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

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!

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