TiaraSaves

I've moved!

2010-08-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I've moved in the virtual world, anyway.

I'm now blogging at http://aplacetowritethings.blogspot.com. All of the deal/savings/freebie/CVS posts, plus posts about everything from smoothies to music to my life in general.

Come on over. At some point, I'll import all of the posts from this blog to over there (I think I know how), but for now they'll hang out here.

Thanks!

CVS - Free Dulcolax and semi-free razors

2010-08-08T15:42:00.001-04:00

I hit CVS this morning planning to get the free Dulcolax (a $4 MM after coupon) and free Schick razor (coupon + ECBs = free) plus some filler items. But my husband (rightfully) pointed out that he really needs more refills and not more actual razors. This is his favorite brand, too. So I bought the refills instead and used the $2 coupon. Not free, but way cheap, and the moneymaker deal covered it anyway.

I spent about $3 OOP plus $7.99 and $2.99 in ECBs and got back $13.99. Yay.

Round up of deals lately

2010-08-07T07:50:00.002-04:00

I took a survey through CVS and got $5 in Extrabucks (on my "other" card but I'll use it on the Schick razors tomorrow). I also got coupons in the mail (not attached to either card) for $5/$30 and $25 with prescription.

I went to a "warehouse" sale that featured indie boutiques around my city. Most things were out of my price range (or too fancy for me) but I scored some small things that were worth about $125 total for $20 total.

I used the printable Gardein coupon to get Gardein at Publix for $1 (I printed two, a friend gave me one, and another friend gave me two more, and then I bought a few for $2 without coupon - a GREAT deal).

Kroger mailed me a pack of personalized coupons that include free baby carrots and free salad dressing, as well as coupons for Morningstar Farms and Laughing Cow. The name-brand coupons are marked "manufacturer" so I'm assuming I can't stack them at Publix, but I still can use them at either store. (I'll use the frees at Kroger, because it's just easier.)

My daughter needed labels for many of the things I send with her to preschool. Mabels Labels are really nice, high quality, and lovely, but they're pricey. Instead I bought similar labels from Gloria on Etsy for about 1/10 of the price. Etsy and Ebay are two places one should always look when hoping for a bargain!

I also bought my daughter a wetbag (yes, her preschool accepts cloth diapers without issue - I send BumGenius pocket diapers that are just as easy to use as disposables, but she goes between two rooms so I needed to send an extra wetbag) from abbyslane.com. Amazing customer service and free shipping on every order - I love supporting this site!

And finally, I've been using my Vitamix to make smoothies every morning and good, whole foods every day. My favorite thing is to put spinach or kale into my smoothie, and I also grabbed some flax seeds at the market for extra omegas. This purchase was worth every penny for sure.

Thrifty and splurgey - CVS free photobooks, Publix cheap Gardein, Vitamix

2010-07-31T08:39:00.002-04:00

First, I went to CVS and got the free-after-ECB photobook ($7.99, get $7.99 back, I had a $7.99 ECB ready to go). I wish they still did these as limit 5, but the one I got is perfect. I also got my free Suave shampoo with the coupon Suave sent me a while back.

Sometime this weekend I plan on going to Publix for the Gardein BOGO deal. I prefer this brand of fake meat to almost any other, and the packages are $2 each with the sale - a great price. But there's also a coupon at gardein.com for $1 off, so I'll get a few packages at a dollar. A friend sent me one extra coupon, and I think a different friend is sending me some extras too. In any case, this deal is as fantastic as the Morningstar Farms deal a few weeks ago (though I have far fewer coupons this time around).

I'm selectively thrifty though. Yesterday I was at Whole Foods and they had a man doing a demo of Vitamix blenders. I have a weakness for this kind of demo - for county fair demos and infomercials and all things like that, especially for food-prep products (the only one I've ever bought was the vacuum sealer though and I use that a lot but I do need a new one soon). Anyway, I got sucked in and...I bought one. And it is WONDERFUL. It does what it promises and I really like it. I made a frozen cappuccino today that tasted so thick and creamy (with skim milk) and I look forward to soups and smoothies. Of course now I have an extra blender and a food processor (both very nice brands, both were wedding gifts) to figure out. I probably will sell them as money toward the Vitamix.

Splurges are important!

CVS - Moneymaker on BioTrue

2010-07-27T15:29:00.002-04:00

I plan on making a free photobook later this week (I have a $7.99 ECB), but I saw via Money Saving Mom that there were BioTrue printables and I'd wanted to try this product anyway.

So I bought one at $2.99, used the $2 printable and paid $1.20 OOP. I got back $2.99 and a $1 for my Green Bag Tag.
Then I used another $2 printable and the $1 from the GBT, paid 14 cents OOP (not sure why it wasn't 20 cents, but whatever) and got back another $2.99.

So I spent $1.34 out of pocket and got back $5.98 in ECBs plus 2 bottles of BioTrue. Yay.

One more Publix trip

2010-07-02T21:33:00.002-04:00

OK, so we went back to Publix tonight.

I got 12 - TWELVE - different Morningstar Farms things for $1 or 99 cents each (every other one was 99 cents because of the way they do the BOGOs). I used 5 of my $2/2 coupons (BEST TRADE EVER) (I have one left, and our freezer has a bit more room, and tomorrow we're taking some of the burgers to a friend's house...) and two of the $1/1 Entree coupons from the boxes themselves. These new boxes also have those coupons but, well, we're running out of room.

I also was emailed another link for the Breyers $1 coupons, so I got two more boxes of those for $1.15 each. (Yum.)

And I got two more boxes of Cheerios for $1 each.

Plus another free mayo bottle. I still feel like I should only use one Publix coupon per transaction (since they key them in) but if I go back one more time I'll....get another bottle!

So everything was either 75% off or free. Well, everything I got. I mean, the chips we got for tomorrow were BOGO (but no coupon, at least none that I brought), and the buns were on sale...but yeah. Even so, I spent $35 and saved OVER FIFTY DOLLARS. YES.

I noticed in Publix a lot of pricetags with lowered prices that indicated it wasn't a sale price but an everyday ALWAYS low price. I"m not positive that's what it meant, but if it does, my beloved Laughing Cow is $2 now. YAY. And I left a message in the suggestion box for them to continue to carry the new flavors. I hope they do. I HOPE THEY DO.

What I got for free or crazy cheap at Publix July 1, 2010

2010-07-01T17:49:00.004-04:00

Publix is amazing this week.

Morningstar Farms items (not JUST the entrees, as the ad/signs indicate) are BOGO at $3.99, making each one $2, which is awesome to start with. But I traded for 10 $2/2 coupons, which makes each one A DOLLAR. I got six today (including two of the entrees, heh). I'm going to go back this weekend for a bit more. We buy these all the time anyway so this is 75% off of what we usually pay.
French's mustard is on sale for 89 cents, and there's a printable for 50 cents off, so it's free plus overage.
Kraft Sandwich Mayo is on sale - it's BOGO at $1.99. EASY to get this one free - just grab a yellow advantage flyer from the front of the store, because there's a $1 coupon right there. Technically this can be stacked with the recent manufacturers $1 coupon or used separately. I had 2 manu coupons and a bunch of advantage coupons, but I'm still unclear on how many Publix coupons I can use in a transaction, so I just used one and I got three bottles free. I plan to go back for more of this too, as it's low fat AND flavored. (The hot and spicy is NOT low fat though! Beware! Or don't...)
Breyers ice cream bars aren't the healthiest thing in the universe, but they're not awful either, and they're $1.19 after coupon.
Kraft salad dressing is on sale for $1.60, and there are $1 coupons, making it 60 cents a bottle. I actually prefer Publix brand, but for this cheap I'll switch.
Gardein is on sale for $3.50 a package, which is cheaper than it usually is (and it's delicious).
Cheeerios are $2 a box and there's a $1 coupon. (It may be a 50-cent-doubled, I can't remember offhand.) $1 a box for Cheerios rules.
Schick shaving gel is still $2 until July 2, and so Publix coupon + manufacturer's coupon = free.
Chinet napkins are $1.08 a pack for 90. There are $1 coupons on their website. 8 cents!

I think that's everything. HUGE thanks to I Heart Publix and CouponMom this week! [And somehow we still spent over $100 at the store - we saved $60 - because we bought disposable diapers since we're going on a trip (usually we use cloth), razor refills for my husband (although I pointed out he still has a bunch unopened, but hey, we had coupons and now he's well stocked), Vitatops (yum), coffee (on sale though!) and...some other randomness.)

Oh and I was VERY SAD to see that my Publix was out of the new Laughing Cow flavors. I hope they restock!!!!! The queso is soooooo goooood!

PS Vocalpoint sent me free samples of disposable diapers this week. However, there are several internet reports of children getting major rashes from this brand, so I'm trashing them. Sorry.

Confusing coupon policy

2010-06-29T10:14:00.000-04:00

So I got an email from corporate of the grocery store I had issues with* today and it included the coupon policy for my region. I am not not NOT going to reproduce it here (you can easily get it if you email them) but I found parts of it confusing. My comments are in brackets and again, do note that this is NOT the full policy, I've edited it heavily.

*I also am not going to say the name of the store in this post - I don't want this to be a Google-able resource, just a place where I can vent. But if you read my blog, you'll figure out where this is for.

General coupon policy:
Only two (2) internet coupons per manufacturer, per product, per visit, per day are accepted. [So can I make multiple visits in one day? Not that I'd bother but...] [This does explain the drama I had long, long ago where I tried to use four Internet coupons for four boxes of the same cereal and the register beeped after two. The cashier and manager told me it was the wording on the coupon though - it was NOT - it was the store policy. Ugh.]
The amount refunded cannot exceed the price of the item. [What does "refunded" mean? Does this mean no overage? That's fine - overage is just a nice bonus - but it's so annoying when a coupon is for $1 and the item is on sale for 99 cents and so OMG you can't use it.]

ONLINE COUPONS versus PAPER COUPONS:
Customers may not use an online coupon and a paper coupon together for the same item.
The online coupon will always take priority over the paper coupon. Stacking is not allowed and will not work
[This seems to mean no stacking with Cellfire and the like - but it DOES work. They need to police this better or figure out a better system.]

PRINT-AT-HOME (PAH) COUPONS:
We do not accept "free product" printable coupons that have no purchase requirement. [The manager was right about this then.]
Buy-one-get-one-free coupons and other values that have a purchase requirement are acceptable but will be MUCH less common than traditional value-off coupons. [So the store manager was WRONG when she told me they don't take BOGO printables. What are they talking about with "much less common" though? I see BOGOs often. Does this mean if I use a printable BOGO they'll cite this rule and not accept it?]
We do not accept coupons for more than about 75% of a product's value without advance notice. [Huh? Arbitrary rule is arbitrary.]
Legitimate PAH coupons will not be for a high value relative to the cost of the item. For example, a $2.00 off coupon will be acceptable for a product that normally sells for $5.00 or more, but a $2.00 off printable coupon for a product that sells for $2.25 is unlikely to be legitimate. [This is so untrue - I've seen printables ALL THE TIME that are LEGIT that give a huge percentage discount. Usually that's when combined with a sale but still. This is bizarre and confusing and makes me feel like I'll be questioned again and again. Not worth my time.]

PAH coupons can be checked for validity at: http://www.printcoupons.com. [GREAT to know. Although what cashier or manager is going to be able to do this on the fly?]

So there's some of the policy. I'm still confused, but I'm going to print out the full email and bring it with me in my coupon folder. The email said they would send it to the regional manager to "educate his staff" or something. So that's good...ish...

Freebies in the mail today

2010-06-28T15:26:00.000-04:00

A coupon for a free bottle of Suave professional shampoo or conditioner (wouldn't it be fabulous if CVS had a sale with ECBs for this? But it expires 7/31 so probably not...)
A free box of DaVinci cheese tortellini (yum)

Free mayo at Publix, spending down the ECBs at CVS

2010-06-27T15:01:00.005-04:00

First, I wrote an article for Examiner.com about how to get free Kraft Sandwich Shop mayo at Publix - I'd love it if you'd read it.

Today I went out and bought two Sunday papers for $1 each from the guy who sells them on the street. That's all well and good, but when I got home I found out that both were missing the RedPlum circular. ARGH.

So I drove to CVS and spent my soon-to-expire $5 ECB on a single paper (making sure it had the RP in it before I paid), a roll of paper towels, and a card for someone. I paid 65 cents and I got back $1 for my Green Bag Tag. I always feel kind of funny fully spending my ECBs, but I earned them in order to get more great deals and this year I'm trying to be more relaxed about them. I had an expiring $3 also that I used last week to get the free toothpaste and a $1 box of Wheat Thins (should've gotten a Powerbar instead I guess).

In other deals (is anyone reading this?) I bought myself a GPS for over 60% off its retail price from Amazon (this one: Garmin nüvi 1350/1350T 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator with Traffic). And thanks to Half Off Depot, I now have half-price tickets to both the children's museum and the zoo. I love all the half-price sites that have popped up SO much. I also have a gift certificate for a local restaurant that I got for almost 60% off (if only we could find time to use it!) and another certificate for a shop that sells dried fruit, nuts, and candy - $25 for $10. Love it!

Bad experience with printables at Kroger

2010-06-24T19:52:00.000-04:00

I just feel the need to blog about this because it's annoying and embarrassing and I'm tired of it happening, but it's an industry problem that needs to be fixed on a larger scale.

Today I went to Kroger with three printable coupons that were, obviously, all legit. Two for Goldfish crackers and one for Almond Breeze. I bought exactly those three things and handed over the coupons. The cashier looked sideways at me and said in a very rude manner "You printed these yourself? We don't take these. We don't take these because you printed them."

I am not good at handling these sorts of situations, but I told her I'd used one the day before (she said "At THIS store?!") and that Kroger corporate policy is to take them (which I admit, I am not positive about - I have emailed Kroger for clarification). I then said "I don't want any of the items if I can't use the coupons" which she sighed heavily at. She finally consented to call a manager, rolling her eyes as she did so and as I said "I want to know for the future, so I know not to bring them again." And a manager strolled over, smiled, and said oh yes, we take them, we just don't take coupons for "free" stuff or buy-one-get-one-free coupons. (Mine were for 50 cents and 55 cents.) So the girl said oh, fine, wouldn't look at me, and scanned my coupons.

COMPANIES! You MUST figure something out so that legitimate users of printable coupons do not get treated like criminals. Ugh. I know it's easy to forge and/or copy a printable coupon, but someone with a color printer at home could rather easily do the same with a newspaper coupon if s/he wanted to.

But it's more about how I've been treated when using these legitimate coupons. There's a way to say "I'm sorry ma'am, I am not sure if we take these, let me ask a manager" instead of being nasty and rude to me. There's a way to say "We've changed our policy" and to apologize for any inconvenience.

I'll still use printables - the deals are just too valuable to me. But I'm not planning on going back to this particular Kroger store again.

Thanks for the free tea, Kroger!

2010-06-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

I played the Kroger Summer of Savings game and won a free box of Tazo tea! So I went tonight and picked up a box of the "Calm" blend, as well as two bags of Goldfish crackers that were on sale 4/$5 (wish I'd gotten the recent printable to print, but it wouldn't work!). Woohoo! And they say there will be a second chance drawing/contest in a few weeks. You can log in and play once a day and the instant prizes are pretty good and will be loaded directly onto your Kroger card.

CVS - Summary for my other card

2010-06-22T13:41:00.001-04:00

So as I've said numerous times, I don't like juggling two CVS cards (I have my own, but when I started the "experiment" two years ago, I started fresh with my husband's card and phased mine out over time). But I got $5 in ECBs for doing a survey, and that's totally free money.

So with that $5 plus less than $3 in cash (most of it covering sales tax) I got (over multiple transactions of course):
1 Cover Girl lip gloss (my preferred brand)
2 bottles of Old Spice body wash
1 Schick razor (my husband's preferred brand)
3 Powerbars (they'll come in handy on an upcoming road trip)
4 boxes of Nescafe single-serving coffee (7 packs per box) (I like these)
1 bag of 20 Cascade Action Pacs (our preferred brand)

I daresay that's not bad at all! And now I have zero on my other card again and can focus on ONE card.

Get Rich Slowly on the Internet - A Guide to My Favorite Sites

2010-06-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

I find myself telling my friends the same thing over and over, so I'm going to make this into a post that I can email to them. If it helps you, please leave a comment!

My favorite sites to find out about deals/sales/coupons/savings:
http://www.couponmom.com - my most-checked site, she breaks down the sales for all major grocery stores plus Target, CVS, Walgreens, and more, and matches up coupons. She sticks to coupons in circulars and the occasional printable from coupons.com or smartsource.com, but this makes it MUCH easier to handle.
http://www.moneysavingmom.com - my second-most-checked site. If there's a freebie out there, she probably knows about it. If there's a sale, she'll tell you about it. There's a new feature of the site that breaks down coupon matchups/sales for individual stores around the country, and those DO go further than the circulars and easy printables.
http://www.iheartcvs.com - Want to shop CVS? This is the best site for info.
http://www.iheartpublix.com - a new discovery - she has matchups for Publix sales, makes separate posts for the best deals of the week, notes new coupons, lists recipes, and more!

My favorite sites to make a bit of money (NOT A LOT) or to earn gift certificates or free stuff:
http://www.youdata.com - pays you to click on ads that are targeted to your interests. No minimum payout, pays to PayPal each week. Note that lately I haven't gotten any ads at all, but in the past I've gotten about 50 cents a week. Not bad for just a few seconds of time, and I've really enjoyed the websites I've found through the site.
http://www.swagbucks.com - a search engine that awards "bucks" randomly as you search and also awards them for viewing offers or other things. You can earn between 10 and 30 bucks a day with minor effort, and 450 bucks is a $5 Amazon gift card. I've earned about $400 in gift cards over time, so yes, it's worth it. Just use it for your regular searching!
https://www.mysurvey.com/ - points for taking surveys, cash rewards.
http://www.bzzagent.com - they'll send you full-sized products to try out and then "Bzz" about (talk about with others on and offline). Usually you get high-value coupons too.
http://www.vocalpoint.com - they'll randomly send you samples or even full-sized products to try, plus coupons.
http://www.mypoints.com - emails with click-throughs that are worth a few points, plus a site through which you can click to get to sites on which you shop. I've earned hundreds of dollars in Amazon gift cards here too. I suggest setting up a folder in your email box and filtering all their emails to it so you can click through at your leisure. If you want to sign up, I'd love it if you'd use me as a referral - just comment with your email address and I'll send you an email through the site. (They don't do referral links.)

I'll add to and update this post periodically. I know I've made posts like this in the past, but I've finally set it up so I can find this one easily and refer back to it!

Publix - Free Baileys coffee creamer and Muir Glen tomato sauce, and free isn't always worth it

2010-06-18T20:38:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have been going to the grocery store a lot lately. That should slow down enormously soon.

At Publix tonight I spent $33 (before tax) and saved $25.50. Nice.

I got the free Baileys coffee creamer - it was BOGO at $2.09, I used two $1 coupons and one Publix store coupon for 55 cents off. (I'm still not 100% sure about using more than one Publix store coupon at a time, but I only had one with me anyway and figured it was still free+overage - and I don't like to be greedy!)
I also got more free Muir Glen tomato sauce - 89 cents for the can, use the $1 printable. It still stings that I got yelled at for doing this once at a different Publix, but whatever, it's a legitimate purchase and I don't go to that Publix anymore so there.
Plus I got Laughing Cow cheese for $1.50 each (on sale 3/$6, I got 4, used two $1/2 coupons from a tearpad on the display woohoo - this stuff lasts forever and ever so it's worth stocking up), I found the "Eat This" type of tortillas (I got a copy of Eat This Not That for about 15 cents at a yard sale last year), and I decided that since I was getting some nice overage, I'd try Vitalicious Vitatops. They're not terribly priced - I was expecting them to cost more but they're $4.49 for four. If I like them, I'll probably only buy them if I either have a coupon (which apparently is a rare thing) or overage (which I can often get at least a little of with the Muir Glen deal that happens periodically).

Meanwhile, Kraft sent me six try-me-free coupons via their First Taste program - I mentioned this in an earlier post. I gave away the shaved meat coupon, as I'm vegetarian. And then I went tonight to get the rest - well, the Kool Aid fizzies have aspartame (which I refuse to ingest) (I also try to avoid other artificial sweeteners as best as I can) and the Crackerfuls have HFCS (I try very hard to avoid this), so I skipped them both. I forgot to look for the DiGiorno pizza (I hope it doesn't have trans fat or HFCS) and the 100-calorie cheese bites (which are processed cheese but which I will consider getting since, well, I eat tons of Laughing Cow...). I did get the Homestyle mac and cheese - the ingredient list is really long and probably contains some of the above, but it's also mac and cheese - and since it's shelf-stable/nonperishable, I could donate it. Remember, I *try* to avoid these things... ;) I think I will try to trade these high-value coupons though, because I know not everyone cares about food additives in the way I do. But just because it's free doesn't mean I'll automatically grab it.

ETA: I've found a good home for the other free coupons. The breadcrumbs in the Homestyle mac and cheese have partially hydrogenated soybean oil, so we're going to just make it without them. Remember, just because a package says 0% trans fat does NOT mean it doesn't have trans fat. My chewable Rolaids that I got for free at CVS a few weeks ago have hydrogenated oil in them!

More free e-coupon money!

2010-06-17T17:29:00.000-04:00

Despite a few glitches/slowness/weirdness on the website, I scored today's Cellfire Cinderella coupon - $5 off my next purchase of $5.01 or more at Kroger! I love e-coupons - no need to bring a thing with me if I don't want to, but I also can combine them with paper coupons if I do want to!

Now...what to get? It expires in 3 days. Hmmmm.

Free stuff in the mail - June 16, 2010

2010-06-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Six coupons for free products from Kraft: shaved meat (which I'm giving away since I'm a vegetarian), pizza, Kool Aid fizzies, Homestyle mac&cheese (second freebie of this one), Crackerfuls, and 100 calorie "cheese" (I shouldn't turn my nose up at it though - I'm the Laughing Cow fan after all!).
One big lovely reusable bag from Earthbound Farms, plus coupons.

I tried the Laughing Cow mozzarella and tomato flavor today. I just ate it by itself - I think it really needs something else to complement it, whether a cracker or melted over pasta/shirataki noodles. The tomato was stronger than I expected, but overall it was good. I'm excited to try the queso one next, and I'm really glad I found those $1/2 coupons on the display...

Kroger - Cheap stuff, plus Shortcuts has great customer service!

2010-06-16T14:45:00.002-04:00

I walked over to the small Kroger near my house because I had a coupon and a Shortcuts coupon for both Blue Diamond Almond Breeze and Fiber One. The Almond Breeze is on sale this week for $1.99, so in my head that meant I would get it for 44 cents ($1 paper coupon, 55 cent Shortcuts coupon). I didn't know how much the Fiber One was but I figured I could get a decent deal since the paper coupon was expiring.

I didn't realize that the Annie's mac and cheese was part of the 10/$10 sale too, so I grabbed 4 boxes of that. The Fiber One turned out to be $4.29 - so $2.74 after coupons. I decided that was a reasonable deal - I want to try using it ground up as a coating for onion rings and soy-chicken tenders ala Hungry Girl - but next time around I'm waiting for a good sale.

So. All was well, but the 55 cent Shortcuts coupon for the Almond Breeze didn't come off (though the Fiber One did). I went on Shortcuts.com, filled out the dispute form, and within about 60 seconds I had a reply that my account had been credited 60 cents! So now I have 60 cents off of...anything. I'm amused that I'm that excited about 60 cents.

So my plan is to go back and get one more box of Annies for 40 cents! Hooray! (A dollar for the Almond Breeze is still an amazing deal - wish I could find my other coupon but it seems I either used it or lost it, boo.)

Also today I signed up on Facebook for a free box of DaVinci pasta - I'm pretty sure the offer has now ended, but I'm really excited to get it! Free pasta yay!

CVS and Publix - Free stuff and savings!

2010-06-15T21:40:00.000-04:00

I went to CVS with $4.99 on "my" card. First, I got another Covergirl Wet Slicks lipgloss and a Powerbar and used $4 and a $2 coupon. The cashier adjusted down my ECB without problems, and I paid about 40 cents OOP. Got back $3 and 99 cents. Then used those plus the other 99 cents and a BOGO coupon to get two bottles of Old Spice bodywash and another Powerbar. Paid about 60 cents OOP, got back $8.99. Not bad at all.

Then Publix. I found two out of the three new Laughing Cow flavors - hooray! They were $2.99 each, the "regular" flavors were $2 each. The display had $1/2 coupons on it, and I got four (two new, two regular). I also got Skinny Cow bars for $1.50 and then a bunch of other deals I won't bore you with. We spent less than $50 and saved around $30.

Does anyone know a) if I can use more than one of one type of Publix coupon in a transaction? I actually have done this once but I'm not sure how legit that was... and b) how long the Laughing Cow is on sale 3/$6? (I forgot to check, it's not listed in the Advantage or regular sale flyers.)

Next week, Publix has Baileys creamers on BOGO so they're $1.05 each. I have $1 printables! And a 55 cent Publix coupon! (Thus the question - could I get two Baileys and use two $1s and two 55 cents Publix coupons for mega overage?) I could go crazy with creamers because I also have a BOGO for International Delight and then a 55 cent Publix coupon for those...I do love flavored coffee!

CVS - More free stuff

2010-06-14T21:37:00.000-04:00

I really hate juggling two cards, and I've more or less retired "my" card at this point, though my husband keeps it on his keyring and occasionally gets ECBs (mostly quarterly) that we...forget to use. BLASPHEMY I know.

Anyway, as I think I mentioned already, I did a survey (long ago I signed that card up for surveys) and got $5 in ECBs. Totally free money, so...tonight I got another Schick razor and a Powerbar. I used the $5 Schick coupon and the $5 in ECBs and nothing seemed to beep, my pre-tax total was negative 4 cents, and I got back a $4 and a 99 cent ECB. My plan is to next take the $4 and get another Covergirl lipgloss and another Powerbar. I'll get back $3 and 99 cents from that. And for my grand finale, use both of those to do the BOGO Old Spice/Gillette deal. So I'll wind up with $8.99 from my original $5. Not bad. And then...probably just spend the $8.99 on stuff we need.

Meanwhile, I gave my husband $4.99 from my usual card and he got some children's ibuprofen for $4.99. Only paid sales tax. I still have plenty of ECBs on that card and not enough time to juggle everything so this was a great deal for me.

I'm hoping to also hit Publix for free shaving gel and to look (yes, I have a one-track mind) for those Laughing Cow flavors. And to see how much tofu shiratake is there as well - that stuff is pretty good, low calorie, filling, but also $1.79 at the two places I've found it so far, and that's a bit steep for a little snack....

CVS - Free Schick Hydro razor, free Covergirl Wetslicks lipgloss, free Powerbar, free Old Spice bodywash

2010-06-13T10:56:00.001-04:00

Today was like the old days at CVS! I didn't take a picture but...

First I got the double paper. It's $3. I used the $2 that the scanner spat out at me (so, that one was free money) and the $1 I got from the Green Bag Tag (more free money). The manager was at the register so he zeroed out the tax. Free.

I fished out the $5 Schick coupon from one of the papers.

Then I used that, my $2 Covergirl coupon that I got from being a BzzAgent, and $8 in ECBs (expiring soon, no great deals next week...) and got a Schick razor for my husband (his preferred brand! He also tried the new free-ish Gillette and declared Schick the winner), my favorite shade of Covergirl Wetslicks mint (Un-Wined), and a Powerbar. The Covergirl coupon was PISSY and beeped and said no no no and I argued back and finally the manager/cashier just pushed it through for $1.95. I have no idea why this beeped, but I had asked to put the ECBs first and the coupons second to avoid beeps and I guess that was my mistake. Anyway I paid $1 for all that. Got back $4 for the Schick, $3 for the Covergirl, 99 cents for the Powerbar.

Then I got two Old Spice bodywashes. I used the BOGO coupon from a few weeks ago and a $4 ECB. It was supposed to be pay $4, get $4, limit one. But HAPPY DAY it was limit two, so I got $8 back! I paid 56 cents OOP.

So in the end I came out a dollar ahead ECB-wise and spent $1.56 in cash for the double paper, a Powerbar, two bottles of bodywash, my husband's preferred razor, and my favorite shade of lipgloss. Nice.

I still have my second card kicking around, by the way, and I recently did a survey that scored me $5 ECBs tied to that card. While I hate juggling two cards, I will take advantage of this by using that $5 plus the other $5 Schick coupon I have to get my husband yet another Schick razor (that would be our fourth free one) and another Powerbar. Then I'll have $4.99 on that card to buy...stuff.

Free outfit at Carters!

2010-06-12T15:43:00.001-04:00

Carters and OshKosh B'Gosh sent me two coupons - $10 off a $10 purchase at each store. OshKosh is a bit harder to get to, but we went to Carters today and I got my daughter a onesie and matching shorts for ZERO. ZIP. NOTHING. Awesome!

I am on a quest to find the three new Laughing Cow cheese wedge flavors. Target didn't have them. If you see them somewhere, leave a comment and tell me where. Bonus points if you saw them in Georgia.

Free Skinny Cow single-serving cups at CVS, free ECBs too!

2010-06-10T14:07:00.000-04:00

Today I used one of my $1-off-any-Skinny-Cow coupons (I have three - two for liking Skinny Cow on Facebook and one from their site - should've been able to print two from the site but couldn't) at CVS and voila, scored a single-serving cup of chocolate brownie for 2 cents. However, the cashier was all concerned about the coupon, gave me the third degree, and called over a manager. They both indicated there had been memos about "Internet coupons" but this one wasn't on the memo (because, you know, it's LEGIT) so they let it go. I only used one because I was at the CVS that I walk to and it's 90 degrees out (I ate the cup when I got home, it was only slightly melty) but I'm glad I didn't use more anyway. I'll try to get to a CVS before Saturday to get two more - if not, no big, these are a nice treat but I don't NEED them. The store also didn't have the Gillette pack that includes a razor AND extra stuff, and my husband says he's a "Schick guy" so I skipped doing that deal a second time. Oh and I got my Green Bag Tag dollar.

Also I scored the much-discussed-elsewhere free $2 ECB from the scanner. Mine's good until Sunday, so I'm going to use that plus the GBT dollar plus my $3 coupon from BzzAgent to get free CoverGirl lip gloss on Sunday. Hooray! (It's on sale for $5.99, get back $3, next week.)

I'm also currently obsessed with Hungry Girl - granted, a lot of her recipes call for name-brand food (and non-food, sorry HG but it's true), and she LOVES Splenda and I will not touch the stuff, but she also has some very cool and cute ideas. I just got one of her cookbooks from the library (her first book). Best tip I've learned so far? That Laughing Cow wedges MELT. They MELT! I've been eating Laughing Cow cheese for years ("the little cheeses in the red knit bag") and I got addicted to the French Onion wedges a while back (they remind me of onion dip). But I never thought to melt one - so I threw some leftover whole wheat pasta and blanched broccoli in the microwave with a Swiss LC wedge and voila - cheesey, low cal snack. YAY. AND they are launching three new flavors and I am dyyyying to try them. Yum.

CVS - Free Rolaids, free Gillette razor, free Dawn dishwashing liquid plus other freebies!

2010-06-06T15:18:00.002-04:00

Today I got the following for free:
Goat cheese (basil and roasted garlic) using coupon from Chevrie
Kraft Mac and Cheese "cheesy explosion" using coupon from Kraft
Kraft Homestyle Mac and Cheese (which appears to be regular m&c with breadcrumbs, in a fancier bag) using coupon from Kraft

At CVS, I spent less than $2 out of pocket and got 2 bags of Rolaids, a Gillette Fusion razor, and a bottle of Dawn Hand Renewal dishwashing liquid. I handed over $4 in ECBs as well, plus a $5-off-$15 coupon (only available through the register - my new favorite cashier hooked me up with it without my needing to make an initial purchase), $4-off-two Rolaids coupon, $4 off Gillette coupon, and $1 off Dawn coupon (which got adjusted down to 97 cents), and I got back $9 in ECBs. Apparently the Gillette deal is more than one, despite what it says in the flyer (my receipt says I haven't completed it yet), so I'll go do that again - ECBs + coupon = razor for $1, but I will get $1 extra back from my Green Bag Tag so it will come out even.

Also I got Shout stain treater for 42 cents and two t-shirts for $10 ($5 each) at Target.

Freebies galore!

2010-06-02T14:05:00.000-04:00

Recent freebies:

Coupon for free goat cheese!
Coupon for free Butterfinger candy bar
Coupon for free half-gallon of Hood Simply Smart milk
Coupon for free bottle of non-alcoholic Baileys coffee creamer
Free Nozema bikini razors plus 50 cents overage from Publix (I may try to do this deal a few more times before it ends on June 11 as I have a few more coupons)

Still can't find the Kraft products for which I have free coupons. Same with the yogurt I was supposed to be a BzzAgent for. Maybe in a few months (the coupons have a while to go).

CVS - Profit-making Gillette bodywash + outlet shopping

2010-05-24T16:57:00.000-04:00

First, I went to CVS, where I used $4.99 ECBs + $1 ECBs (my green bag tag ECBs) and a BOGO coupon to get two bottles of Gillette bodywash plus the double Sunday paper ($3). I paid about $1 OOP and got back $8. Nice.

Then yesterday we hit the outlet stores. I had a 25% off any purchase coupon from Carters so I got:
4 pairs of socks
2 pajama onesies
1 pajama shirt/pant set
3 onesies
1 "Birthday Girl" shirt
2 outfits (onesie/top plus pants)
1 pair jean shorts

for $58 plus tax. I also bought a non-stick-pot-usable spatula ($3.99), an electric tart warmer ($14), and two pairs of Stride Rite sneakers for my daughter ($35-ish - one pair lights up!). Oh and one book at the awesome closeout bookstore that always has many things I want.

And my friend who thrifts like nobody's business hooked me up with tons of books including three beautiful giant cookbooks - Babbo, Nigella Eats, and The Naked Chef Takes Off. I suspect she paid around $6 for them, total. They are lovely.

And today's mail brought a coupon for a free carton of Simply Smart milk and a free bottle of non-alcoholic Baileys creamer. Yum yum. I still have two free Kraft coupons for products I cannot find in stores, sadly. At least those expire in October, so there's time...

Free stuff at Publix!

2010-05-18T21:04:00.000-04:00

Publix was great for free stuff this week! I got a free Schick razor, free Schick shave gel (and realized after we left the store I had coupons for a second - ah well), free Fisher snack mix, and free Kraft olive oil mayo (that was from a sample box Kraft sent me - I also have two other Kraft freebie coupons but the store didn't carry the products). I also got organic bread for $1.25 thanks to sale + Kroger coupon and inexpensive bagged salad thanks to sale + coupon from Publix Family Style magazine.

PLUS the cashier was awesome. Yay!

CVS - Free Herbal Essences shampoo - plus the mailed freebies I've gotten lately

2010-05-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

First, CVS was nice this week. I had a $4 ECB and I used that plus 40 cents (my pre-tax total was negative 2 cents) to get a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of conditioner from Herbal Essences aka the brand I use anyway. Got my $4 back plus $1 for my Green Bag Tag (I LOVE THAT THING). Since I have a $4, $4.99 (or is it $4.50? I forget), and $1, I skipped the razor this week - I would've only gotten it if it were free-with-tax or a brand my husband loves.

Then, in the past few days I've gotten in the mail:
A sample of fancy Suave shampoo
A sample of Pantene shampoo and conditioner
A sample of Philosophy's anti-aging moisturizer
A coupon for a free box of Kraft mac and cheese
A coupon for a free bag of fancy Kraft mac and cheese something or other
A coupon for a free thing of Kraft mayo with olive oil
3 little bags of Wheat Thins (sun-dried tomato I think?)
3 little sample packs of instant coffee with vanilla and stuff - International Cafe or something?
2 Cascade action packs (we use these in the dishwasher)
A sample of Metamucil (I keep getting these and not using them...)

Plus we went to the Alive! Expo in Atlanta thanks to Half Off Green - I got two tickets for $10 (and brought a can of beans as a donation) to this organic/natural expo. It was totally worth it - we got several reusable bags, some samples of Omega-3 supplements, and a bunch of food samples (including Cascadian Farms organic granola and granola bars and some gluten-free chips), and we also snacked our way through. Apparently we should've gotten a free loaf of bread too, but ah well, we missed that. Oh and I got a free 5 minute massage that really helped get the kinks out after I spent almost 11 hours on my feet on Saturday selling my wares at a craft show. Heavenly.

CVS plan for Mother's Day 2010 - 5-9-10

2010-05-09T10:34:00.001-04:00

I have a $2.50 ECB (from quarterly spending) and a $5 (from doing the Nivea deal last week - I used 2x$4, 2x$1, $2-2-body-wash-CRT, and did the deal).

First, I have to buy the paper (not at CVS, at Kroger, where they always have the double paper available). That will be $3 cash.

Then I'll fish out the $5 Schick coupon.

Next: Crest - $3.50 (I actually want/need the mouthwash, so I won't use the coupon that's for the toothpaste) plus Schick - $8.99 minus $5 coupon = $3.99. I'll be a penny short of my ECBs, so I'll see if the cashier will take them first. I'll break even, ECB-wise.

Then a second Crest, because I need it - use $3.50, get back $3.50.

Then 2 Right Guard deodorants - $5.98, minus $3-2 coupon, so $2.98 - and Kotex $4.99 - here's where it gets tricky, as I have the regular coupons.com printable AND the CVS-only printable. If the cashier will let me use both (and she should), I'll need $1.50 in filler stuff (paper towels or toilet paper, most likely). If not, just 50 cents in filler, which is a travel tissue pack. I'll get back $4 and $4.99 - profit!

We'll see....

Update:

Done! Not pictured, 12-pack of Cottonelle toilet paper. Total OOP: about $4. And I now have $9.50 in ECBs.

CVS - Free toilet paper and shampoo

2010-04-11T21:16:00.003-04:00

Ah, a good CVS day again!

I had $4.99 in ECBs.

I bought:
Dove shampoo: $4.49
Newspaper: $2 [not the double paper]
2 rolls of CVS-brand toilet paper - 2/$1

I used the $4.99 in ECBs, $1.50 off Dove coupon, and the $1-off-any-CVS-paper-product CRT from the scanner. My cashier made sure I got the full $1 off (she rules, but I don't know what she did/how she did it/if she did anything unusual - she just pointed out she'd make it happen), so the two rolls of TP were free. And the $1.50 overage from the Dove coupon went toward my newspaper. My pre-tax total was zero and so I paid 38 cents in tax OOP (ah, I miss the good old days when the ECBs took care of the tax!) and got back the $4.49 from the Dove. Plus I got $2.50 for quarterly spending (since I stopped doing tons of deals, we've spent a LOT at CVS, eep). I have not been able to print the Dial coupon at all, so I'm skipping that one this week - I have enough body wash to fill a bathtub anyway.

A quick money-saving tip about travel

2010-03-27T09:40:00.003-04:00

This may seem obvious, but if you're traveling to another city, even if just for the day, check out its tourism site. There may be valuable money-saving offers, deals, and coupons available! My family likes to go to Chattanooga, TN, for the day, and the Chattanooga Board of Tourism's website (chattanoogafun.com) has coupons for discounts on everything from the children's museum and aquarium to ice cream to books! Even a dollar or two here and there can really add up!

I love tea! (A not-really-thrifty post featuring Teavana)

2010-03-24T14:43:00.013-04:00

[Hello to whoever from Teavana seems to have found this post...]

This past weekend I ventured into Teavana in the mall. I'd never really gone in before, just tasted their sample teas in the front and once or twice looked quickly at the teapots. This time I decided I wanted to try their loose teas, mostly because I'd scored a pricey ceramic Rishi teacup/tea steeper for a great deal thanks to one of the half-off local coupon sites.

I will tell you this - I was very surprised at the hard sell I was given. The girl who helped me was very sweet, but she was pushy and definitely into the upsell. She talked fast and she kept it up nonstop. First, I asked for one tea (which cost about $5 for 2 ounces) and she immediately said "You'll like this one better" and brought out a tea that cost almost $11. Her reasoning was that the expensive tea was better and SHE liked it better, but I still felt uncomfortable - why offer the less-expensive tea at all if it's supposedly lower quality? But then she tempted me with the offer of 10% off if I bought a pound of tea...and I caved. I caved! I got the expensive tea AND the less-expensive tea and 6 others! AND I got rather talked into buying tea canisters as well, which are definitely useful, nice, and reusable, but I probably didn't need 8 of them either. They were $6 each, but I found slightly smaller ones on the website (not offered to me) for $4.50. They do make my pantry look really nice...

So this post is going to be a review of these teas - and I am going to update it with how many cups I got out of each as well. I am following the directions given - how much tea to use, how long to steep - and I am on occasion reusing the tea for a second cup.

The eight teas I got:

Youthberry - This flavored white tea is pricey but it is honestly delicious. There are giant pieces of fruit and berries in the blend and they smell fresh and enticing. The tea was a light reddish color and both smelled and tasted fruity and sweet. No sugar needed. I would buy this again as a splurge. I'll let you know if makes me look or feel any younger. ETA: This tea is very hard to scoop in such a way to get a balance of fruit and tea. I seem to wind up with a lot of fruit (which is yum) and not enough tea. I know I know, buy the fancy scoop from Teavana, right? Ha. [Now am wondering if I can eat the fruit bits after I steep the tea. Is that weird?]

Current cup count: 6

Tiramisu Treviso - A flavored rooibos tea (as most of the teas I bought were). Not too expensive. DELICIOUS, especially with a splash of milk and sugar in it, but it would be OK on its own as well. Very sweet and yummy.

Current cup count: 4
[Cup count includes the 1.5 tsp I gave to a friend to try - I'll assume she'll make a single cup with it.]

Thai Tea - A flavored black tea that I'd absolutely get again. Almondy, sugary, and wonderful. Milk and sugar turn this into the Thai tea I have had at restaurants for sure - I can't wait to make this iced. Yum.

Current cup count: 4 [and reusing the tea leaves worked very well for a second cup]

White Ayurvedic Chai - The original upsell. This tea is expensive - and it's not very exciting, flavor wise, or at least not as "wow" as I'd hoped. BUT it did make me feel warm and tingly after I drank a cup, and the flavor did seem more pronounced as I went along. Still, I don't know if I'd go for this again.

Current cup count: 2 [tried reusing the tea and got a much weaker brew, but will always try to stretch this one]

Rooibos Peach Bloom - A nice, basic peachy tea. The peach wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped it would be, but it made a nice cup. [With second cup, I added a bit of sugar - it brought out the peach nicely!]

Current cup count: 2

Haute Chocolate: Alas, my awesome teacup just isn't dealing well with Rooibos teas - I get mouthfuls of the Rooibos. Bleh. So this tea...not chocolatey enough for me, but then I guess that means I prefer hot chocolate, while this is a tea. With some milk and sugar, it's fine, but I probably should stop chasing chocolate teas (this isn't the first I've tried) and start accepting that they're not my thing. [Note: By the end of the first cup I liked it a bit better - getting a mouthful of the tea put me off, but the flavor did wind up being very nice.]

Current cup count: 5

Rooibos Chai (the tea I originally wanted to buy): So now I know - I should have just pushed back, bought 2 ounces of this, and left happy. While I do like everything I've gotten so far, at least somewhat, this really is just what I wanted and is delicious. Once I fix the tea steeping issue (again, mouthful of tea leaves), I think this will become a favorite. Nice sweet cinnamon/cardamom-y flavor. I added some sugar to it and it brought out the rest of the chai taste. Lovely.

Current cup count: 1

Tahitian Limeade: Absolutely lovely as an iced tea - I made it double strength, poured it over ice, and voila. A light, fruity tea. I want to make tons of this this summer.

Current cup count: 1

PS I really want this:

Combining my hobbies - CVS + etsy?

2010-03-19T21:39:00.004-04:00

Well, not EXACTLY, but today I went to CVS with $2.99 in ECBs, and I spent them (plus 21 cents tax - remember the good old days a few months ago when the ECBs took care of the tax? Sigh.) on a pack of black ouchless ponytail holders. Why? Because I'm going to be adding ponytail holders with cute designs to my etsy store in about a week or so (or whenever I get around to ordering the hardware) and I thought this would be a great way to get my supplies inexpensively.

So now I have zero ECBs again - but this weekend is a monitor deal ($5) and when I get one more scan of my Green Bag Tag I'll have another dollar, so then I'll be back up to $6. Which I'll probably turn around on more ponytail holders, or maybe a hairbrush. The deals just haven't been fun in 2010, which is disappointing, so I'm actually using my ECBs for things I...NEED.

PS Next week, would you take five minutes to brighten a little girl's day? Satori is going to be having major MAJOR spinal surgery (she has SMA) and her mom is organizing a postcard drive. All you have to do is send a postcard - details are at the blog http://postcardsforsatori.blogspot.com. Come on, do it! Repost this too - everywhere you can! Brighten this amazing kid's day!

Half-price coupons? Sign me up!

2010-03-16T21:10:00.004-04:00

I've been enamored lately with all of the half-price-deal sites that have been popping up.

I wrote a roundup of them for Examiner.com - check it out - but I had to rave about my latest scores.

From Groupon.com, I got a half-price family membership to the High Museum of Art. This particular deal is over, but check out Groupon - they have a site for many major cities and each day they offer one really awesome deal.

On top of that, I got a half-price reloadable gift card to a favorite restaurant in Athens, GA. I paid $10 for a $25 gift certificate to a local pizza/pasta place that I like going to with my mom friends. I recently got a coupon for 60% off another favorite pizza place.

Plus I use Scoutmob (which I believe is only in Atlanta) to get FREE discount coupons - again, there's a new deal every day, but with the iPod/iPhone app, you can access the deals for three months. I got 60% off at one awesome sandwich shop/gourmet shop, I got 40% off at a favorite brunch spot, and I'm planning to use another 60% deal at a local smoothie shop.

These sites are a great way to be frugal while still getting to go out, go shopping, and get some culture! LOVE IT.

CVS - Free Nivea lip balm, Oral-B toothbrush

2010-03-07T14:21:00.002-05:00

It was like the good old days at CVS this morning - well, except that the good old days included limits of 5 (or no limits, but I started too late for that!) and slightly better freebies.

I did exactly what I set out to do. I got two Nivea lip products - a cherry-flavored chapstick one and an age-defying one (or something) with SPF 4. With the BOGO coupon, both were $2.99 with $2.99 back. And the toothbrush was $4 minus the 75 cent coupon, get 75 cents back. I put the overage toward a birthday card.

Then I used the $4 from the toothbrush toward teething gel for my eternally teething toddler. CVS brand - so I should hopefully get a nice quarterly ECB bonus thanks to all the money I spent (sigh) and the double-buck promotion.

So I have $2.99 with which to play. That's a double paper for free or...something. No freebies next week (boo) so we'll see.

Also, if you are in the Atlanta area, today's SmartSource insert has a coupon for a free yogurt at Publix (Yoplait Greek yogurt, I believe). Nice!

CVS plans for 3/7/10

2010-03-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

I am planning at the moment to hit CVS tomorrow morning. I have $6.50 in ECBs.

Ideally I'll get:

2 Nivea lip products - $5.98
1 Oral B toothbrush - $4
Use BOGO Nivea (-$2.99), 75 cents off Oral B. I guess I'll need a 26 cent filler - the pocket tissues for 50 cents always work nicely for my needs...
Get back $6.99. ($4, $2.99)

And I need the double paper, which has gone up in price to $3 (used to be $2.50). Probably will do that second and use the $2.99 to get it free.

I also MAY do the Stayfree deal: get 2 Stayfree products (I think they're around $3.80 each? I can use the $4 and throw in a filler), use BOGO, get back $4. Maybe.

How to make a bit of money online - but NOT how to get rich!

2010-03-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

I'm currently a stay at home mom, although I'm also a writer (check out http://www.ruckusmag.net to see some of my work that also appears in the print version of Ruckus magazine; also check out my articles I've written as the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner) and I make pinback buttons, magnets, bottle openers, pocket mirrors, and jewelry and sell them on etsy and in local stores - and my first craft show is coming up!

I also like to make a bit of extra money with various websites. Again - YOU WILL NOT GET RICH with any of these sites. You'll get a few cents to a few dollars here and there. But it's enough to buy you a lunch out with friends or a new book or a special treat - and sometimes it might be a little bit more.

Cash:

YouData - This site pays you to look at targeted ads. You fill out a "Me File" with as much or as little information as you like, and the site pairs you with advertisers. You go to the site as often as you want and check the widget for ads. You'll make about 10 cents for each ad delivered to you (clicking through to a website). And I *have* found great websites that I've bookmarked via YouData. The great thing is that there's no minimum payout - if you make 10 cents, you'll get 10 cents that week, deposited directly into your PayPal account (the only way they pay). It takes a minute or two to click the ad. Some weeks you'll get nothing, some weeks you'll get a few dollars. I love it.

Pinecone Research - This site periodically offers signups. They don't do referrals and you MUST find a link or banner ad to sign up. But once you're in, you'll periodically get surveys and be paid $3 for each one you complete. You might make $6-$9 in a good month, but money is money! They'll send you $3 checks or deposit your $3 into your PayPal account.

MySurvey - Another survey site. They give you points for each survey you take, even if you don't wind up qualifying. While there are other prizes available, the simplest and best item I find is 1000 points = $10, sent in the mail as a check. I've earned about $30 from this site. The link to sign up can be found in my previous entry or via the icon in the right-hand column of my blog.

Prizes (or sometimes cash-as-prizes):

MyPoints - I've been using MyPoints for years. The site primarily works by sending you targeted emails with links. Most of the time, clicking on a link in an email will net you 5 or 10 points. If you complete the offer, you'll usually get a much larger number of points. (I recommend setting up a filter for these emails - but continuing to use your main email account - you get credited for purchases you make by connecting you to that email account. I have NOT gotten extra spam from mypoints, ever.) You can also use the site itself by clicking through its links to sites like eBay and Overstock to make purchases and earn points. Plus, you can print manufacturers' coupons through the site and earn points for each one you redeem, and you can earn points by using the site's search engine as well. I've earned hundreds of dollars in Amazon gift cards through them - points add up surprisingly quickly. If you are interested in using me as a referral, leave a comment with your email address - it's not required, but I'd personally appreciate it!

SwagBucks - I feel like everyone knows about SwagBucks at this point, but if you don't, allow me to explain. It's a search engine. And randomly when you search, you'll be awarded "Swagbucks" that you can redeem for prizes (or cash in your PayPal account). Search a few times a day and you'll likely get 10-30 bucks. Have a little more time? Follow Swagbucks on Twitter or Facebook and learn about special codes you can enter to earn more bucks. You can also do "tasks" or click through the site to earn bucks (although I rarely do this). 450 bucks = $5 in Amazon cash. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up quickly - I have earned over $300 in Amazon credit this way.

And there you have it! These are the only five sites I use regularly. I've checked out other sites and found them too time consuming or too shady or both. The above sites have paid me promptly, have not increased my spam, and have caused me no problems.

Freebies galore! Plus cash!

2010-03-01T17:43:00.005-05:00

While I haven't really been going to CVS much (I still have $6.50 in ECBs to do...something with), I have been accumulating freebies! This is all within the past 4-6 weeks:

First, I've earned $6 from Pinecone research this year. Not much, but it adds up! (Pinecone often has open registration - I'll post a link the next time it comes around!)
Next, I've earned $10 from MySurvey.com - a GREAT survey site that gives points for every survey you take. They add up fast! I'm very close to another $10! Click the image below to sign up!

Third, I've earned $50 in Amazon gift cards since January 1 from Swagbucks! I cannot say enough great things about Swagbucks - I regularly earn at least $5-$10 in Amazon gift cards each month!
Fourth - the food freebies!!!! I just picked up my free bottle of creamer from International Delight. I just ordered a free box of Kashi cereal from Recyclebank.com. Today in the mail I got a box of Kashi Heart to Heart hot cereal AND a coupon for a free box from Vocalpoint.com (plus some bonus coupons).
And finally, I am a BzzAgent, and I got two coupons for free four-packs of Horizon Little Bites yogurt to try (I hope my daughter likes them!).

I love freebies! Have you scored any great ones lately?

CVS - Free Crest mouthwash, free Aussie conditioner - back in the saddle!

2010-02-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

I decided to swing by my local CVS again - I went in a few days ago and they seemed to be out of the Crest, so I figured I'd ask for a raincheck. The lines were long, so I grabbed the circular to look one more time, and I found two bottles on the shelf after all!

So.

1 bottle Crest Enamel-saving Mouthwash - $3.50
- $2 coupon.
$1.75 in cash including tax. Got back $3.50 plus $1 for Green Bag Tag. (I love that thing!)

Then.

1 bottle Crest - $3.50
1 bottle Aussie conditioner - $2.99
- $3.50 ECBs, $2/Crest, $1/Aussie. [Handed over in this order. The cashier said "It doesn't matter" but I didn't want the ECBs to beep since my total after coupons would've been $3.49...]
44 cents cash. Got back $3.50, $2.

So I now have $6.50 in ECBs to play with, hooray!

CVS - The dilemma

2010-01-31T14:27:00.002-05:00

I decided that in 2010 I would try not to grab every deal, every freebie, every interesting thing that catches my eye. I have a well-established stockpile now and don't need a ton of stuff - and I just donated a bagful to help Haiti.

This week I know there is free-after-ECB men's bodywash. And with the coupon that is out today, it's a moneymaker. But I had one - ONE! - ECB. And I needed the paper. So...I got the paper for $1.50 (the double paper, remember) instead. Now I have zero.

I could spend about $4 OOP and get back the $5-ish in ECBs. It's not a bad deal at all - in fact, I'm going to be teaching some people how to start CVS-ing and it's one of the deals I'm going to suggest. But for me...is $4 worth getting back in "the game"? Nah.

I probably will do the $1 "free" Valentine photo card in a few weeks though. Maybe I'll go enough in the meantime for necessities that I'll have another dollar from the Green Bag Tag?

I'm no fun this year, I know! ;)

My Facebook account was disabled

2010-01-25T10:29:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: On Wednesday I received an email from Facebook saying my account had been compromised. To be perfectly honest, I don't see any evidence of that and I am very careful about links I click and places in which I input my password. But I had just installed an app on my iPod that used Facebook to give me birthday updates - I deleted that immediately, as that could in theory have been the culprit. But in any case my account WAS completely reinstated. It took 4 days and 2 emails (though I don't think the second email made a difference). I'm leaving this post up in case anyone finds it via Google - don't lose hope! Email politely and you may get a reply and get your account back - unless you've misbehaved.... ;)
----------

On Saturday night, I left the computer for a moment, turned back, and found myself locked out of Facebook. No warning, no explanation, just a notice that my account had been disabled and an email address to write to. I did write and plead my case, but I have a feeling that they'll take a while to even get to me and reply, and I am not feeling so good about my chances to have my account reinstated.

It's disappointing - I've spent years on Facebook. I don't have a million friends on there; I've kept my account mostly to people I know or used to know and wanted to reconnect with. Relatives looked there for pictures of my child. Friends made plans with me using the messaging system. I rarely used chat, I joined groups - mostly for freebies! - but didn't post much. I never posted anything offensive.

Yet here I am, locked out. And all traces of me have vanished from the site. They couldn't even put a "This account has been disabled" notice on my account. It's like being tossed out of a party without being able to say goodbye - and then being worried your friends think you're mad at them and stormed out in a huff. And your cell phone and computer are still inside that party with no way to be retrieved.

Mostly, this post is to hopefully connect with others whose Facebook account was disabled. When it happened to me, I emailed - and then went to Google for other stories. I've found many many many. So if this happened to you - particularly if your story has a happy ending - please comment. As always, I won't approve spam comments.

One thing I'll miss is Money Saving Mom's Facebook page - she often posted deals and links there that she didn't post elsewhere. And again, the freebie pages - I just got my coupons for free Stacy's Pita Chips and free International Coffee Creamer, both scored on Facebook.

I'll keep you posted on what happens. I really would at minimum like a chance to say goodbye. Funny enough, I already was thinking what a time waster Facebook was becoming and trying to cut back my usage. If I can't go back at all, it may not be the worst thing that ever happened. But I do hope my friends understand why I've vanished.

CVS - The end of an era, I think

2010-01-19T19:56:00.002-05:00

Tonight we went over to CVS to buy something we needed, and I spent my last $4 in ECBs so at the moment I have zero (which means the upcoming Dove-for-Men deal isn't as exciting, though it will be a moneymaker so I *may* go for it to start over again). I saw one of my two favorite cashiers - she hasn't worked on Sundays in a while, so I haven't seen her in a long time. She hugged me and then told me that my other favorite cashier, a man who would always joke with me and also would hook me up with extra coupons and so on, had quit and moved to Florida two weeks ago.

Sigh.

This mean that my Sunday mornings won't be the same, and if I do go, I'll have to start over again building a rapport with new people.

At least 2009 ended nicely.

In other news, I think I'm going to be holding a "coupon course" at my home for some local mom-friends. Still not sure how I'll run it, but I'm looking forward to it.

CVS - Toilet paper and newspaper, nothing exciting

2010-01-17T14:15:00.003-05:00

So I probably am not going to obsessively document my CVS dealings in 2010 because, well, the deals simply haven't been as good. Plus my pantry/stockpile is overflowing (I'm going to be donating a lot to Haiti) so I just don't need as much right now.

I expected to totally spend down my ECBs today, but I forgot that the toilet paper deal gave back $4 (I thought it was $8-ish OOP, not $12-ish with $4 back). So I used my $6 plus my 50 cents for quarterly spending and got the TP, the double paper ($2.50), and then my husband wanted a beard trimmer that was $10. I spent around $18 and got back $4. The cashier couldn't be bothered to put my things in the bag I brought - she stacked them up and kind of shooed me out of the way. Nice.

Also, don't make the mistake I did and try to print the double ECB coupon that's floating around in PDF form. Don't waste your ink! The store had a million of these coupons in every single aisle - and it's also in the flyer.

Oh and I scanned my Green Bag Tag and grabbed a handful of the Everyday Beauty coupons. And I resisted the Soy Joy deal because we still have a ton left from the LAST sale (months and months ago).

Discount on Laptop Lunches Bento-style Lunchboxes with Coupon Code

2010-01-13T17:49:00.005-05:00

Looking for a neat way to pack your lunch or your child's lunch? Looking for a deal on a cool lunchbox? I am a huge fan of the Laptop Lunchbox system from http://www.laptoplunches.com - I've been using the product for years and find it to be large enough to pack a filling lunch for just me (I used to take it to work) or for me and my daughter to share. And now I can offer readers of my blog a great deal!

These products are safe, lead-free, and colorful. Kids love them, adults love them, YOU will love them. Check it out!

Here's a sample lunch from me:

It includes onigiri, cherry tomatoes, veggie dumplings, crackers, cheese, Pocky, and more, but I've also packed boxes with something as simple as a sandwich and some chips and salsa!

Free digital subscription to one of a bunch of great magazines!

2010-01-08T11:37:00.004-05:00

Go here:

http://goreadgreen.com/category/subscriptions/featured/

And you can sign up for ONE free digital subscription to one of a bunch of great magazines, including Saveur and Vegetarian Times. You do have to give your email address and agree to get email from the Read Green initiative, but other than that there are no strings attached. I was going to subscribe to Vegetarian Times for $5 from Amazon, but you can't beat free instead!

An iPod Touch - a Frugal Investment?

2010-01-07T14:14:00.010-05:00

I've wanted an iPod for a long, long time. I actually won a first generation Nano from Blingo a long time ago, but it wasn't flashy and it only held (only! ha!) 2 gigs of music (which was, admittedly, plenty). I also bought an Archos mp3 player that was big and clunky but that held many gigs of mp3s, and that served me well for a few years. But I never had a "real" iPod. They were just too expensive to justify.

I also have been lusting after various smartphones including, of course, the iPhone. My husband and I have the most basic cell phones and plan that we could get - no web, no camera, and we pay 20 cents per text message. And I don't see that changing any time soon.

My birthday is in November, and some family members gave me money as a gift. I also had about $120 in Amazon credit from Swagbucks, from MyPoints, and from a few other sources. I was just spending a little bit here and there on little things - books (and have I mentioned lately I have almost 1600 books?), video games, and some gifts. Finally, I decided to splurge and I spent all that credit and bought an iPod Touch - 3rd generation, 32 gigs. It cost me about $140 out of pocket in the end.

So first of all, I wanted to point out that while it can take a while, using programs like SwagBucks and MyPoints really can add up over time. Second, well, I've found that my iPod Touch has satisfied a lot of what I wanted with a smartphone, but without the monthly expense. I installed the following apps (which can be found by searching the app store):

TextFree Lite and TextPlus: Both of these programs allow me to text my friends for free, rather than for 20 cents a pop. Not bad! I love texting, but I was holding back because the money really would add up on my monthly bill. Now I can text as much as I like!
iCall: By choosing the free call option, I can make completely free five-minute calls with my iPod (as long as I'm at a WiFi hotspot). I just have to listen to a short message. I have WiFi at home, so this is a handy option if I want to save minutes! If I really wanted to make my iPod into my only cell phone, I could buy a plan from iCall for $10/month, but for now that's not feasible.
Skype: For longer calls without a monthly plan, I have Skype. I'll need to load my account with money, but after that, calls will be about 2 cents/minute. Again, handy if I want to save my cell phone minutes. Also, with Skype, calls to another Skype user are free.
Fring: I can use Fring to chat with friends who use Gmail or iChat (or basically any other chat program, although I don't use anything else). Handy!
Evernote: With this app, I can capture web pages on my computer and sync them to the iPod. Then I can set it so I can view them when the iPod is offline. My plan is to use grabs from CouponMom so I can have an easy list of what's on sale and what coupons I have (and to save paper by doing so).

As I've touched on above, many of these apps require WiFi, which means that unlike my iPhone-using friends, I can't access everything from, say, the car or the middle of a store. But there are also hundreds of hotspots for free WiFi, and while I'm at home I have it as well. It's a limitation, but it can be managed. And a program like Evernote definitely helps when there is no Internet access around.

Look, an iPod is not cheap, and it's not frugal in general. But if you use it wisely, it can save you money in little ways. Plus, well, it's just a fun toy. And there are TONS of free apps in the app store - from games for my daughter to tools to just plain silliness. And all of the above apps are, as far as I know, available for the iPhone too, so you can save money on your monthly bill if you want to.

Have a suggestion for an app that you love? (Especially a free one?) Let me know!

Read this far? How about checking out my Examiner articles on how to save money on groceries! I think you'll find a lot of valuable information there that can help you in 2010!

2009 Year in Review (CVS)

2009-12-24T12:07:00.004-05:00

I am skipping CVS this weekend (no great deals, just P&G coupons in the paper) so I'm going to write my year in review post now!

This year, I spent $78.95 out of pocket. That averages out to about $6.60 per month.

Of that, $36.98 was sales tax.

I got necessities like antibiotic ointment, bandages, contact lens solution, deodorant, teething tablets, toothpaste, maxi pads, toilet paper, paper towels, razors, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, laundry detergent, and more. I got treats like candy and soda. I got the newspaper nearly every week. I got school supplies. I got food. I got little things we needed some weeks that didn't pay back but that I didn't spend anything on either.

Sure I also got extras of some of the above and I got things I didn't really need (the diabetes monitors spring to mind). These have or will be donated or given to family and friends, or simply stockpiled for future use.

Sometimes people comment things like "That seems time consuming" or "What do you do with everything" or "I don't use XYZ so this wouldn't be worth doing." First, I say, to each his/her own. You don't want to do it? Don't! Everyone has a different idea of what's interesting or worthwhile.

But I feel that if I'm already shopping at a store, I might as well take advantage of any savings programs they offer. I'm surprised when people don't use a store card at all - at CVS, for example, even if you're just buying necessities, you'll get back a small percentage of your spending every quarter. Then you can use that off more necessities - easy! And then I find that CVS sometimes wants to pay me to take things out of the store - and I'll do that. In the end I spent less over the entire 2009 on both things I do and don't use than I would've spent if I had just bought only the barest minimum of things I do use with cash. And I got name brands - and many times they were my preferred brands. I don't think I spent a lot of time doing any of this - but it also is a fun hobby for me, so I may have spent extra time by choice on some of the planning. But most weeks I made a single trip, early in the morning on a Sunday, while my husband and daughter were sleeping. No big deal.

I wish you all a happy New Year!

[Edited: My daughter got sick on 12/25, so I sent my husband out with $4.98 in ECBs and he spent $2 OOP on supplies for her. I'm down to $6 in ECBs or something and now am considering spending them as well on essentials and then starting fresh - possibly with a brand new card - in 2010. Stay tuned!]

CVS - Free Listerine, body wash, sleep aid

2009-12-20T16:11:00.005-05:00

First, there's a great deal at Target this week - you can get free Swiss Miss hot chocolate with a printable coupon. Learn more!

So this was a good week - finally! - at CVS.

Transaction 1:

Listerine - $3.99
Nivea (apricot blossom scent) - $5.99
Aleril sleep aid - $1.99

Used $1/Listerine, $2 printable/Nivea, $9 ECBs. I handed the ECBs over first, so my pre-tax total was -3 cents. I paid 81 cents OOP (all tax) and got back $11 in ECBs (including my $1 for my Green Bag Tag, so I guess it's working again).

Then I got:

2 Thermacare wraps - $4.98.
Used the $5 ECB (adjusted). Paid 35 cents tax, got back $4.98.

Then I did that again - 2 more wraps, 35 cents.

Profit - about $2. yay!

Picture to come.

Total OOP: $78.95 ($36.98)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 5 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 1 bottle Listerine mint, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, 2 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotions, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 Bic Soleil razors, 1 Schick razor, 1 bottle St Ives body wash, 1 King-size pack M&Ms, 1 Degree deodorant, 1 Aveeno baby lotion, 1 Bayer diabetes monitor, 1 box of Zantac, CVS brand nasal spray, CVS brand 3-pack paper towels, CVS brand Cetaphil-like bar soap, CVS brand hydrogen peroxide, 4 Thermacare wraps, 1 Alterial sleep aid, 1 Nivea apricot body wash.

Current ECB status: $11 [need to get exact #]

CVS - Necessities...

2009-12-11T14:08:00.003-05:00

Again, I actually needed stuff at CVS and I'm just not as savvy as some of you out there - I needed to *gasp* spend some of my ECBs. Still, I think it worked out well.

I got (all CVS brand):
1 bottle saline nasal rinse
1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
1 bar Cetaphil-like soap (on clearance so really cheap)
1 3-pack paper towels

I used a $2/$10 CVS brand coupon I got from the scanner (I got it after I had almost finished shopping and threw in the paper towels to hit $10 since I was so close and everything else was CVS brand), $8.99 in ECBs. Paid about 84 cents OOP (all numbers to be updated later).

But what's annoying is that I should've gotten $1 for my Green Bag Tag. My receipt from the last time I was at the store clearly says I have 7 scans and need one more, but today's STILL says I have 7 and need one more. Both receipts show that the cashier scanned the GBT and everything. So I think I will call CVS and find out what's up with that.

I still have $9 left. :)

Total OOP: $78.95 ($35.47)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 5 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, 2 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotions, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 Bic Soleil razors, 1 Schick razor, 1 bottle St Ives body wash, 1 King-size pack M&Ms, 1 Degree deodorant, 1 Aveeno baby lotion, 1 Bayer diabetes monitor, 1 box of Zantac, CVS brand nasal spray, CVS brand 3-pack paper towels, CVS brand Cetaphil-like bar soap, CVS brand hydrogen peroxide.

Current ECB status: $9

CVS - Free diabetes monitor, Zantac, and big profit!

2009-12-06T16:57:00.006-05:00

Transaction 1:
1 Sunday paper - $2 (I went too late and they were either out of the double paper or never had it)
1 Bayer diabetes monitor - $14.99
1 Zantac - $8.99

I used the $30/Bayer coupon and for a minute thought I was in trouble because the cashier had to call someone for help, but in the end it was just because it was a high-value coupon, and it went through just fine otherwise. Then I used the $2 Zantac printable. And at the last minute I remembered I had the get-$4-when-you-spend-$20 coupon so I handed that over too, as well as $8 in ECBs. I paid about $1.60 (I'll update with exact figures later) and got back $8.99, $5 for the monitor, and $4 for the coupon. Not bad at all, I say! Plus I'm 1 away from another $1 from the Green Bag Tag.

Then I went back and got:

1 Aveeno baby lotion - $5.69
I used $1/Aveeno coupon, $3 and $1.59 ECBs. I paid 50 cents OOP. Didn't get anything back but that's OK because I made such a lovely profit on the first deal AND this was something we really needed. (It's part of my daughter's bedtime routine...)

I skipped all the Christmas stuff this week, but next week I may grab some of the wrapping stuff.

Also I went to the mall and got my free Godiva truffle as well as a handful of samples of Hershey's Bliss (I like it much better than regular Hershey's - and the handful was given to me by the person staffing the table, I didn't take it! He also gave me coupons). I was at the mall looking for a case for my brand new iPod Touch - thanks to Swagbucks, I paid about $140 for a brand new 3rd generation 32 gig iPod Touch. I used over $120 in credit that I'd accrued. Not bad! (I didn't get a case yet. I didn't like what I saw at the mall.)

And I just cashed in another $10 from MySurvey (referral link is to the right, if you are so inclined - it's the small black graphic...).

And I earned 50 cents this week from YouData - hey, every little bit helps!

Total OOP: $78.13 ($34.83)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 5 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, 2 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotions, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 Bic Soleil razors, 1 Schick razor, 1 bottle St Ives body wash, 1 King-size pack M&Ms, 1 Degree deodorant, 1 Aveeno baby lotion, 1 Bayer diabetes monitor, 1 box of Zantac.

Current ECB status: $17.99

CVS - Scenario/plans for 12/6

2009-12-05T22:19:00.004-05:00

I haven't done a proper CVS trip - all by myself, early in the morning on a Sunday - in some time. As of right now I am planning on going tomorrow morning though!

I need to get the Sunday paper and some lotion for my daughter. I have $8, $1.59, $3.

Plans:

Bayer monitor - use coupon, get it free, get back $5.
Zantac - use $1 coupon and $8 ECB, get back $8.99. (There's a $2 printable out there too - if I can get it to print I may use that instead. If I do that, I will use the $8 and the $1.59 and get the paper in this transaction so it's free.)
Then spend a bunch of ECBs on the lotion - there's a $1 coupon for the brand I want so that will help.
I think I need 2 more Green Bag Tag scans to get my next dollar.

So. Not very exciting, and I need to make sure I have the right coupons...

I am Jewish, by the way, so I'll be skipping the Christmas freebies this week. They're cute but I don't need them and I don't need to roll any bucks.

CVS - Black Friday - I got my whole list!

2009-11-26T09:39:00.008-05:00

I thought I'd have to wake up extra early to go to CVS. I thought my local store would be emptied of everything. But no! I got everything I wanted in the order I wanted. I spent around $3 OOP. (I figured out that I spent 5 cents total and everything else was sales tax.) The only thing I missed was the Degree bonus pack - as we were leaving I saw a display (a very full display) of several of the freebies that I hadn't noticed at first.

This year was disappointing though, in terms of deals - last year there were limit 5s! Freebies! Tons of profit! I wound up $3.59 ahead as well. I think that's why there weren't crowds this year. I didn't look for the headphones or the remote control, but I don't need either one and I actually don't have any ECBs in the proper amounts to make them easily free anyway.

I'll update with specifics later, but what I can say is I got 2 bottles of Herbal Essences (one shampoo, one conditioner), 2 Bic Soleil razors, 1 Schick razor (with a "10 song download card" that I'm curious about), 1 bottle of St Ives bodywash, 1 bottle of Vaseline lotion, 1 Degree deodorant, and 1 pack of M&Ms (yum).

Total OOP: $76.01 ($33.80 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 4 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, 2 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotions, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution, 2 Bic Soleil razors, 1 Schick razor, 1 bottle St Ives body wash, 1 King-size pack M&Ms, 1 Degree deodorant.

Current ECB status: $12.59

CVS - Black Friday 2009 plans

2009-11-23T12:19:00.007-05:00

This post is for me to figure out my Black Friday plans. It will change frequently and I'll edit it a lot. I got all my details/coupon matchups from iheartcvs.com.

I have $8.99.

I think I'm going to (providing everything is in stock!) do this:

[third time I've changed my mind]

First:

Herbal Essences - $2.99 -Free coupon, get back $2
1 Bic Soleil razor - $6.99, -$2 coupon. ($4.99)
1 Degree Ultra Clear deodorant - $4 (I do not have the coupon for this one)

Use $8.99, get back $5, $4, $2.

Second:

1 Bic Soleil Razor - $6.99 -$2 coupon = $4.99
Use $5. Get back $5.

Third:

Vaseline lotion - $7.99 -$1.50 coupon - $6.49, get back $7.99
Mars candy bar - $1.59 - get back $1.59
St. Ives body wash - $3.99 -$1 coupon - $3, get back $3

Use $5, $4, $2. Get back $7.99, $1.59, $3.

Fourth:

Schick razor - $9.99 -$2 coupon - $7.99, get back $8

Use $7.99. Get back $8.

Wind up with $8, $1.59, $3 at end.

What are the odds they'll have all this??? And if they are missing part of one part of this...all I really want to do is the Herbal Essences and the Schick. The rest is bonus.

CVS - Free Complete contact solution

2009-11-22T17:12:00.003-05:00

I'm still behind on updating my actual totals/lists, but luckily I save all my receipts.

Today I bought

1 bottle Complete contact solution - $8.99
Used $5 ECBs, $1 coupon. Paid $3.XX OOP. Got back $8.99 in ECBs.

Then I bought
1 regular Sunday paper (either they didn't make a double today since it's a holiday or the store was out of them) - $2
1 bottle Complete - $8.99
Used $8.99 ECBs, $1 coupon. Paid $1.XX OOP. Got back $8.99 in ECBs again.

Also am 1/4 toward another $1 from the Green Bag Tag.

So now I have $8.99 toward Black Friday, and I should get another $2 from the Herbal Essences that day and another Green Bag Tag scan. I want the razors and the lotion and anything else is just icing on the cake.

Total OOP: $72.71 ($30.57 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 4 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries, 2 bottles Complete contact lens solution.

Current ECB status: $8.99

CVS - Free Sense and Spray, batteries (not free)

2009-11-17T15:07:00.005-05:00

I'm so behind with this blog. I'll fix it all soon, I swear!

Today I bought:
2 Glade Sense and Spray starter kits - $12
1 pack of CVS-brand AA batteries - $6.49 (I think?)
I used 2x $4/Sense and Spray, $3 ECBs. I paid around $8 OOP. I got back $4 for the Sense and Spray and $1 for the 4th scan of my Green Bag Tag.

And then I realized I should've added $1.50 of something and then used the spend-$20-get-$4 coupon. But I forgot. Argh. At least I have more ECBs to play with on Black Friday now (if I even can get to the store that day/weekend).

My total OOP for the year is now around $60 and my ECB tally is $5.

Total OOP: $67.39 ($29.24 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts., 2 Glade Sense&Spray starter kits, 1 10 pack of AA batteries

Current ECB status: $5

CVS - Renu and a high OOP

2009-11-15T19:37:00.003-05:00

Blogger just ate my post. :(

I bought 1 2-pack of Renu today (overpriced, IMHO, at around $15.50). used $2 coupon, $8 (about to expire) ECBs, $6.01 OOP. Got back $3. Have plans that I'll write again later.

Total OOP: $58.61 ($27.95 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 6 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts.

Current ECB status: $3

CVS - Spent ECBs on things we needed

2009-11-14T16:28:00.003-05:00

So. CVS has been pretty dry lately, and I've been busy - out of town visiting family, out of town for a funeral. I had two ECBs that expire on 11/17 - $6.99 and $8. Today I finally got to CVS - two stores actually - and neither had the ear rinse that I wanted to roll my $8 on, and I didn't feel like buying yet another diabetes monitor when I haven't gotten around to donating the ones I already have.

So I bought:
1 tube of antibiotic ointment
1 carton of epsom salts

I used the $6.99 and $1.26 OOP (47 cents tax) - I will update this later of course. I also found the spend-$20-get-$4 coupon, but I don't think I'll be able to use it before it expires.

So I'm down to $8 in ECBs, and as they expire on the 17th, I have a feeling I may be down to zero soon enough. That said, I have the Green Bag Tag which will eventually get me $1, and on Black Friday I hope to get the Herbal Essences which is $2.99/$2 ECBs back but I have a coupon for a free one, so that would be another $2 profit, getting me back in the game. I must confess, I'm underwhelmed on the Black Friday deals this year - even if I had ECBs to spend, the profit opportunities are small and the freebies just aren't things I care about. Bah. I hope some great deals are in the pipeline CVS!

Total OOP: $52.60 ($27.43 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag", 1 tube antibiotic ointment, 1 carton epsom salts.

Current ECB status: $8.00

CVS - Newspaper, green bag tag (plus Target after Halloween)

2009-11-01T20:29:00.004-05:00

No deals struck my fancy this week. I thought I could get free Listerine since I found one last $2 manufacturer's coupon and had the $1 CVS coupon from the flu shot book, but the CVS coupon is for the 1 liter size and the sale is on the half-liter size. Ah well.

I bought:
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 Green Bag Tag - 99 cents.

I used $2 ECBs that were going to expire on Tuesday and $1.56 (I think - will come back to fix) OOP. Got nothing back.

CVS had already cleared the shelves of all Halloween items. And Target had only marked down its candy 30% - not 50%. Disappointing! (I still got some candy at Target, and I used a $1 Dove coupon to get some bags of Dove for $1.44 - not bad. I also got my daughter a Halloween hoodie for next year, a Halloween T-shirt for...someday, and some hand towels with monsters on them, all for 50% off.)

Total OOP: $51.34 ($26.96 tax)
Total merchandise: 24 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade, 1 "Green Bag Tag".

Current ECB status: $14.99

CVS - Free-with-profit Glade candle, cheap Cascade and baby wipes

2009-10-18T10:41:00.004-04:00

I'm back from vacation and I'm going to try to make the numbers below as accurate as possible to include all the spending I did on our trip and today.

Today I bought:
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 CVS photo book - $7.99 [I had a raincheck - usually these are $12.99]
1 tub of CVS baby wipes - $2.50
1 Glade candle - $6.99
1 package of Cascade actionpaks - $4

I used $17 in ECBs (I had a $10 and a $7 that were close to expiring and the upcoming deals just aren't inspiring enough for me to have waited), $3/Glade, $2/photo book from the flu shot coupon booklet (my favorite cashier gave me one - HEADS UP this only took off $1 and he manually gave me the other $1 off! But this also was a last minute bonus so I threw in the Cascade at the last minute to take advantage of it since it was on sale and we use it all the time) and my photo book raincheck. I paid $3.48 OOP. I got back $6.99 for the Glade candle and $8 for the photobook thanks to the raincheck. Also apparently I put $4 (the Cascade) toward a larger P&G deal to get a free DVD?

Plus my cashier gave me a heads up that photobooks may be on sale (he didn't say free, just on sale) on Black Friday. I hope he's right - I want more of them for my family members!

Total OOP: $49.78 ($26.89 tax)
Total merchandise: 23 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 6 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count), 1 package of moleskin, 1 package of pantyhose, 1 big Glade candle, 1 tub of CVS baby wipes, 1 package of Cascade.

Current ECB status: $16.06

CVS - Spent ECBs...

2009-10-06T20:36:00.003-04:00

This is a placeholder post - I spent $2 in ECBs on some moleskin we needed to fix my daughter's carseat. In retrospect, I could've spent more ECBs and less OOP (I spent about $2.50 OOP) to do this. Ah well, vacation makes things weird.

Will update all the stats later.

ETA: and $3 spent on pantyhose on 10/9 - paid 99cents OOP.

CVS - Free nail polish, free toothpaste, more

2009-10-04T16:26:00.004-04:00

I spent some more ECBs because I'm on vacation and they were expiring soon and there were things we needed.

I bought:
1 travel pack of 4 CVS razors
1 travel pack of baby wipes
1 Revlon nail polish
1 Colgate toothpaste
1 bottle CVS-brand ibuprofen

[I bought my newspaper elsewhere.]

I used $1/Colgate, $1/Revlon (beeped but the cashier pushed it through without a word), $9.98 in ECBs. I paid 72 cents (45 cents tax) and got back $5.

[picture coming soon]

Total OOP: $42.77 ($25.24 tax)
Total merchandise: 22 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 6 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 3 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion, 1 Revlon nail polish, 1 4-pack CVS razors, 1 bottle CVS ibuprofen (24 count).

Current ECB status: $23.07

CVS - Free with profit Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion

2009-09-27T17:54:00.004-04:00

Yup, I went back to another CVS and got one of the Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotions. (I got the "Botanical" version.)

It was $7.99.
I used $1.50 printable and $6 ECBs. I paid $1.05 OOP (yuck - 56 cents tax) and got back $7.

[no picture so far, sorry]

Total OOP: $42.05 ($24.79 tax)
Total merchandise: 22 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion.

Current ECB status: $28.05

CVS - Free Accu-Check Aviva monitors to roll some ECBs

2009-09-27T09:37:00.003-04:00

This was the kind of week I don't like, where I basically bought things just to roll some ECBs and not because I wanted/needed them. And the store was out of the Vaseline lotion (the shelf had many spots, all were empty) so I have to go somewhere else to get that, though I got a raincheck for it just in case.

I bought:
2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors - $29.98
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
2 3-packs of glue sticks - $1.98 with raincheck
1 travel pack of tissues - 50 cents (filler)
5 photo prints - $1.45

Used $5/$25, 2x$10/Aviva, 5 free photo prints coupon, $9.99 in ECBs (adjusted down to $9.96). Paid 36 cents OOP (all tax). Got back $12 (including $2 - rounded up - for the glue sticks). So a $2 profit.

If I can find the Vaseline in another store, I will roll another $6 ECB (paying about $1 OOP I guess but making a profit with the $1.50 coupon) but I'll still have $9.98 in ECBs that will expire while I'm on vacation, so I'll have to go to CVS then too (shouldn't be a problem, I'll just get some of the free nail polish next week or something).

Total OOP: $41.00 ($23.74 tax)
Total merchandise: 22 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 5 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs, 2 3-packs CVS glue sticks, 2 Accu-Check Aviva monitors, 5 printed photos.

Current ECB status: $27.05

I love freebies!

2009-09-23T16:07:00.003-04:00

I sign up for freebies all the time. I love free stuff and I love getting mail!

But the past two days have been an avalanche of freebies in my mailbox!

- Free sample of Burt's Bees acne treatment
- Free full-sized sample of Fancy Feast Appetizers for Cats (plus coupon)
- Free full-sized granola bar from Bear Naked (DELICIOUS) (plus coupon)
- Free booklet of coupons for healthy and organic items from Mambo Sprouds
- Free kids' activity booklets that included a coupon from Organic Valley
- Amazon.com order bought with credits won through Swagbucks.com
- Reusable bag from Chi Chis.

Have you gotten any cool freebies lately?

CVS - Free Crest Pro-Health toothpaste

2009-09-20T11:35:00.003-04:00

It was a pretty skimpy week at CVS.

1 double paper - $2.50
1 Crest Pro-Health Enamel Care toothpaste - $2.99

I used a $1/Crest coupon that I got at my dentist's office, $4 in ECBs. Paid 70 cents OOP (21 cents tax). Got back $2. Didn't roll my $7.99 that expires on the 29th like I wanted to but next week there's free (with coupon and ECBs) lotion for that amount so it will be OK.

I also forgot to look to see if the small boxes of Wheat Thins are $1 (I have two printable $1 coupons that would make them free) - do you know? (I can go back later in the week. And my store really wanted me to use my photobook rain check today because they are having a contest with other stores in the area, but I forgot to bring my digital pictures and I didn't really have time to do it today anyway. But they are winning, hooray!

So next week will hopefully allow me to roll a bunch of bucks by combining rainchecks, coupons, and deals...

[No picture since I barely got anything.]

Total OOP: $40.64 ($23.38 tax)
Total merchandise: 21 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 Colgate Max Fresh, 2 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs.

Current ECB status: $27.04

CVS - Free Listerine, free Colgate toothpaste, free energy shot, cheap everything else

2009-09-13T09:09:00.005-04:00

Before you go any further, check out this article I just wrote about how to save money by packing bento-style meals for your family - they're fun and nutritious AND thrifty! (I'm really proud of this article - I hope you'll like it!)

Today I did everything I set out to do:

1. I spent down my ECBs to a more manageable amount.
2. I got things I need and use - contact lens solution, Listerine, toilet paper, the newspaper.
3. I got just about everything on my list. (I was going to get two more small Glade candles with my $3 coupons but they were out.)

Transaction 1:
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 twin-pack of Renu contact lens solution - $7.99
2 bottles of Purex laundry detergent - 6.98
1 12-pack of Cottonelle toilet paper - $5.99
1 tube of Colgate Total Enamel Care tooth paste - $2.99
3 bottles of Listerine Total Care mouthwash - $11.97
1 energy shot pack - $4.99

Subtotal: $43.41 (wish I'd had an X/XX but I didn't)

Used $1/Colgate (from a Kroger special coupon insert, though there is also one in today's paper), 2x35 cents/Purex, $2/Renu CRT, $2/Renu printable, 3x$2/Listerine. Then handed over $33.87 in ECBs (this included $2.71 on a money card that I've been counting in my ECB total). Pre-tax total was 55 cents. Tax was $3.04, but the money card took care of most of that. I paid 88 cents OOP - one of my best OOPs ever! And I got back $13.99 in ECBs.

Transaction 2:
1 energy shot pack - $4.99
Handed over $4.99 in ECBs. Paid 35 cents tax (aw, it doesn't zero out anymore - I knew but...this was the first time I really saw it). Got back $4.99 (rolled it).

Total OOP: $39.94 ($23.17 tax)
Total merchandise: 20 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 4 bottles Renu (one sensitive, three regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen, 1 12-pack Cottonelle toilet paper, 1 Colgate Enamel Care toothpaste, 3 bottles Listerine Total Care, 2 bottles Purex, 2 Dyna energy shot packs.

Current ECB status: $25.04

CVS - Scenario for 9/13/09

2009-09-11T09:42:00.004-04:00

I'm starting to figure out my plans for this weekend. As always, this post may change (or even disappear completely) over time.

I have a $6 ECB that expires on the 15th that I need to spend, and a $15-and-change that expires on the 22nd (so I have a bit of time for that but...).

I plan on getting two of the energy drinks - they are $4.99/get $4.99 and I am going to see if I have any $5 ECBs to roll and buy them one at a time.

I am going to "spend" some of my bucks on the Cottonelle 12-pack for $5.99 - that's a good price and we can always use TP.

I found two $2/Listerine coupons and one $1/Listerine coupon in my pile (and I feel like I should have one more $2 - if I have time before Sunday I'll dig around...) so I'm definitely getting three bottles. It's fine with me to spend the $1 on all three because I use this stuff and I'd rather have Total Care than the others in my stash.

I so far haven't been able to get the Dove deodorant coupon to print but if I can, I'll probably get two of those and spend another $1.

And then of course I need the newspaper.

So I'll probably end up with about $10 fewer in ECBs than I started with (I don't see any overage deals so far that I'm interested in fiddling with) but I feel like $30-ish is more manageable, especially since I'm going on vacation in a few weeks and may not even be anywhere near a CVS. PLUS in November is Black Friday - just around the corner! - and I know I'll roll my bucks back up again!

CVS - Spending down the ECBs

2009-09-10T22:04:00.002-04:00

We needed more infant ibuprofen, so I gave my husband a $6.99 ECB that was going to expire on the 15th. (I also have a $6 expiring on the 15th and a $15 expiring on the 22nd, and the deals are slim so I'll be spending spending spending this weekend and next, I think.)

He bought 1 bottle of CVS-brand infant ibuprofen for $8.29.

Used $6.99 ECB. Paid $1.88 OOP (58 cents tax). I wish I'd given him the money card too, but he likes things to be simple...

Total OOP: $39.06 ($22.29 tax)
Total merchandise: 20 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 2 bottles Renu (one sensitive, one regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit, 1 bottle infant ibuprofen.

Current ECB status: $46.92

CVS - Expired ECBs, free Lifelock starter kit, free razors

2009-09-06T11:46:00.004-04:00

Before you go any further, check out this article I just wrote about how to save money by packing bento-style meals for your family - they're fun and nutritious AND thrifty!

I woke up this morning and decided to skip CVS - the deals weren't that great and there are no coupons in today's paper, so why not. But then a few hours later I checked my ECBs and realized in a panic that I had $9 that expired last Tuesday! If it had been a dollar or two I might've just written it off, but $9 is a LOT. So out I went, because I know some stores do take expired ECBs and I figured I'd have the best luck at my favorite CVS with the staff who know me by now.

My goal was to spend as close to $9 as possible.

The store only had one pack of the disposable razors that are on sale, and that pack was rather hidden in a bin. And the cashiers didn't know where the Lifelock thing was and told me they didn't think they had it in the store, but I found it randomly stuck to an endcap near the seasonal stuff. I actually was considering buying a hair towel ($5, may get it next week) and happened to look at the rest of the rack and found them. So then I grabbed a three-pack of the CVS paper towels, because we need them and they are on sale this week for $1.99. Other things I considered included the nearly-free Scope stuff, but I have been destashing my toothpaste like crazy and I didn't have the coupon with me anyway. And I must admit, I eyeballed the ridiculous margarita blender that's $30 - if it will crush ice, it may be something I'll grab next week.

I handed over my ECBs first, and they beeped, but the cashier pushed them through. Hooray! Then I handed over the coupon for the razors, making my pre-tax total negative 3 cents. I paid the 81 cents in sales tax with my money card, so I had a ZERO OOP today. Got back $6.99 - a loss of $2.01 in ECBs, but not a loss of $9!

Next week I need to spend a LOT of bucks that are expiring. Today's lesson learned: I cannot deal with having so many ECBs on hand, and I really need to cut back. I'll be getting toilet paper and other necessities next week, I'm sure.

Total OOP: $37.18 ($21.71 tax)
Total merchandise: 20 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 travel packs of tissues, 7 greeting cards, 2 boxes 5 ct. allergy meds, 3 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 2 bottles Renu (one sensitive, one regular), 1 pack of Schick disposable sensitive razors, 1 Lifelock starter kit.

Current ECB status: $53.91

CVS - Moneymaking Glade candle and moneymaking Clairol Living Color hair dye

2009-08-30T10:11:00.008-04:00

Before you read any further, check out information about a great contest in which you can win free groceries for a year! (Plus you can print some great coupons for pasta after you enter.)

This got a bit more complicated than it needed to be thanks to one mistake I made, but I think in the end I did pretty well and that I managed to spend a *few* of my ECBs. I saw in the store that a storage card for my camera is on sale so I probably will go back and buy that with ECBs to get rid of the $15 one...

Anyway.

Transaction 1:

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 Glade candle (4.9 oz.) - $6.99 [note that this is the middle size - the biggest size also seems to be free, but I liked the scent of this one best]
1 Glade candle (2 oz) - $3.29
1 Clairol Living Color hair dye - $4.99
2 tubs baby wipes - $4.48
1 travel pack of baby wipes - 99 cents

I used $4/$20 Readyfill, $3/Glade printable (thank you to awshucks at the iheartcvs community on livejournal for the tip on this one - it's at redplum.com, use zip code 77530), $4/Clairol, and apparently I handed over the $2/Renu CRT and it went through OOPS! (I bought that in transaction 2 so don't yell!) (Now I know why my total was so weird - I'll get back to this later - but it's really weird that it went through.) Then I used $10 in ECBs (I had to throw in the travel pack of baby wipes to avoid paying a lot OOP and to use that $10) and paid $1.59 OOP ($1.35 tax). Got back $8.99 PLUS the $1 ECB that CVS corporate promised me. I honestly was a bit confused as to how this all worked out but I just went with it.

Transaction 2:

2 bottles of Renu contact lens solution - $15.98

I used 2x$2/Renu printables, $3/$10 eye care Readyfill coupon. I had worked this out at home where my total would be $6.98 and it was $8.98 - now I know that's because I accidentally gave the $2 Renu CRT with the earlier transaction! I handed over exactly $8.98 in ECBs, paid 91 cents OOP (all tax) and got back $6. (So technically in this transaction I should've used $6.98 and gotten back $6. Weird!)

(I'm now debating returning the sensitive Renu after all - it doesn't remove protein deposits like the regular does, and that's one of the main reasons I like using Renu - I'd just exchange it 1:1 if they'll let me.)

Then I left the store (skipping the toothpaste deal because seriously I don't need more toothpaste), got in my car, and realized I hadn't used my free small Glade candle coupon! And really, I only got that small candle *because* it was going to be free. So I went back in, returned the candle, got a money card for $3.52, and then re-bought it with the free coupon (yay free candle). Paid 23 cents tax OOP.

So in the end I spent $18.98 in ECBs and got back $18.51 (including the money card, which includes tax so it gives me a bit of a boost). Not bad considering many of the things I got today weren't even ECB-generating or weren't free-after-ECB! And then I got the $1 from corporate, so I came out ahead! (I think - my math is a bit wonky...)

Total OOP: $37.18 ($21.71 tax)
Total merchandise: 20 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 Contour monitors, 1 Bayer quick-release aspirin, 3 tubs CVS-brand baby wipes, 2 bags Purina dog treats, 1 box of Playtex tampons, 2 boxes of Hello Kitty bandaids, 1 Clearasil face wash, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 2 travel packs CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners, 1 big Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 mini Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle, 1 Clairol Living Color hair dye, 2 bottles Renu (one sensitive, one regular).

Current ECB status: $56.73

CVS - Scenario for 8/30 and an update

2009-08-29T11:59:00.007-04:00

First the update! CVS corporate emailed me and apologized and is giving me a $1 ECB to replace the one I lost. Hooray!

Second, my plans. I have all sorts of things I want/need this week and a $4/$20 I'd like to use. So I'm going to get some of the following, depending on what my store has in stock.

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 Glade candle - $6.99 - I have a $2 printable coupon for this. I also have a feeling my store is going to be out of the candles, but I REALLY want one.
1 Clairol hair color - $4.99 - I have a $4 coupon for this, and I've been thinking it maybe time to dye my hair again.
2 boxes of baby wipes - they're on sale buy one, get one 50% off. We need these. We use cloth wipes too but sometimes we use the wet wipes for various things.
Possibly either the Aquafresh or Sensodyne toothpaste - I have a $1 coupon for each that would make them $1 after ECBs. The products look interesting and I really want to SPEND some of my bucks.

That should bring me to $20.

THEN:

2 bottles of Renu - $7.99 x2 - I have a $2 CRT for the Sensitive Eyes and two $2 printable coupons for the Sensitive Eyes and two for the fresh lenses, plus $3/$12 eye care from the Readyfill booklet. This is my eye care solution of choice and I'm running low, though I still have a bunch of bottles of Complete eye solution that I got for free a while back too. This is all IF the Sensitive Eyes version is part of the sale. But even if it isn't, I'll probably go for it.

AND (Thanks to moneysavingmom.com)

1 Aquafresh, 1 Sensodyne, use two $1 printables and the $2/$10 oral care Readyfill coupon, get both for free. (Throw in a penny Arm&Hammer trial toothpaste if they have any left to get to 9.99.)

OTHER OPTIONS:
1 photobook - I still have my rain check for $7.99/$7.99.
I also still have a rain check for glue sticks (my Sunday store hasn't had them but the walking distance CVS has), as well as coupons for free small Glade candles (haven't yet seen these in any of my local stores), free Rice Krispies (my husband wants Cocoa Krispies though, and CVS doesn't have those that I've seen), and today I got free Lipton tea bags. All of these could be filler to get to $20.

Seriously, I think $30 in ECBs is manageable for me personally, and I have nearly $60! I may start buying toilet paper, paper towels, and more baby wipes or something. I also wanted a new memory card for my camera, so I might grab one of those. I have a $15+ ECB that I want to get rid of!

CVS - More free and money-making Poise liners

2009-08-25T13:11:00.002-04:00

Quick dash into CVS to max out the Poise deal. No word from corporate yet on the adjusted ECB (I don't actually expect them to do anything).

Bought 4 packs of Poise liners.
Used 4x$2/Poise printables. Paid 56 cents OOP (all tax). Got back $2 ECBs. Yay!

(no picture - if you need to see what they look like, check my previous entry)

Total OOP: $34.45 ($19.22 tax)
Total merchandise: 19 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 10 packs of Poise liners.

Current ECB status: $56.13

CVS - Trip two and three of the day, moneymaking Poise (but then a hard math lesson to learn)

2009-08-23T11:06:00.008-04:00

I'm so annoyed right now - and I really have no right to be. I walked to the other CVS and they had a TON of Poise pads, but I didn't want to use a bunch of printables at once, so I used 2 printables and 2 of the beauty booklet Poise coupons.

I bought 4 packs of Poise liners - 2 of one size, 2 of another.

In my head, I had decided my total was going to be around $2 so I handed over the coupons and a $1.98 ECB - the smallest one I had. My total was 56 cents (all tax) and I got $2 back. Fine, right? Except after I left the store I looked at my receipt and realized the guy had adjusted my ECB to $1! Without asking! And it's really my fault for not doing the math right in my head but...argh. I hate losing money, even if it's not much. In any case, I broke even and I'll be going back later in the week to max out the deal. I really can't complain too much as I have over $50 in ECBs right now and am looking to pare down, if anything, and if I max out the deal I'll have $3 more...BUT ARGH.

ETA: Went to a different CVS and got 2 more packs of Poise. Totals below updated.

ETA2: Emailed CVS through the website, gave all details from my receipt and explained that it's not the 98 cents, it's that he adjusted without telling me.

Total OOP: $33.89 ($18.66 tax)
Total merchandise: 19 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste, 6 packs of Poise liners.

Current ECB status: $54.13

CVS - Moneymaking Carefree panty liners, free notebooks, penny toothpaste, but no Poise

2009-08-23T09:04:00.005-04:00

I had a grand plan for CVS today and it was foiled (partially). I wanted to get 10 packs of Poise - and my store didn't have any of the right size packages (and I looked all over). They also only had bundled Kotex panty liners (I was going to get them for filler). Plus I left my phone in the car and got nervous that my husband was going to call me (and had my hands full so couldn't run back outside).

So I got:
4 packs of Carefree ultimate protection panty liners - $15.16
2 CVS composition books - $1.98 (in my store, the ones with stripes were marked as 99 cents but didn't ring up that way, so I got the standard composition book design instead)
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 Arm & Hammer Advanced White trial size - 1 cent (in a special display in front of the store)
1 caramel, thrown in as last-minute filler - 33 cents

Then I thought in my tired/nervous haze that my 4/20 was a 5/25 so I thought I needed more filler and the cashier thought I was pretty funny but no, I was at like $19.something and he said that was close enough for it to work. Yay! (I was going to add Rice Krispies as filler and of course this week they're on sale so not worth enough for what I thought I needed in my head.) (Did you follow that? I'm not sure *I* follow that!)

Anyway, I used 4x$1/Carefree printables, $4/$20 (given after other coupons - yes, it works that way), and $11.98 in ECBs. I paid $1.10 OOP (all tax - my pre-tax total was zero after I bought the caramel) and got back $17.82! So a nice $5-ish profit on all that stuff.

But the problem is that I still want the Poise - partially because it's a moneymaker but more because I wanted to get it for a relative. And I have EIGHT printables - and let me assure you, most of the stores around here WILL give me a hard time for that many printables (I also have 4 coupons from the beauty booklet that I can use to get the liners for "just" free). So I'm going to have to make several trips (hoping the other store I go to has them in stock). Bleh.

ALSO I now have a $15.16 ECB. And a $10 one too. I may spend those next week in part on things we need vs. "free" things because I hate having large bucks.

But...profit, things I'll use...a free newspaper...it's all good, I guess. And I got an extra ReadyFill booklet last week when I filled some prescriptions, so I have a few more 4/20s to spend.

Oh and in happy Universe-helping-me news, I was at a thrift store yesterday and found the EXACT thing I was looking for - blank (unlined) index cards. I found a bag of three packages plus a glue stick for $1.60 - random and fabulous!

Total OOP: $33.05 ($17.82 tax)
Total merchandise: 19 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 4 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 3 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones, 4 packs of Carefree panty liners, 1 trial size Arm&Hammer toothpaste.

Current ECB status: $53.11

CVS - More free L'Oreal, free headphones, and...weirdness!

2009-08-16T15:34:00.005-04:00

Before you go any further, you may be interested in reading an article I wrote for Examiner.com about how you can save money on fresh produce using Target store coupons!

Trip two of the day! (Check out trip one.) I walked to the other close CVS to use my $5/$25 and finish up the L'Oreal deal - and now I'm so confused as to how CVS is determining sales tax all over again!

I was going to get my free Rice Krispies as filler to get up to $25, but shockingly this store had the free-after-ECB headphones in stock! I think it had something to do with the fact that the headphones were locked up so people had to ask for them.

1 L'Oreal Skingenesis towelettes - $5.99
1 L'Oreal Revatalift Deep-Set Wrinkle Repair 24 Hr Eye Repair Duo - $14.99
1 Phillips headphones - $6.99

Used $5/$25, $5/L'Oreal Revitalift printable, $1/L'Oreal cleanser. The cashier said my total was $18-something. I had my husband and child with me, and there was a line behind me with only one cashier working, so I got flustered and forgot to ask what the pre-tax total was. This apparently worked to my advantage, OOP-wise, though! I handed over $17.98 in ECBs - all the $4 ECBs I'd gotten from the Softsoap that were expiring soon, plus a $1.98. I paid 60 cents OOP and was surprised - I thought it would be much higher. Well...my pre-tax total was NEGATIVE $1.01. This is the second time at that store that I've managed to get a negative total - I have NO idea why. (All my ECBs rang up as MFR COUPON on the receipt.) So my tax was $1.61 but I only paid 60 cents. I got back $16.99 in ECBs - I "lost" an ECB but I don't mind since I spent it on sales tax and paid so much less OOP! (My goal is low OOP and the number of ECBs I currently have is beginning to get unwieldy anyway.) I sort of wished I'd had another Ready Fill booklet, but this still was a great deal as far as I'm concerned!

Next week there are two good moneymakers with printable coupons (Poise and Carefree). Unfortunately when I was printing one of the coupons, I messed up my printer, so I'm one shy of what I want to have (4 Carefree, 4 Poise). Then again, I don't know if I *NEED* so many moneymakers next week! Anyway, I'm on a quest for one more printable Carefree coupon by next Sunday...

Total OOP: $31.95 ($16.72 tax)
Total merchandise: 18 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 2 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 2 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift Eye Duo, 6 Red Cross first aid kits, 1 pair Phillips headphones.

Current ECB status: $47.95

CVS - Free school supplies, free L'Oreal products, moneymakers!

2009-08-16T10:36:00.007-04:00

Before you go any further, you may be interested in reading an article I wrote for Examiner.com about how you can save money on fresh produce using Target store coupons!

CVS was SO much fun today! I was planning on using my $5/$25 printed coupon and then the scanner gave me a $6/$36 - I'll take that extra dollar! And I was pretty sure I'd hit $36 before tax - turns out I hit $37-ish. Nice!

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
2 10-packs of pens - $1.98
2 packs filler paper - $1.98
1 L'Oreal facial wipes - $5.99
1 L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair - $14.99
2 mini composition notebooks - $3.98
6 Red Cross first aid kits - $5.94

Total before tax: $37.45

Used $6/$36, $4/$20 facial care (from ReadyFill booklet - didn't beep!), 5x$1/Red Cross product (since I had one coupon fewer than items I bought, none of these beeped either), $5/L'Oreal printable, $1/L'Oreal from newspaper. Used $15.95 in ECBs (including a bunch that were going to expire soon). Paid $2.24 ($1.74 in tax - this time ALL my ECBs rang up as manufacturer coupons). Got back $23.94 in ECBs! Huge profit!

AND my receipt says the L'Oreal deal isn't complete (I thought it was limit one - apparently it's limit two and I didn't pay attention, oops) AND that it's simply buy $20, get $10 back (vs. the indication that you HAVE to buy specific products in the ad). I think I am going to go back and get more of this stuff, throw in the free Rice Krispies, and use my $5/$25 before it expires!

(Looks like I didn't even get the Revitalift product the promotion requires - the coupon worked on it too...but now I really want the duo thing, so I WILL go back to max out the deal. Won't be able to get the free cosmetic bag though, oh well.)

Total OOP: $31.35 ($16.12 tax)
Total merchandise: 18 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 8 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 4 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 2 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 2 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel, 2 mini composition books, 1 L'Oreal Revitalift deep set wrinkle repair, 6 Red Cross first aid kits.

Current ECB status: $48.94

CVS - Scenario/plans for August 16

2009-08-15T19:53:00.004-04:00

OK here's what I think I'm going to do.

Option 1:

1 L'Oreal wrinkle cream $14.99
1 L'Oreal cleansing wipes - $5.99

Then some or all of the following:

6 Red Cross travel kits - $5.94
1 Phillips headphones - $6.99 (and you KNOW they'll be out of these, right? but I can try!)
2 school boxes - $3.98
2 filler paper - $1.98
2 mini composition books - $3.98
2 packs of pens - $1.98
2 packs of glue sticks [with rain check] - $1.98 [I think?]

I'll use $5/L'Oreal printable, $1/L'Oreal from 8/2/09 RedPlum, $5/$25 printable, 5x$1/Red Cross. The L'Oreal will be free after ECBs and I should make a profit on the Red Cross travel kits.

Then I'll save the free Rice Krispies and the photo book rain check for the following week, when I'll use my last $4/$20 (ReadyFill coupon) (I'm hoping I can combine the rain check $7.99/$7.99 Photobook with the BOGO sale - my favorite cashier wasn't sure but I'll ask again tomorrow.)

OR! Option 2:

If my store has every single freebie, including the free headphones, I may skip the L'Oreal (I don't need it but I do like the towelettes so...), get the free Rice Krispies and some of the other stuff listed above, and still use the $5/$25 for a bigger profit.

The way I see it, I have LOTS of ways to get to $25, and I can still hold on to my photo book rain check!

CVS - Moneymaking Revlon makeup, free candy, stuff I needed!

2009-08-09T10:09:00.007-04:00

Hey, before you read the post, you may want to check out an article I wrote for Examiner about how to save money on produce by using coupons!

So as I mentioned in my scenario post for this week, I saw several posts around the Internet saying that the $5/$25 from the survey on CVS.com was beeping and saying it wasn't valid until August 10. I decided that rather than deal with that, I'd save the coupon for next week (it expires 8/22) and use one of my 4/20 coupons from the ReadyFill booklet instead.

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
4 Twix bars - $2
1 Axe shampoo with bonus hair gel stuff - $4.99 (on sale this week, which worked to my disadvantage in a way, funnily enough)
1 Revlon mineral mousse makeup - $9.99
1 travel pack of baby wipes (that we needed) - 99 cents
1 Milky Way Dark coupon (thrown in at the last minute as filler, wouldn't have worked with the coupons) - 50 cents

Used 4/20, $2/Revlon from August Glamour magazine, 2x$1/2 candy bar coupons, free Axe coupon from Maxim magazine (I do not like this magazine but Blender went under and I had a free subscription to that and I got Maxim as a replacement - yay for the coupon, at least!). I used a $7.99 ECB that rang up as a "CVS MFR COUPON" (if you're looking for a pattern - it was from a photobook, I think?) and that was adjusted down to $7.98 (my total was around $7.50 and I couldn't come up with an ECB combination that was closer to that than $7.99 so I threw in the candy bar) (and there goes my theory that if the ECB rings up as a manufacturer coupon, it won't need to be adjusted!). I paid 92 cents (all tax) and got back $9.99 - so $2 profit and the paper, candy bar, and baby wipes were all "free" because they were paid for by the 4/20.

NOTE: My store's employees gave me a heads up that the 6x8 photobooks will be BOGO the week of 8/23. I had been planning on using my raincheck next week to combine with the 5/25, but I may instead save the raincheck for the following week (when the 5/25 will have expired), depending on what kinds of scenarios I can cook up. I still have the free Rice Krispies coupon ($4.49), a raincheck for 2 packs of glue sticks ($1.98), and a coupon for 5 free prints ($1.49), and I know there are more free school supplies next week, though my store is often out of them. I also could splurge (haha) and use the 5/25 next week to get things we need like toilet paper and paper towels (I probably will since I have so many ECBs right now).

[Just for me: all the free stuff = $18.91. If I get it all plus the paper, Rice Krispies, and glue sticks, I'll pass $25 with ease - $27.88 - and can use the photobook raincheck the following week. If the store is out of something, I can use the free photos as filler plus TP and paper towels.]

Update: A friend gave me another $1/2 candy coupon, so I went back and got two more candy bars. All info below is updated to reflect that, but since I spent 2 cents and didn't involve any ECBs, it wasn't worth making a new post...

Total OOP: $29.20 ($14.38 tax)
Total merchandise: 17 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 6 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 2 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 2 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 2 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum, 1 Revlon mineral mousse, 1 travel pack CVS baby wipes, 6 Twix bars, 1 Milky Way dark bar, 1 Axe shampoo/bonus hair gel.

Current ECB status: $40.95

CVS - Scenario for 8/9/09

2009-08-08T17:21:00.006-04:00

Here's my plan...

1 Revlon makeup - $9.99
4 candy bars - $2
1 6x8 photobook - $7.99
1 double paper - $2.50
2 glue stick packs - $1.98
Axe shampoo or Rice Krispies

$2/Revlon coupon from Glamour magazine, 2x2/$1 candy coupons, free Axe coupon from Maxim magazine [assuming CVS carries this line] or free Rice Krispies coupon sent to me from Vocalpoint, $5/$25 from cvs.com, rainchecks for photobook and glue sticks. I'll get back $9.99, $7.99 and $1.98. This all hinges on my store having photobooks and glue sticks in stock, of course. I also have a $4/$20 from the ReadyFill booklet if I can only reach $20.

Oh and couponmom.com says that in the 8/9 Sunday paper's Smartsource there will be a coupon for $6 off an Air Wick product that will be on sale for $5.99. I don't need nor really want this thing (I prefer tarts/candles to any air freshening spray...) but if I need to get it for filler, I'll buy the paper first with ECBs and then get the coupon...

ETA: I was told that the 5/25 beeps and says it's invalid until the 10th, so I'll just use a 4/20 and save the photobook for next week, I think.

Publix Week at Examiner - Articles about Publix all week!

2009-08-03T11:42:00.012-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner at Examiner.com. I cover both local and national deals and offer tips and tricks for using coupons. I wanted to let you know that this week I'm going to be covering a bunch of deals at Publix!

Check out what this week's Publix penny item is (good on August 3, 2009)
Learn about a new coupon booklet available at Publix (full of manufacturer coupons that you can use at stores like Kroger and CVS!)

Later this week I'll be covering a new contest that Publix is featuring.

In addition, I'm working on a series called "Coupons 101" that features basic information that can help you use coupons all across the country. Here are some of the articles in the series:

How to read coupon lingo
How to use coupons to save money on produce - fresh, frozen, and canned
How to use printable Internet coupons to save money

Writing for Examiner.com is a lot of fun, and I've made some money writing my articles too. If you're interested in learning more about becoming an Examiner in your area of expertise and getting paid to write about what you love, please let me know.

And if you sign up at Examiner.com, please use me (Marla Blair, the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner) as your referrer. I'd greatly appreciate it! Click here to view a video that shows you how.

I've joined Paperback Swap

2009-08-02T14:45:00.002-04:00

I have far too many books, as you can see on my other blog, but I finally started adding books to my PB Swap bookshelf (I joined in 2005, actually, but then put off listing anything...). Please join, add me as a buddy, request my books, and so on! It's a great, thrifty way to get the books you really want to read and to clear out your house of the ones you don't!

CVS - Moneymaking Softsoap Bodywash, Free Blink Tears, Free School Supplies

2009-08-02T10:28:00.007-04:00

Once again, I invite you to check out an Examiner article I wrote - it is a discussion of how to use printable coupons to save money.

Well, my store was out of a lot of the school supplies, but on the bright side, the limit on the Softsoap is at least three so I was able to get two!

Transaction one:

2 Stayfree pads - $10
1 bottle Softsoap Serum - $4.99
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 caramel - 33 cents

Used $2/Softsoap, BOGO Stayfree, $10.87 ECBs. Paid 59 cents OOP (all tax, and somehow my pre-tax total was negative 5 cents even though I handed everything over in my usual order). Got back $9 and a coupon for a free small mouthwash.

Transaction two:

1 pack of pens - 99 cents
2 one-subject notebooks - $1.98
1 scissors - $2.99
1 Softsoap Serum - $4.99
1 mouthwash - $2.59

Used free mouthwash ($2.59), $2/Softsoap, $8.91 ECBs. Got back $9.96.

Transaction three:

1 Blink tears - $7.99.
Used $3/Blink tears (pulled out of paper after I bought it), $5 ECBs (adjusted down to $4.99). Paid 56 cents tax, got back $7.99.

Then I went to the pharmacy and talked to the really nice pharmacist and scored the new coupon booklet that includes TWO $4/$20s good all month! (Plus a bunch of specific coupons.) And I got a raincheck for the glue sticks that are free after ECBs but decided I have enough of everything else to need other rainchecks. (I have a raincheck for the photo book too, and that may come in handy with this 4/20!)

So it was a nice moneymaking day, and I am considering going to another store to max out the Softsoap (my store had TONS).

UPDATE: I went to another CVS and got another Softsoap. I used $2.97 in ECBs and a $2 coupon, paid 30 cents OOP, got back $4 AND my receipt still doesn't say offer limit reached, which leads me to believe the limit is 5. I am going to print out one more coupon (and possibly use a different computer to get another as well) and go back tomorrow, I think. The list below is updated with the new amounts. :)

SECOND UPDATE: I went back to the CVS I went to in the morning, bought two more bottles, one at a time. Although both CVS stores are in the same county and the sales tax is the same percentage, I paid a few cents more in tax at this store and I have NO idea why. I was caught a penny short, but my awesome cashier spotted me and I ran to the car and gave it to him. So I maxed out this great deal - hooray!

Total OOP: $28.26 ($13.44 tax)
Total merchandise: 16 double Sunday papers, 3 single Sunday papers, 4 boxes Throat Coolers, 1 Garnier 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, 8 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, 1 box of sheer Band Aids, 4 boxes of Soy Joy bars, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 2 small CVS mouthwashes, 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 6 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 3 scissors, 4 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 2 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 2 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 2 caramels, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal, 1 Blink Tears, 5 bottles Softsoap Serum.

Current ECB status: $38.95

CVS - Scenario for August 2, 2009

2009-08-01T15:43:00.004-04:00

I think either this week or next is the last of the fun freebie weeks. So far my favorite store has been good about having about 80-90% of the freebies in stock. It's tax-free weekend here in Georgia and all the school supplies I buy should be tax free (which won't matter MUCH but should keep my final total low). So here's what I plan on doing:

Transaction one (because I need a coupon from the paper for a later transaction):
2 packs of Stayfree - $10
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 SoftSoap - $4.99

Use BOGO Stayfree coupon and $2 Softsoap coupon. Pay $11.49 plus tax, get back $9.

[I just did the math and I can get to $11.87 with ECBs, so I'll have to find a 30-ish cent filler. A caramel, probably...]

Transaction two (only the tax-free stuff):
2 folders - 98 cents
2 notebooks - $1.98
2 packs of glue sticks - $1.98
2 pairs of scissors - $5.98
2 packs of pens or pencils - $1.98
MAYBE 2 rulers - $1.98 (I don't need these at all, but I could donate them I'm sure)
MAYBE one of each of the protractor/compass - $3
MAYBE 2 book covers - $1.98

All free and no tax, so pay with ECBs and should have no OOP.

Final transaction:
Blink Tears - $7.99
Use $3 coupon from Sunday paper, pay $4.99 get back $7.99.

I should wind up with 50 cents more than I started with. :)

CVS - Still more free school supplies, almost free cereal, moneymaking toothpaste

2009-07-26T09:52:00.006-04:00

Before you go any further, I'd like to invite you to read my latest article for Examiner - it's a discussion of helpful websites for new and seasoned coupon users. I'd love your input in the comments on the article as to any I've forgotten! Thanks!

Another pretty good week at CVS!

1 double paper - $2.50
1 filler caramel - 33 cents (thrown in at the last minute)
2 packs of Pilot pens - $1.98
2 packs of sticky notes - $1.98
2 composition books - $1.98
1 tube of Colgate toothpaste - $2.88
3 boxes of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal - $10

Used 3x$1.50/Kashi coupons (printables), $1/Colgate, $15.98 in ECBs. [My total was under $6 at the end and I had a $6 ECB so I threw in the caramel so my OOP would be lower.] Paid 99 cents - 83 cents tax (bah!). Got back $12.94 in ECBs ("spent" around $3 on the paper and the cereal - the few cents overage on the Colgate pretty much balanced out the caramel). I may go to another CVS for the index card/pencil case (I wanted that!) and the binder clips (they only had the erasers - and I don't use pencils very often so I don't need erasers).

Oh and I originally had the tampons in my basket. When I was done checking out, I checked my receipt because I've had issues in the past (not with the staff, with the computer) and I didn't get the ECBs for the tampons, so I went back. And we looked at my receipt and it turned out my cashier hadn't even scanned them! I just gave them back - if I'm going to play the CVS game, I have to be honest! And I don't have a good ECB to use for them anyway, so it's fine.

ETA: I walked to the other CVS in town and they didn't have the push pins or binder clips or pencil cases or card cases either. They did have the erasers...but I just left without getting anything.

Total OOP: $25.81 ($11.07 tax)
Total merchandise: 15 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 5 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 2 scissors, 2 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 2 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers, 2 composition books, 2 packs of Pilot pens, 1 caramel, 2 packs of sticky notes, 3 boxes Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal.

Current ECB status: $33.71

CVS - PIcture of the free binder!

2009-07-20T09:31:00.001-04:00

I noticed a bunch of people in the blogosphere having a hard time finding the free-after-ECBs binder at CVS this week. Here's a picture - hopefully that will make things easier!

CVS - Free school supplies, moneymaking deodorant and coupons!

2009-07-19T10:06:00.004-04:00

Before you go any further, I'd like to invite you to check out my latest article at Examiner - it's about how to read coupon lingo! And I'd greatly appreciate any feedback over there as well - including other terms that you either don't understand or think a newbie would need to know!

So. Another really fun CVS trip!

My store was out of the pencils, but I still didn't need any filler (beyond what I was already getting) to hit $30 in order to use my $5/$30 that I got last week. Also NOTE that despite what some sites are saying, the limit on the photo DVD - at least FOR NOW - is just one. My receipt says offer limit reached. But the signage in the store says limit 5 so we'll see how the week goes. (I don't plan on getting more though.)

Transaction 1:
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
2 filler paper packs - $4
1 panty liner pack - 89 cents
1 movie DVD - $9.99
2 10-packs of pens - $1.98 (these were in the front of the store in a special display, not in the office section)
1 Speed Stick Pro deodorant - $2.99
2 vinyl binders (these were also in the front of the store in a special display, not in the office section) - $6
2 small memo pads - $1.98
2 small packs of almonds - $1.98
2 bubble mailers (that I need to mail the free photo books to family members!) - $4.38

Used $5/$30, $1.50/Speed Stick, $2/Gold Emblem Nuts, $27.97 in ECBs. Paid 32 cents OOP (10 cents tax). Got back $26.84.

Then I remembered I needed a third bubble mailer, so...

Transaction 2:

1 bubble mailer - $2.19

Used $2 ECB. Paid 34 cents OOP (15 cents tax) (notice that I paid more OOP for one bubble mailer than for alllllll the other stuff above, funny huh?).

Total OOP: $25.65 ($10.24 tax)
Total merchandise: 14 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 3 Speed Stick pro deodorants, 1 diet Dr. Pepper, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 2 packs CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 5 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 2 scissors, 2 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks, 1 photo DVD, 2 small packs of almonds, 2 packs of filler paper, 2 vinyl binders, 2 small memo pads, 3 bubble mailers.

Current ECB status: $36.76

CVS - More free photo books!

2009-07-15T13:52:00.003-04:00

So on Sunday my regular CVS only had enough materials to make one photo book. I made one, then I confirmed that my receipt didn't say offer limit reached. My favorite cashier gave me a rain check for just one more (since at that time the store signage that says "5" wasn't out).

Today I went back and different people were working, making it a totally different store. They were still out of the photo books and "we called around, nobody has them." Fine. I asked for a rain check and the woman wrote one. I pointed to the sign, now prominently displayed, that said 5. She argued with me that the flyer said one, and I said "But look, right here, it says 5. It's 5." So she wrote 5 reluctantly in a circle and I went on my way.

Then we went to a slightly out of the way CVS - seriously, there are like 50 stores in a 5 mile radius. They had the books in, yay! I made five books. Then the girl putting my books together stapled one on the wrong side...so I went back to make another, and then I crashed the computer. So as I was there with my husband and kid and both of them were getting squirmy by then, I said "Fine, I'll just buy the four I made and come back for the fifth." Then I bought them one by one - and at the last one, the cashier wasn't paying attention and nearly charged me for that one twice and I had to point out to her that I had four receipts already. Finally it clicked and I was done.

Let it be known for anyone wondering - the limit IS FIVE on the photo books. Absolutely 100%. I plan on getting a sixth and "spending" the bucks on that so that one more family member can have a book. HOWEVER, I still have two rain checks. I may just use one of them next week (or whenever) to make a last book. I don't know if I'll still get the bucks for that, but we'll see! Or I may go back tomorrow and just make that last book...

Anyway, hooray for an awesome CVS week. Also the scanner gave me a 5/30 AND a $2/2 nuts coupon (that I'll use on Sunday). I wish I hadn't already done the monitor deal (I'm out of coupons, I think) or used my chocolate coupons already, but I *think* I can still hit $30 in freebies. We'll see!

[no picture, they're just photo books!]

Total OOP: $24.99 ($9.99 tax)
Total merchandise: 13 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 1 pack CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 3 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 2 scissors, 2 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 5 photobooks.

Current ECB status: $39.89

Kroger - Free cat treats

2009-07-12T15:55:00.003-04:00

Well, sort of.

[NOTE THAT THIS IS FOR THE ATLANTA REGION. I know there are different regions for Kroger with different sales so if you're swooping in from elsewhere, check with your store...]

I didn't see this deal in the flyer/online, but Whiskas Temptations cat treats are part of the buy-10-get-$5-off deal at Kroger. They are $1.49 before the sale. Buy 10 (or mix them into a deal of 10 whatever) and they'll be 99 cents each. There are 50 cent coupons out there (and some for $1 off the Tuna flavor - I'll get to that in a second). That makes them free!

Yeah, unless you go to *my* Kroger. They didn't have the tuna flavor (the one I can walk to is a small store with limited selection), and they didn't have the Naturals (so I don't know if they are included in the sale - but there are lots of coupons out there for those as well).

I had two 50 cent coupons for the cat treats, plus a Catalina coupon for 75 cents that was expiring today. So instead of waiting until later and driving to a better/larger store (still mad at myself!), I walked to the little one. Only one of my coupons scanned - I also had a fourth coupon for Daisy sour cream ($1.99, then you get 50 cents off if you do the 10-deal, then a 50 cent coupon so just 50 cents for sour cream). I noticed this, of course, after the transaction was complete, so I had to wait for the customer service person.

...who of course told me something like "oh you bought too many of one thing, and you can't use more than one coupon in a transaction" but she said she'd do this for me anyway, so I just stood and smiled and nodded, because arguing probably would have made things worse. So I wound up getting $2.84 back in change, which is fine, but...I wish it had all just gone through at first. And moreso, I wish I'd gone to a different store, found the tuna flavor, and gotten even MORE of these for free.

Did I mention that my cats loooooooove treats? Heh. I feed them very high quality cat food, but sometimes they do get what I consider the equivalent of Cheetos and Doritos for a treat.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone.

Don't forget to check out my article about how to get a ton of school supplies at CVS for 99 cents!

CVS - Free school supplies, razors, Tylenol arthritis

2009-07-12T10:01:00.006-04:00

NOTE: I've written an article for Examiner.com that you can use to save a lot of money on school supplies this week, even if you've never shopped at CVS before or have no Extra Bucks to start with! Start with 99 cents and end up with a bagful of supplies! Check it out here!

Today was SO MUCH FUN.

The store had only one set of materials to make one photo book - so I made that one and shopped while it was printing. When I got my receipt from that transaction, it said the limit was not reached (the circular says limit one but I'd read in various places that it was probably more than one). So I will be going back to get at least one more book later in the week - ah, and I got a raincheck for one too!

I split up my transactions to minimize my OOP. I think I did the math correctly.

Transaction 1:

1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
3 bars Dove chocolate - $2.67
3 bottles Tylenol Arthritis - $11.97
2 pen packs - $1.98
2 1-subject notebooks - $1.98
2 rulers - $1.98
1 school glue - 99 cents
2 scissors - $5.98
1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor - $19.99

Used 3xfree chocolate from the Mars promotion (I have one more coupon for that on the way, yay!), 3x$2/Tylenol Arthritis, $30/Bayer (adjusted to $19.99), $2.50/$10 pain reliever CRT. Used $18.47 in ECBs. Paid $1.41 OOP ($1 tax). Got back $26.91!

Transaction 2:

1 photobook - $7.99
1 Gillette Fusion razor - $7.99
1 school glue - 99 cents
1 pack of pens - 99 cents
1 folder - 5 cents

Used $4/Gillette coupon, $13.98 ECBs. Paid 31 cents OOP (28 cents tax). Got back $13.97.

Final total - paid $1.72 OOP, made an ECB profit of $8.43!!!!! I probably will "spend" that profit on a final photobook though. (As in, I'll max out the ones that give me back ECBs and then buy a final one without getting ECBs back.)

A tip for CVS newbies - this is a great week to start! You could hand over 99 cents plus tax and by buying things one at a time and rolling the ECBs, you could get 2 bottles of glue, 2 rulers, 2 notebooks, and 3 packs of pens - all for 99 cents!

Total OOP: $24.99 ($9.99 tax)
Total merchandise: 13 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 2 Gillette Fusion razors, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 1 pack CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape, 2 bottles school glue, 3 10-packs of pens, 2 rulers, 2 scissors, 2 1-subject notebooks, 3 Dove chocolate bars, 1 Bayer Breeze2 monitor, 1 photobook.

Current ECB status: $39.89

Great giveaway!

2009-07-10T18:35:00.002-04:00

My friend Jen over at Saving Cents in the City is giving away a $10 gift certificate to Amazon for her blog-a-versary!

Check her out, and tell her Marla at Tiara Saves sent you!

CVS Scenarios - July 12, 2009

2009-07-09T16:37:00.004-04:00

So I really hope my CVS has everything in stock. Here's what I think I'm going to do:

1 CVS Photobook - $7.99 [I hope my area has a higher limit because these make great gifts, but I'll at least make one!]
3 Tylenol Arthritis - $11.98. Use $2.50/$10 pain reliever CRT that I got last week plus three $2/Tylenol Arthritis coupons [hooray, just checked and I had two from the papers I bought PLUS my mother happened to send me that week's coupons!]. So pay $3.48, get back $9.

Then the freebies in order of what I really want (odds are so good my store will be sold out of everything...)

Two of the big notebooks - $7.98
Two of the small notebooks - $1.98
Two of the school glue - $1.98
Two of the scissors - $5.98
Three of the pens - $2.98
Two rulers - $1.98

If the store had every single thing in stock, I'd pay $34.35 - I have $31.46 in ECBs though, so I'd have to split up the transactions. (I'd probably do the photo book separately.) I also have at least one more diabetes monitor coupon for another $5.

Should be a great week!

How to Go to the Mall, Spend Nothing, and Have Fun!

2009-07-08T21:49:00.003-04:00

On occasion I take my daughter (who is two) to the mall so we can walk around in the air conditioning. It's, you know, something to do. (She is usually in my Ergo baby carrier.) But I don't really want to spend money at the mall - I much prefer thrift stores or discount stores, with the occasional treat.

But hey, this is how to have fun at the mall without spending a dime!

- Sign up for the Godiva Rewards club at one of the Godiva stores and get a free chocolate truffle (you can get one free chocolate a month - and you'll get one immediately when you sign up).
- Swing by Teavana and sip on their tea samples. Yummy!
- Check out the food court for free snacks. I'm a vegetarian, so I pass by the free chicken samples, but they are ALWAYS being handed out. Pretzel stands often have free pretzels, cookie stands sometimes have free cookies.
- Go into Lush or the Body Shop and try out the lotions. Sometimes stores like those will be giving out free hand massages too. And SOMETIMES there are free samples to take home and try, though not always.
- Stroll through Yankee Candle and smell all the candles, one by one.
- Stop in at Coach and pick up your free Coach Poppy pencil pack! (You have to sign up and print out the form first.)

OK so this is all rather silly, but it can make for a fun excursion for you (and your kid) and leave you feeling satisfied (vs. feeling satisfied by buying a special treat or a new pair of shoes or something you don't really need).

CVS - Free cereal, panty liners, and tape!

2009-07-05T12:04:00.003-04:00

Well, I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got the most important parts of my scenario.

First store:

I scanned my card and got the $1 ECB from the Powerade deal plus $1.50 in quarterly ECBs. I have no idea why it was that high (I thought I'd get 50 cents because sometimes my husband uses this card to buy things) but I gladly took it.

2 boxes Trail Mix Crunch cereal (all they had) - $6.67
1 CVS panty liners - 89 cents
2 CVS tape (again, all they had) - $2.98

There were spots for the tape all over the display, and ALL were empty except the very highest spot (hard to reach) where the two I bought were hanging. The pencil spots were all also empty and I didn't even see spots for the sharpeners.

Used 2x$2/cereal coupons, $6.50 in ECBs (a $5 that was about to expire and the new $1.50). Paid 45 cents, got back $2.98 for the tape and 99 cents for the panty liners, yay surprise profit.

But when I got to the car and checked my receipt, it said my total OOP should've been 20 cents. I know the computer showed 45 cents when I paid, and I trust my cashier at my favorite store, so I'm chalking this up to cosmic payment for all the stuff I get for free. It's funny how when you get really into the CVS deals, a quarter seems like SO MUCH MONEY, you know?

Anyway, I wanted to finish up the cereal deal, so I went to store #2 and got:

1 box Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal - $3.34 (ah, you'll laugh at me, but I just realized that if I'd bought all three at once I'd have paid $10, but since I bought them separately I paid $10.01!)

Used the last $2 coupon, which the cashier took about an hour to read read read read read, turn over, turn back, look for a manager with his eyes, and finally scan. I stood there and stared back and said nothing. Used the $1 ECB I'd gotten for the Powerade. Paid 39 cents OOP (5 cents tax). Got back $5.

So after all was said and done, I made about a $3 profit (including the quarterly bucks). I don't actually need the pencils or more tape, and with the ECB amounts I have I don't think I could get any of that for totally free, but I *may* walk to the CVS that's closest tomorrow to see what I can do. Maybe.

I had really wanted to break up at least one of my two $8 ECBs, but I will just have to use them for the free photo books next week instead!

Total OOP: $23.27 ($8.71 tax)
Total merchandise: 13 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 1 Gillette Fusion razor, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps, 1 pack CVS panty liners, 3 boxes Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal, 2 rolls CVS tape.

Current ECB status: $31.46

CVS - Soy Joy Soy Joy SOY JOY (and Thermacare)

2009-06-21T10:53:00.005-04:00

So I had a plan if I got a $5/$30 from the scanner, as I'd heard people were getting them. And then I got one - and the store was out of the diabetes monitors I needed to make it work. (I also could've done everything you see below as one big transaction, but I didn't want a $20 SoyJoy ECB so I didn't do it.)

Transaction 1:
10 Soy Joys - $10
1 double paper - $2.50
1 Thermacare wrap - $2.49

Used $2/$10 SoyJoy, $1/Thermacare, $10.98 in ECBs. Paid $1.09 (8 cents tax). Got back $10.49 in ECBs.

Transaction 2:
5 Soy Joys - $5
1 Thermacare wrap - $2.49

Used $1/$5 SoyJoy, $6.49 in ECBs. Paid 2 cents (tax) Got back $6.49 ECBs.

Transaction 3:
5 Soy Joys - $5
3 Powerades - $3.75

Used $1/$5 SoyJoy, 3 free Powerade coupons from My Coke Rewards. Paid 10 cents tax, got back $8 ECBs for the SoyJoys but not the $1 for the Powerades. (I was talking to a fellow CVS shopper and got distracted, will call CS on Monday.)

UPDATE: Called CS, my $1 ECB will print in 48 hours, I'm adding it to my running total now.

Then the other CVS shopper said she didn't like SoyJoy bars, so she gave me most of hers. ;)

Next up, grab two pints of free Starbucks ice cream from Publix (on sale for $1.90, $2 coupon in today's paper). Yay!

Total OOP: $22.43 ($8.50 tax)
Total merchandise: 13 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, 20 Soy Joy bars, 1 pack of Nutra Trim gum, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 1 Gillette Fusion razor, 3 Powerades, 2 Thermacare wraps.

Current ECB status: $28.49

CVS - Moneymaking monitor and free razor

2009-06-07T10:18:00.007-04:00

I messed up my math, resulting in a higher OOP than I really would've liked, but on the other hand I made a nice profit today.

First transaction:

1 Contour monitor - $14.99
1 double Sunday paper - $2.50
1 travel pack of tissues - 50 cents

Used $14.99 coupon (it beeped, needed a manager override, that took a bit of extra time since the manager was wandering around), $3 ECBs. Paid zero OOP, got back $5 ECBs. Yay.

Second transaction:

2 bottles of Dawn - $2 (in my head this was $1 total, I wasn't thinking about the fact that I'd get the other $1 *back* in ECBs later and this actually goes against my whole thing about low OOP - sure I got the $1 OOP back in Extrabucks, but I had to spend money to make money, which I hate, and I actually had ECBs in an amount that would've made my OOP far lower)
1 Gillette Fusion razor - $7.99

Used 25 cent Dawn coupon from today's paper, 50 cent Dawn coupon from some P&G thing I got in the mail, $4 Gillette coupon from today's paper, $3.99 ECBs. Paid $1.67 OOP (42 cents tax) - that extra dollar there that I didn't count on, sigh. Got back $5 ECBs.

Total OOP: $21.22 ($8.30 tax)
Total merchandise: 12 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, 6 bottles Dawn, 4 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, 3 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, 1 Gillette Fusion razor.

Current ECB status: $23.98

Publix - Big savings, but it took a while...

2009-06-05T13:33:00.004-04:00

Lately at Publix I've had several cashiers scrutinize each and every coupon I hand over. Like, read the fine print, look at the back, really really study each one. And I often hand over several coupons...maybe 15 or more...so this really adds time AND it makes me blush. Yes indeed, I turn red because I feel like I'm being accused of something. Oh and I hand over my coupons *first* and I try to put the freebies on top so that the cashier can write down the amounts easily. But today I accidentally put two freebie coupons (free Johnsons Buddies and BOGO Goldfish, both from the Baby Club) in the middle of the pile and the cashier looked SO put out when she had to find the prices (which are pretty easy to look up). She also pulled out one of my coupons and said "I think you only bought one of these" and I had to say "Um, no, I bought two" and even recited the flavors. The bag guy was on my side too.

ANYWAY it was worth it because I spent $92.62 OOP and saved $42.78. Highlights included the BOGO Goldfish (I was torn - wait for a sale and hold onto the coupon or just use it today? But we were there...so....), the 70 cent Whole Fruit sorbet, the 75 cent Bertolli sauce, the 99 cent Newman's Own sauce, the deal where I paid $1.75 and got a box of Ritz crackers and a box of whole grain Wheat Thins, the $1 Fresh Express salad...

Still, after today I'm pretty convinced that I'm better off shopping at Your Dekalb Farmer's Market, Trader Joe's, and Aldi for most of my stuff and only hitting Publix when I need specifics. I save more at the other stores, I think. I need to keep better track.

If you've read this far, would you do me a favor and click over on the right on the Atlanta Budget Grocery Examiner link? It would mean a lot and I think you'll learn a bit from my articles. :)

(If you're wondering, I skipped CVS this week and bought the double paper at Kroger. Next week I plan on getting the money making diabetes monitor and not much else, but there are some great deals coming up at the end of June that I'm looking forward to.)

CVS - Tons of freebies, tons of profit!

2009-05-24T11:36:00.004-04:00

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!

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

CVS - Scenario for 5/24

2009-05-21T18:06:00.005-04:00

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.

CVS - Moneymaker on deodorant, cheap Suave bodywash

2009-05-17T10:00:00.005-04:00

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.

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

CVS - Free aspirin and moneymaking monitors!

2009-05-10T16:18:00.003-04:00

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.

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