
2 Bandaids - $5.98 [- 2 $1 coupons]
1 Colgate - $2.99 [-$1 coupon]
$16.95

There's also the $3.99 Revlon nail color - get back $3 ECBs. There's a coupon for $1 off a "Revlon Color Cosmetic Product" but I have learned in the past that there is a *specific* type of nail polish that is also a "Color Cosmetic." Let's say for scenario's sake that I buy it without the coupon...that brings me to $20.94.

After coupons, all the above will cost me $14.94 and I'll get back $15.99.

What can I get for $9-ish more to bring me to $30 so I can use the $5/$30? Hmmmm.

I only have $12 in ECBs and I hate paying OOP, so if I can't finagle the $5/$30 [and I don't think I can with a low OOP - may be able to figure out something we need though and just get it cheap], I'll skip the nail polish (which isn't even free), pay $10.95 [may need filler to get up to $12] and get back $12.99.


Update (thanks awshucks!):

1 Clearasil face wash - $3.99 [-$2 coupon]
1 Playtex tampons - $3.99 [-$1 coupon]
2 Bandaids - $5.98 [- 2 $1 coupons]
1 Colgate - $2.99 [-$1 coupon]
1 Revlon nail polish - $3.99
2 Speed Stick Pro - $7.98
1 Diet Dr. Pepper - $1.50ish [I found my coupon for a free one!]

= $30.42 before coupons
= $17.92 after coupons [could be $16.92 if I can get the Revlon to work]
= $12 ECBs + $5ish OOP (which is really high for me, so I don't know if this is all worth it)
Get back $23.97 ECBs. (Right?)

Update: I now have two $3/Purina coupons. I think I will do this:

Clearasil - $3.99
2 Bandaids - $5.98
Colgate - $2.99
2 Speed Stick Pro - $7.98
Diet Dr Pepper - $1.50 (approx)
1 Playtex - $3.99
2 Purina treats - $5.98
$32.41 before coupons, $14.91 (ish) after coupons, use $12 ECBs, get back $17.97.
Maybe.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

CVS - Moneymaker on deodorant, cheap Suave bodywash

I think I could've done better if I had been willing to purchase more things I didn't need (and if I'd had more Dry Idea coupons - thanks to a printer issue, I only had three). As I was getting ready to go to the register, I scanned my card, and out popped a $5/$30. Fabulous - except I honestly couldn't think of $15 worth of "stuff" (I was up to about $12 at that point) that I not only needed but that would make the entire deal worthwhile. However, I got a $3/2 bodywash CRT too, and that helped keep my OOP low, as I'll explain below (isn't it funny when you have to spend *more* to spend *less*?).

I got:
1 double paper - $2.50
2 Dry Idea deodorants - $5
1 tub of baby wipes (ah, sometimes I need to buy stuff that has nothing to do with ECBs!) - $2.99

Then I added two Suave body washes because they were on sale for $1.99 each, and with the $3 off they would be down to 50 cents each. [Edited to note that in today's paper is a coupon for 75 cents off two bodywashes, which would've brought my total down to 25 cents for two. Oh well!] Also, if I had only bought the above, I would've been spending around $6.50 - but my ECBs would only combine to be $5 or $7. [And here I totally wished I had one more Dry Idea coupon so I could've spent $1 and gotten back $2. But I didn't.]

I used two printable Dry Idea $2 coupons and $7 in ECBs. I paid 61 cents (14 cents tax) and got back $2. Basically I spent one of my bonus $5 ECBs from last week. Not too bad.

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Total OOP: $17.71 ($6.95 tax)
Total merchandise: 11 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 6 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 4 bottles Dawn, 3 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 2 3-packs of CVS brand paper towels, 1 box of CVS cold medicine (Dayquil-ish), 1 Gillette shampoo, 1 Gillette conditioner, 1 Gillette shampoo+conditioner, 1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips, 4 Gillette Gamer razors, 2 L'Oreal towelettes, 1 KY product, 1 CVS toilet paper, 1 10-count Excedrin, 1 chewable aspirin, 2 Johnson's Buddies soaps, 1 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, 1 small CVS mouthwash, 10 25-count CVS cotton rounds, 4 small boxes of Wheat Thins, 1 Boost Kid Essentials, 2 Cascade Action Pacs, 2 bags of Halls cough drops, 2 Energy Shots 2 pack, 4 Colgate toothpastes, 1 small box Breathe Right strips, 5 bottles Suave body wash, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 1 Snickers heart candy, 2 bottles Mylanta Mint, 1 Fruitopia shampoo, 2 Venus Spa Breeze razors, 1 Renuzit Tri-Scent starter kit, 1 box 10-count Carnation Instant Breakfast, 2 single-serving Pringles, 1 bottle Vaseline lotion, 1 tube Crest toothpaste, 1 bottle Irish Spring body wash, 5 Dry Idea roll on deodorants, 1 Colgate Max White, 2 Colgate Max Fresh, 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel, 2 Hylands teething tablets, 2 Skintimate shave gels, 1 pack Juicyfruit gum, 1 Softsoap coconut scrub, 2 Colgate sensitive toothpastes, 1 Zantrex 2-pack, 1 Adidas deodorant, 2 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 1 tub CVS-brand baby wipes.

Current ECB status: $12.00

Sunday, May 10, 2009

CVS - Free aspirin and moneymaking monitors!

Finally! A big moneymaking deal that enabled me to earn more ECBs!

Bought:
1 Bayer aspirin - $2
1 Contour monitor - $14.99

Used "up to $30 off" monitor coupon (the sales clerk was like "I can't give you more than $14.99" and I said "Yes, of course!" Then she had to fiddle with it for a while and do...something...but she made it work. I said "Just so you know, I'm going to get one more...") and $2 in ECBs. Paid ZERO. Got back $7 in ECBs.

Then I bought another monitor, used another coupon, paid zero, got another $5 in ECBs. Now I have bucks to play with when there are freebies in a few weeks (per the sneak preview at iheartcvs.com). Yay!

Note: I didn't buy the paper because I wasn't at my regular CVS and this particular store didn't have the double paper. Instead I checked a local Kroger - but they were out too, so I just got the single paper - and paid sales tax on it (boo, I don't usually). It looked like there weren't enough coupons I really needed to make it worth buying a second single paper...we'll see.

Oh and I gave all three items to a friend - she will give the aspirin to some neighbors who take it on a regular basis, and she will give the diabetes monitors (which do come with 10 test strips) to a family member who will use them.

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Total OOP: $17.10 ($6.81 tax)
Total merchandise: 10 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 6 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 4 bottles Dawn, 3 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 2 3-packs of CVS brand paper towels, 1 box of CVS cold medicine (Dayquil-ish), 1 Gillette shampoo, 1 Gillette conditioner, 1 Gillette shampoo+conditioner, 1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips, 4 Gillette Gamer razors, 2 L'Oreal towelettes, 1 KY product, 1 CVS toilet paper, 1 10-count Excedrin, 1 chewable aspirin, 2 Johnson's Buddies soaps, 1 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, 1 small CVS mouthwash, 10 25-count CVS cotton rounds, 4 small boxes of Wheat Thins, 1 Boost Kid Essentials, 2 Cascade Action Pacs, 2 bags of Halls cough drops, 2 Energy Shots 2 pack, 4 Colgate toothpastes, 1 small box Breathe Right strips, 3 bottles Suave body wash, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 1 Snickers heart candy, 2 bottles Mylanta Mint, 1 Fruitopia shampoo, 2 Venus Spa Breeze razors, 1 Renuzit Tri-Scent starter kit, 1 box 10-count Carnation Instant Breakfast, 2 single-serving Pringles, 1 bottle Vaseline lotion, 1 tube Crest toothpaste, 1 bottle Irish Spring body wash, 3 Dry Idea roll on deodorants, 1 Colgate Max White, 2 Colgate Max Fresh, 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel, 2 Hylands teething tablets, 2 Skintimate shave gels, 1 pack Juicyfruit gum, 1 Softsoap coconut scrub, 2 Colgate sensitive toothpastes, 1 Zantrex 2-pack, 1 Adidas deodorant, 2 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin.

Current ECB status: $17.00

Thursday, May 7, 2009

CVS - Free toothpaste and deodorant

I'm back from vacation so I walked to my least-favorite CVS. They were out of the clearance Adidas, but that's fine, I just wanted to break up my $4.99 ECB.

I bought
1 Colgate toothpaste - $2.99
1 Adidas deodorant - $3.99

Used $4.99 ECBs, then $1/Colgate, $1/Adidas. Paid 13 cents (all tax - my actual total was negative!), got back $5 in ECBs. Hooray!

[picture to come]

Total OOP: $17.10 ($6.81 tax)
Total merchandise: 10 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 6 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 4 bottles Dawn, 3 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 2 3-packs of CVS brand paper towels, 1 box of CVS cold medicine (Dayquil-ish), 1 Gillette shampoo, 1 Gillette conditioner, 1 Gillette shampoo+conditioner, 1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips, 4 Gillette Gamer razors, 2 L'Oreal towelettes, 1 KY product, 1 CVS toilet paper, 1 10-count Excedrin, 1 chewable aspirin, 2 Johnson's Buddies soaps, 1 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, 1 small CVS mouthwash, 10 25-count CVS cotton rounds, 4 small boxes of Wheat Thins, 1 Boost Kid Essentials, 2 Cascade Action Pacs, 2 bags of Halls cough drops, 2 Energy Shots 2 pack, 4 Colgate toothpastes, 1 small box Breathe Right strips, 3 bottles Suave body wash, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 1 Snickers heart candy, 2 bottles Mylanta Mint, 1 Fruitopia shampoo, 2 Venus Spa Breeze razors, 1 Renuzit Tri-Scent starter kit, 1 box 10-count Carnation Instant Breakfast, 2 single-serving Pringles, 1 bottle Vaseline lotion, 1 tube Crest toothpaste, 1 bottle Irish Spring body wash, 3 Dry Idea roll on deodorants, 1 Colgate Max White, 2 Colgate Max Fresh, 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel, 2 Hylands teething tablets, 2 Skintimate shave gels, 1 pack Juicyfruit gum, 1 Softsoap coconut scrub, 2 Colgate sensitive toothpastes, 1 Zantrex 2-pack, 1 Adidas deodorant.

Current ECB status: $7.00

Sunday, May 3, 2009

CVS - Free toothpaste and Zantrex

A new CVS opened up near my friend's house in Virginia, so of course I had to check it out. They didn't have the clearanced Adidas deodorant - I plan on checking that out when I get home from vacation - and I didn't realize until after we left that the limit on the Colgate is more than one (I have a few coupons) so expect another update later in the week.

1 Zantrex 3 - $4.99
1 Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste - $2.99

Used $1/Colgate MaxFresh, $2.89 and $3.99 in ECBs. Paid 15 cents (5 cents tax) and got back $6.99. Basically broke even. I gave the Zantrex to my friend. :)

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Total OOP: $16.97 ($6.68 tax)
Total merchandise: 10 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 6 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 4 bottles Dawn, 3 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 2 3-packs of CVS brand paper towels, 1 box of CVS cold medicine (Dayquil-ish), 1 Gillette shampoo, 1 Gillette conditioner, 1 Gillette shampoo+conditioner, 1 box of 30 Breathe Right strips, 4 Gillette Gamer razors, 2 L'Oreal towelettes, 1 KY product, 1 CVS toilet paper, 1 10-count Excedrin, 1 chewable aspirin, 2 Johnson's Buddies soaps, 1 20 oz. Dr. Pepper, 1 small CVS mouthwash, 10 25-count CVS cotton rounds, 4 small boxes of Wheat Thins, 1 Boost Kid Essentials, 2 Cascade Action Pacs, 2 bags of Halls cough drops, 2 Energy Shots 2 pack, 4 Colgate toothpastes, 1 small box Breathe Right strips, 3 bottles Suave body wash, 2 bottles Herbal Essences shampoo, 2 bottles Herbal Essences conditioner, 1 Snickers heart candy, 2 bottles Mylanta Mint, 1 Fruitopia shampoo, 2 Venus Spa Breeze razors, 1 Renuzit Tri-Scent starter kit, 1 box 10-count Carnation Instant Breakfast, 2 single-serving Pringles, 1 bottle Vaseline lotion, 1 tube Crest toothpaste, 1 bottle Irish Spring body wash, 3 Dry Idea roll on deodorants, 1 Colgate Max White, 1 Colgate Max Fresh, 1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel, 2 Hylands teething tablets, 2 Skintimate shave gels, 1 pack Juicyfruit gum, 1 Softsoap coconut scrub, 2 Colgate sensitive toothpastes, 1 Zantrex 2-pack.

Current ECB status: $6.99