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

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

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...

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!

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

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

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!

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