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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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.