s h o p g i r l s t a r

Tax Time!

2011-03-02T11:27:00.004-05:00

We filed our taxes mid-January. Since we itemize, the actual paperwork wasn't submitted until February 14th. After waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally received our federal tax return. Thanks to having a child in 2010, it was the biggest return we've ever received. But we're not getting to enjoy any of it. Our state refund won't be in for several more weeks (our state is a mess), but that's already spent paying off the remainder of the childrens hospital bills.

Once again Kaiser screwed us over with the hospital visit my son had for his GI tract/scan. They paid less than 10% of the bill, so we're stuck with the balance. I thought it was just one bill, then more kept coming and coming. There are separate bills for radiology, diagnostics, lab work, etc. I think we have six separate bills. And it's taking a nice chunk of our return. I was also able to pay off two credit cards. The rest of the return is being used to replenish our savings account that took a severe hit when our son was born. Damn you crappy insurance companies!!!

I'm happy to report that we're with a new insurance company this year. Although it hasn't been any less painful than Kaiser, considering the rates have skyrocketed. Our copays have more than doubled, ER visits tripled, my ob/gyn is considered a "specialist" (wtf) and I'm only allowed to get my prescriptions via the mail, not a local pharmacy - again, wtf? Sucks, but whatever. Oh and the actual premiums suck. My husbands paychecks are taking a HUGE hit now. A gigantic, painful, stressful chunk of money is taken away every month. This has thrown our budget completely off and I need to figure out how to rework it.

But, other than that, things are good. We've spoken with a lawyer regarding our housing situation (unsafe area, owe 3 times it's worth, can't even rent to cover mortgage payment) and received surprising advice. Now we just need to sit down, talk it over and make a decision. The problem is we rarely have time to sit down and talk these days! Baby keeps us busy.

I'm hoping 2011 brings about some positive changes. It would be nice for things to go smoothly for once! In the meantime I'm going to change this place up, because I can't think of another domain name that hasn't been taken, ugh. Finance + recaps perhaps. :)

Tis The Season!

2010-12-02T11:19:00.005-05:00

In my previous post I blogged about Shutterfly personalized Christmas cards. Well I received my special code for the free 50 cards for blogging about them and wanted to post my review! We also went and had pictures of my son done at JCPenney Portrait Studio and I'll post a review on that experience as well.

I'll start with JCPenney, because we ended up using the pictures from that session on our Christmas cards. I went in on Sunday the 21st to schedule an appointment and ask about the portrait packages they offered. EXPENSIVE!! Then the lady informed me that they had $3.99 sheets as well: for wallets, 8x10, 5x7 and 4x6 images. Perfect. Our appointment was scheduled for Wednesday the 24th at 6:30pm.

With a four month old, timing is everything. I cannot stress this enough. I had to schedule it an hour after his feeding, so he had time to digest and was in his "happy hour" as we like to call it. 6:30pm was that perfect timing.

Before we left the house I printed a coupon directly off their website for 50% off my entire portrait purchase, plus free sitting fee and free 8x10! The expiration date wasn't until November 30th. We arrived early at 6:20pm, because I planned to change him right before the appointment, to avoid any last minute drool/spit up drama. Got him changed and began the wait at 6:30pm. 15 Minutes passed. 30 Minutes passed. Still waiting. Baby is getting antsy at this point. 45 Minutes passed, still waiting. Finally, at 7:28pm they took us back.

I was a bit shocked at how gross the white floor drop was. It was badly stained and I couldn't believe they were using it for portraits. The photographer was fantastic. He got the absolute best smiles out of my son and the entire photographing experience went very well. I also didn't feel too rushed with it, which was nice.

After that we went back into the waiting area to meet with the lady and choose our pictures. This was the same lady that told me about the $3.99 sheets when I made the appointment three days before. As we went through and selected the images I asked "how much is that?" and every single answer was "$3.99 a sheet". She did not know we had a coupon at that point, nor did she said the $3.99 a sheet was a special.

We select our images: 10 sheets of wallets/5x7s, 1 8x10 and 1 20x24. I calculated this to be approximately $19.95 for all the sheets and $55.00 for the 20x24. For a grand total of $74.95 before tax. When the lady took my coupon, the code wouldn't work. It came up expired. Which was weird, since I had printed it right before the appointment, directly from their website and it said "Expires 11/30/10". But she said she had another code to use and put that in instead.

My son was getting very fussy at this point. It was nearing his feeding and we didn't have a bottle on us. So while I was trying to calm the fussy kid, my husband went up and paid. On the way out I read the receipt. $112. WHAT?!?! That just did not add up at all. Of course they don't provide an itemized receipt either.

My husband went back to get an itemized receipt. All of the sheets rang up $9.99 and with my 50% off coupon were $4.99 each. So where on earth did the $3.99 come from?! Needless to say I was very unhappy about this and felt completely misled. We pick up our pictures December 3rd and I will bring it up again. I would like my $37.00 back.

The very next day our photos were available on their website. I was able to save them and go ahead and create our Shutterfly Christmas cards! The process was simple, but you had to be careful to only get the exact ones they specified with the free code. But there was still a great variety.

I was worried about envelopes. I couldn't find anywhere that said whether or not they came with envelopes. I ended up with 50 5x7 flat cards in 5 different designs. Then I went to check out. Shipping was $9.95!! That was a bit of a shock. I was disappointed in that, since the blog-for-this-and-get-them-FREE insinuated shipping was covered as well. I found a code for discounted shipping, but was not allowed to combine it with the free 50 cards code. Oh well. I bought them anyway.

They arrived via UPS Ground within 3 days and they are amazing! Great quality cardstock. And they came with 50 envelopes! Overall I'm happy with the free cards. Shipping was quite high in my opinion, but in the end, was well worth it. I'll post scans of the cards in a few weeks. Don't want to ruin it for friends and family yet!

Here are a few of our JCPenney portraits though! And surprisingly, the grossly stained white backdrop looks great in the pictures. I guess lighting IS everything!

The photographer had my husband partially dress up at Santa to hold our son for a few shots. As you can see, this did not go over so well! However, he did fantastic when he went to visit the real Santa!!

Free Custom Holiday Cards!

2010-11-10T23:07:00.007-05:00

We've never been big on sending out Christmas cards. I try, but usually never get around to it. I hate buying a stack of typical holiday cards and signing our names. It seems too impersonal. Our friends with families always had the cute greeting cards with their pictures on it. I didn't care to be on a card, nor did my husband...buuuttt....

This year is different. We have a little one! Of course we want to get Santa pictures and send out cards with his pictures. I've been planning this for a couple of months now. We didn't send out birth announcements, because the costs were too high per card. I was afraid it would be the same problem for Christmas cards. I didn't want to just stuff a picture or two inside a card. I wanted something cute and customized!

Well, there's a fantastic deal at Shutterfly.com! You can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, you can sign up here. I've purchased prints through Shutterfly before and my order was processed and delivered quickly and the quality was fantastic. I'd only looked at their basic 4x6 and 5x7 prints, not the fancy customized products.

I was browsing their Christmas card selection and fell in love with this style. I think that is what we're going to use to show off our son on some Christmas cards!

That's not all I want. A fantastic gift for family members would be a custom wall calendar! I'm considering these for my parents. You can even personalize special dates, such as birthdays, with pictures. CUTE!

And this one I am definitely going to get done sometime in the near future, canvas wall art. My husband and I have been wanting custom artwork for our living room. What better than a giant picture of our new addition! :) Expect new photos of my son soon, he's growing like a weed!!

Our son at 3 1/2 months old!

Just before rolling over!

Dreading Dinner

2010-11-09T21:40:00.005-05:00

Now that we are a family of three and our schedules are crazy, getting home and making dinner hasn't been a priority. We've spent too much time and money eating out since our son was born. WAY TOO MUCH MONEY! I'm ashamed to even put how much we spent eating out in a single week.

I don't get home from work until after 7pm most nights and honestly, I just want my dinner to be done so I can sit down, relax and enjoy the limited time I have with my husband in the evenings. So I spent Sunday night preparing a crockpot menu!! We ran to the store and spent $60.00 on groceries. That $60 would cover one night, maybe two for us to eat out!

Monday: Orange Chicken w/White Rice
Tuesday: Lasagna
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday: Teryaki Chicken
Friday: Baked Ziti

I'm able to prep the meals during the day with I'm home with the baby and they're ready when I get home in the evenings. LOVE IT. Except..well..I'm new to crockpot cooking and the first two meals haven't been great.

The orange chicken was just plain disgusting. So bad in fact, my husband ended up eating a peanut butter sandwich instead. :( It was like orange juice chicken jerky. Blech! Strike 1.

Today was lasagna. I put this one on for three hours less than the recipe called for. Not good enough. The noodles were way too mushy. It tasted okay, but wasn't great. We'll keep this on our list for future meals, but will tweak the recipe and cook it a lot less. Strike 2.

Tomorrow is chicken pot pie and I'm actually excited for this one. Maybe third times a charm!!

More to come on my hospital and insurance drama this week, promise! The three month old (WHAAAA???!!) keeps me busy these days!

Changes!

2010-10-12T02:28:00.002-04:00

Yes, changes! Making some changes to this blog. I'm straying away from coupons and store deals. Instead I want to focus on personal finance and budgets. I want to post more about our current debt struggles and track our progress. We welcomed our first (and only!) child this summer and shortly after it seems like every day there's a new medical bill in the mailbox. And worse, the hospital calling every morning and harassing us for payment in full.

I'll go into the medical bill drama in future entries. Right now I'm still working on getting things organized. Oh and trying to sleep when I can. :) So yes, stay tuned. I may also be relocating this blog to my own domain, but only if I can find affordable hosting. The rates sure have gone up since I last had my domain hosted.

2010-08-23T00:43:00.005-04:00

Hello! Where to begin? Well I'm still out of the deals loop, but hope to change that very soon. I am pleased to announce that my son was born July 26th 2010 via emergency c-section. Despite some issues during pregnancy, he came out extremely healthy and I am recovering alright as well.

I'm getting the itch again, to get back into coupons and savings. This is due to receiving all our medical bills in the mail last week. We definitely need to come up with a budget and stick to us, or we'll have some major debt looming over our heads for awhile. :( (Our insurance screwed us over.)

I need to work out some sort of routine for ourselves. I went back to work after only 3 weeks of maternity leave. Crazy, right? Unfortunately I didn't get any maternity leave pay, so I didn't have much of a choice. Oh, and I was losing my mind and needed to get out of the house. Having a baby is HARD. Anyway, hope to be back into the swing of things soon!!

2010-06-01T14:37:00.003-04:00

Forgive my absence! This pregnancy is just killing me. Now in my 8th month, not much longer to go. Once I get this over with, I hope to get back into the coupon/deals world. :) I still check everyone's blogs though. And for those who asked, yes I'm aiming for a natural delivery. Fingers crossed that works out for me. Be back as soon as I can, promise!

PS: It's a boy!

2010-02-22T23:45:00.004-05:00

I have another update to do for the Walgreens Huggies deal, but I'm swamped this week. And not only did my laptop die on me, but so did my desktop!! I just bought a new desktop and have been working on getting that set-up.

I'm also working on a financial goal of cutting $100/month from our monthly expenses. So far I've cut out $65.94! Here's what we've cut out so far...

TV/Internet: Changed packages. $133 down to $112
Cellphone: Cancel data plan. $130 down to $100
Xbox Live: Cancel monthly, buy 12 month of Amazon (save $55.92/yr) $7.99 down to $0/mo
TiVo: Cancel monthly subscription. $6.95 down to $0

We sold our Tivos already and completely forgot to cancel the service! Oops. Now I just need to get auto insurance quotes and hopefully that will wipe out the remaining $34.06 or more. I'm hoping to get the cellphone bill even lower, but for now the husband uses his data plan too much to cancel. We're also working on setting up a tighter monthly budget for ourselves.

Plus we're doing our best to bulk up the "baby account" which is basically just savings. I've been busy listing things on craigslist and cheapcycle (with decent results). Wednesday we find out the sex of the baby! And Friday is a huge baby/kid consignment sale that I've put some money aside for.

That's an update for now! I'm trying to keep up with everything. :)

Ooh and mail bag! Two FREE coupons for Oreos and one FREE bottle of Excedrin coupon were received recently. :)

2010-02-08T21:46:00.005-05:00

My laptop crashed during my update. :( Everything should be posted correctly. I'll be working on a new layout shortly, so if things are a little wonky, that's why.

Another diaper deal at Walgreens this week. I have stacks of Huggies coupons and Dove coupons, so I was able to get everything for very low OOP. I plan to do a few more transactions this week (at three different stores, I do NOT clear shelves and don't care for those who do), but I wanted to post this early in the week!

Transaction # 1

$5.99 - Dove Men's Body Wash

Subtotal: $5.99

- $1.25 Dove Coupon (IP)

New Subtotal: $4.74

Paid OOP: $4.74 + tax

Received: $6.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 2

$8.99 - Huggies Diapers
$0.69 - Hershey's Candy Bar

Subtotal: $9.68

- $2.00 Huggies Coupon
- $6.00 Dove RR

New Subtotal: $1.68

Paid OOP: $1.68 + tax

Received: $3.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 3

$5.99 - Dove Men's Body Wash
$0.29 - Valentine's Gift Bag

Subtotal: $6.28

- $1.25 Dove Coupon
- $3.00 RR

New Subtotal: $2.03

Paid: $2.03 + tax

Received: $6.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 4

$8.99 - Huggies Diapers
$1.39 - Diet Coke 20oz (not pictured)

Subtotal: $10.38

- $2.00 Huggies Coupon
- $6.00 RR
- $1.00 Walgreens Huggies Coupon

New Subtotal: $1.38

Paid OOP: $1.38 + tax

Received: $3.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 5

$5.99 - Dove Men's Body Wash
$0.59 - Disney Activity Coloring Pad

Subtotal: $6.58

- $1.50 Dove Coupon (IP)
- $3.00 RR
- $0.25 Walgreens Activity Pad Coupon (in-ad)

New Subtotal: $1.83

Paid OOP: $1.83 + tax

Received: $6.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 6

$8.99 - Huggies Diapers
$0.59 - Valentine's Pencil

Subtotal: $9.58

- $2.00 Huggies Coupon
- $5.00 RR (from wipes deal 2 weeks ago)
- $0.25 Walgreens Pencil Coupon (in-ad)
- $1.00 Walgreens Huggies Coupon

New Subtotal: $1.33

Paid OOP: $1.33 + tax

Received: $3.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 7

$5.99 - Dove Men's Body Wash
$0.59 - Disney Activity Coloring Pad

Subtotal: $6.58

- $1.50 Dove Coupon (IP)
- $3.00 RR
- $0.25 Walgreens Activity Pad Coupon (in-ad)

New Subtotal: $1.83

Paid OOP: $1.83 + tax

Received: $6.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 8

$8.99 - Huggies Diapers
$0.59 - Valentine's Pencil

Subtotal: $9.58

- $2.00 Huggies Coupon
- $6.00 RR
- $0.39 Walgreens Pencil Coupon (in-ad)
- $1.00 Walgreens Huggies Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.19

Paid OOP: $0.19 + tax

Received: $3.00 RR

*****

Transaction # 9

$8.99 - Huggies Diapers
$0.59 - Valentine's Pencil

Subtotal: $9.58

Subtotal: $9.58

- $2.00 Huggies Coupon
- $6.00 RR
- $0.39 Walgreens Pencil Coupon (in-ad)
- $1.00 Walgreens Huggies Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.19

Paid OOP: $0.19 + tax

Received: $3.00 RR

Not bad, huh?! And I still have more coupons to use! The $2.00 Huggies coupons I got at my doctors office at my last appointment. The Walgreens $1.00 Huggies coupon is from the Walgreens $0.99 coloring book found in some stores. I never found it, so I'm borrowing it from a friend of mine! I have two $3.00 register rewards to roll over tomorrow as well. :)

The random items such as pencils, coloring books and gift bags are fillers. You have to have the same number of products as you do manufacturer's coupons in order not to get the dreaded 'beeps'. (RR's count as manufacturer's.) These were the cheapest items I could find. Check your Valentine's Day section for these items, here's a better picture...

And another tip, hand the Walgreens coupons over LAST!! Otherwise your manufacturer's coupons will beep and cause an annoying ordeal. Thankfully I didn't run into any problems. I usually avoid Walgreens RR deals, because it's frustrating when they don't print and managers give you every excuse in the book as to why. But I had to give it a shot this week.

Overall I spent $15.20 + tax out of pocket and received 5 packages of Huggies, 4 bottles of Dove body wash, a drink for work, a candy bar and variety of random fillers. Not bad. I didn't get the $1.00 Walgreens Huggies coupon until the last few Huggies deals, otherwise my OOP would have been cheaper. :)

2010-02-03T19:10:00.003-05:00

As of Tuesday I am officially 4 months along in my pregnancy. It's been a rough 4 months! I've been trying hard to get back into deals, but my focus has been on baby items, especially diapers. Thankfully there were a handful of diaper deals over the past few weeks, between Target, Walgreens, etc. Next week Walgreens is suppose to be having a great Huggies diaper deal, so I'm gearing up for that. I hit up the Target deal a few weeks ago and to my dismay, Target.com now prints coupons as manufacturers and NOT store coupons. No stacking. :( Which is unfortunate and the deal was a bust, so I'm not going to bother posting it!

Last week Walgreens had a Huggies deal, buy $25 worth of participating Huggies products and get $5 RR. I didn't have any decent diaper coupons, so I only came up with a wipes scenario and it worked perfectly! The Huggies wipes were on sale 2 for $5.00.

$25.00 - Huggies Wipes x 10

Subtotal - $25.00

- $10.00 Walgreens Huggies Wipes Coupon $1/box (IP or in-store flier)
- $6.75 Huggies Wipes Coupons $0.75 x 9 (IP)
- $0.50 Huggies Wipes Coupons

New Subtotal: $7.75

Paid OOP: $7.75 + tax (cash)

Received: $5.00 RR

Basically I paid $2.75 for 10 boxes of wipes, or $0.28 per box! The Huggies internet coupons are no longer available, which is why they are not linked. My mother gave me the $0.50 coupon, so I'm not sure what insert it came from. If I could have printed more Huggies coupons, I definitely would have repeated this deal!

This week I decided to try out the Rite Aid Nature's Bounty Vitamins deal. If you spend $50 on the vitamins, you get a $25 Rite Aid gift card. And there are some very high value coupons available to print for these vitamins! On top of that, they were b1g1f last week and this week. My friend Nicole was the one who helped me with this scenario. She's been very patient with my "pregnancy brain" stupidity lately. :) She came up with a way for me to get near free diapers!

$11.99 - Huggies Pure & Natural Diapers
$21.18 - Nature's Bounty Vitamins x 2
$9.98 - Nature's Bounty Vitamins x 2

Subtotal - $43.15

- $5.00 Rite Aid $5/$20 Coupon (VV)
- $10.59 Rite Aid Nature's Bounty B1G1F Sale
- $4.99 Rite Aid Nature's Bounty B1G1F Sale
- $4.00 Rite Aid Nature's Bounty Coupons $1 x 4 (VV)
- $1.00 Rite Aid Huggies Pure & Natural Coupon (VV)
- $2.50 Huggies Pure & Natural Coupon (IP)
- $10.00 Nature's Bounty Coupons $5 x 2 (IP)*
- $3.00 Nature's Bounty Coupon (IP)*
- $2.00 Nature's Bounty Coupon (IP)*

New Subtotal - $0.07

Paid OOP: $0.07 + tax (cash)

Received: $46.74 towards the $50 get $25 gc deal.

I did the above transaction 3 times. Read the end of this post for more information on the Nature's Bounty coupons. I still had to spend $3.26 to qualify for the gift card, so I ran by another store after work today and came up with this scenario on my own - I was proud! :)

$11.99 - Huggies Pure & Natural Diapers
$3.49 - Huggies Wipes
$7.99 - Blink Gel Tears
$2.99 - Colgate Toothpaste
$9.98 - Nature's Bounty Vitamins x 2

Subtotal - $36.44

- $5.00 Rite Aid $5/$20 Coupon (VV)
- $4.99 Rite Aid Nature's Bounty B1G1F Sale
- $2.00 Rite Aid Nature's Bounty Coupons $1 x 2 (VV)
- $1.00 Rite Aid Huggies Pure & Natural Coupon (VV)
- $2.50 Huggies Pure & Natural Coupon (IP)
- $6.00 Nature's Bounty Coupon $3 x 2 (IP)*
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon (SS 1/17)
- $2.00 Blink Gel Tears Coupon (RP 1/31)
- $0.50 Huggies Wipes Coupon

New Subtotal - $11.45

Used: $12.38 SCR Check

Paid: $1.92 all tax!

Will receive: $25 Rite Aid gift card, $7.99 SCR (blink tears), $2.00 SCR (colgate), $3.00 SCR (huggies)

YAY!! I am very pleased with these deals. Here's a picture of my current "baby stockpile" - and to think, I have 5 more months to go!! Many of these I bought, but several are from my mother-in-law as well (she is baby crazy already!)....

* Nature's Bounty Coupons! Read carefully. You need to sign up on their website and enter a bunch of codes for points. You can then redeem those points for high value coupons - $5, $3 and $2. You can print each coupon up to 6 times! Be sure to hit the 'BACK' button in order to print more than one - you may have to hit 'back' once or twice. Do not close out the window or you'll lose your chance to print more than 1 coupon. For a list of these codes, check out this website, you can enter each code twice. The first set of numbers are the lot # and the second sets are product #s. Good luck!

2010-01-08T11:56:00.006-05:00

02.03.10 - I CAN'T GET MY BLOG TO LOAD PROPERLY TO UPDATE IT, BUT STAY TUNED! I HAVE SOME WONDERFUL BABY ITEM DEALS TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL!! HOPEFULLY TONIGHT. :)

Well that was an unexpected hiatus. Very, very unexpected. I haven't been around, because I've been sick - nonstop - for three months. Let me show you why...

Yep. SURPRISE! We were in the process of doing paperwork for a South Korean adoption. My husband suggested getting a second opinion first (infertility issues) and poof! I end up being 2 weeks pregnant at the appointment.

Since then, I have been completely out of the deals loop. I keep forgetting to get the Sunday paper! Now that I'm entering my 2nd trimester, I'm hoping to feel better - like everyone says I will - and get back into the swing of things. But forgive me if the updates are lacking! This whole pregnancy thing definitely takes a toll on your body (read: exhaustion & nausea & back pain)!

And happy new year!!

PS: I'm kicking myself hard for selling all thoses packages of diapers and wipes I had stockpiled!!!

2009-09-16T13:02:00.002-04:00

I have a months worth of deals to catch up on. I've been very busy with home improvement projects and craigslist sales, that I haven't had much time for coupons! I'll start with the newest deals first, so there's still time to do them this week if you choose too.

My husband had to get two new prescriptions filled and I had the $25 gift card coupons for Rite Aid and the limit was 2, so we were expecting $50 in gift cards. Unfortunately this didn't go as planned; they only apply to transferred prescriptions, not new ones. I'm not sure what the difference is, we were NEW to using the Rite Aid pharmacy, but I guess that didn't matter. Hmph. Next month we'll just transfer it to CVS and get a gift card there. Anyway, here's what I did get accomplished there...

$1.99 - Wet Ones Wipes
$8.97 - Johnson's Baby Shampoo x 3
$5.98 - Johnson's Baby Powder x 2 (bonus packs!)
$5.98 - Johnson's Baby Wash x 2
$5.98 - Johnson's Baby Bubble Bath x 2
$2.99 - Johnson's Foaming Wash
$25.98 - Covergirl Trublend Microminerals x 2

Subtotal: $57.87

- $5.00 Rite Aid Coupon ($5/$25)
- $12.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Cover Girl Sale
- $12.99 Covergirl B1G1F Coupon (PG 8/30)
- $1.00 Wet Ones Coupon (IP)
- $10.00 J&J Coupons (IPs & RP 9/13)

New Subtotal: $15.89

Used: $6.00 Rite Aid SCR Check

Paid OOP: $9.89 (cash)

Will receive: $1.00 SCR (wet ones), $15.00 SCR (buying 10 J&J products), $10.00 (fall savings)

I could have used two $5/$25 coupons, I just noticed that, damn! This also gives me $57.87 towards the Rite Aid Fall Gift of Savings Program. Between September 13th and October 17th - save ALL your Rite Aid receipts. Spend over $100, get $20. Spend $51-$100 get $10. Spend $25-$50, get $5. I thought I had more Covergirl B1G1F coupons, because that would have put me over $100 easily and for no oop!

I had a few ECBs expiring the 16th, so we ran to CVS last night. Not very much going on at CVS this week. :(

$1.34 - Diet Coke 2 Liter
$2.99 - Colgate Toothpaste
$4.99 - Dyna Pep Energy Shots
$0.99 - Gummy Worms

Subtotal: $10.31

- $1.00 Colgate Coupon (SS 9/13)

New Subtotal: $9.31

Used: $1.98 ECB & $6.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.34 + tax (cash)

Received: $2.00 ECB (colgate) & $4.99 ECB (dyna pep)

The rest of these deals happened throughout the month of August and early September. I'll just do a quick rundown...starting with CVS. My friend informed me that CVS had their kitty litter on clearance for $0.69! Couldn't pass that up. 14lb containers too.

$6.90 - Pet Central Kitty Litter x 10

Paid OOP: $6.90 + tax (cash)

Not bad for TEN 14lb containers of litter. usually just one costs more than $6.90. I have since sold 6 of these containers for $3.00 a piece, which is a profit of $11.10.

$6.99 - Glade Candle

Used: $6.99 ECB

Paid OOP: tax only

Received: $6.99 ECB (glade)

(Did the above transaction to roll an expiring ecb!)

$1.98 - Papermate Ball Point Pens x 2
$6.99 - Philips MP3 Ear Buds

Subtotal: $8.97

I don't have my receipt for this transaction, so I'm not sure what coupons I may have used, but I did roll some ECBs. And got back $1.98 ECB (pens) and $6.99 ECB (ear buds).

Next up is Walgreens. They had a fantastic deal going on with Huggies wipes.

Some of these were $2.79 each and some were $2.99 each. There were $0.50 Huggies wipes manu coupons + $2.00 Huggies wipes Wags coupons. Making each tub of wipes either $0.29 or $0.49 each. During this sale there was also a $5 off $25 coupon available and a buy $25 worth of items, get $10 register rewards. So as you can see, this was a nice profit. I was able to get 46 tubs of wipes. I only have 9 left - the rest were sold for $2.00 each. :)

Here's a Rite Aid deal I was excited about, since the intuition razors are my favorites. I regret not getting a raincheck for more.

$29.97 - Intuition Razors x 3
$11.99 - Intuition Refills
$3.00 - Bin Pencil Packs x 2

subtotal: $44.96

- $5.00 Rite Aid Coupon ($5/$25)
- $9.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Intuition Sale
- $9.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Intuition Sale
- $4.00 Intuition Coupon
- $4.00 Intuition Coupon
- $4.00 Intuition Coupon
- $4.00 Intuition Coupon
- $1.00 Bic Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.98

Paid OOP: $2.98 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $2.00 SCR (bic)

And the last deal is from Target. I hate using coupons at our local Target store. They are NOT coupon friendly - ever. But I decided to give it a shot at a different Target store and it went smoothly.

$0.99 - Gerber Baby Bottle 9oz
$0.99 - Gerber Baby Bottle 5oz
$7.98 - Chef Michaels Dog Food x 2
$0.74 - Clip Board
$0.24 - Calculator

Subtotal: $10.94

- $1.50 Target Chef Michaels Coupon (IP)
- $1.50 Target Chef Michaels Coupon (IP)
- $1.00 Target Gerber Coupon (IP)
- $1.00 Target Gerber Coupon (IP)
- $3.00 Chef Michaels Coupon
- $3.00 Chef Michaels Coupon

New Subtotal: -$0.06

Paid OOP: tax only (cash) (YAY!)

That's it for all my shopping deals. As I mentioned at the beginning of the entry, we've been very busy with home improvement projects. We sold off all our old living room furniture on craigslist, also sold our front door (we paid $5 for it, we sold it for $175!). We repaired walls and painted. And purchased new furniture. Here is our living room before, although we had already sold our sofa & loveseat when this was taken...

And after!

How grown up, right? Since we plan to put it on the market within the next year, we went with a neutral color. I absolutely love it. Simple and clean. And it has felt great selling off a bunch of junk on craigslist. In less than two months, we've made $2,385.00 just from craigslist sales.

Oh and we also sold off our old washer and dryer for $350. And we scored these frontloaders WITH pedestals for 70% off - they are brand new. It was only about $400 out of pocket. Not bad for a $2600 set!

Of course I forgot that these machines require HE detergent. I sold off my regular detergents and was able to purchase the HE detergents at no loss. The machines use a lot less water (& detergent) and fit a lot more clothes inside. And they are SO QUIET!! The first spin cycle was scary. One of the legs on the washer was not leveled, so it sounded like the machine was getting ready to blast off into space. Thankfully that was an easy fix and we've not encountered any problems since.

2009-08-02T19:43:00.002-04:00

I'm on a roll this weekend. The Sunday paper has 5 coupon inserts this week! My husband picked up 4 papers for me. :) While he went off to work on his truck project, I spent two hours putting together various scenarios for CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Publix. Generally things never work out the way I plan, but for some reason the universe was on my side today!

First stop was CVS. I haven't been since May. I had no ECBs to start out with. I received a $3 off $15 CVS coupon in my email and decided to start with that. While sorting old coupons, I found two CVS gift cards. The card balances were $1.40 and $4.66. I was very happy about that since it would cut down my oop significantly.

$0.99 - Pocket Folders x 2
$1.98 - CVS 1 Subject Notebooks x 2
$1.98 - Stretch Book Covers x 2
$1.98 - Glue Sticks x 2
$1.98 - Flex Rulers x 2
$5.98 - Scissors x 2
$0.99 - 20 Ct. Blue Pens

Subtotal: $15.88

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)

New Subtotal: $12.88

Used: $1.40 (GC), $4.66 (GC)

Paid OOP: $6.82 + tax (cash)

Received: $0.99 ECB (folders), $1.98 ECB (notebooks), $1.98 ECB (book covers), $1.98 ECB (glue), $1.98 ECB (rulers), $5.98 ECB (scissors), $0.99 ECB (pens)

My CVS receipt was about 4 feet long. Along with all my ECBs, I also received a FREE coupon for CVS brand aspirin 10-120 count, up to $3.69. Yay!

Next stop was Rite Aid. I found an old rebate check for $16.98, but it was over 90 days old. I decided to try it out anyway and they took it just fine! They also accepted the garnier coupon, which expired in March!

$4.99 - Zantac 150 8 Ct.
$2.99 - Garnier Shampoo
$2.99 - Werther's Original
$2.00 - GE Light Bulbs 2 pk.
$2.79 - Crest Pro Health Toothpaste
$1.49 - Duck EZ Tape
$0.88 - Reese's x 2

Subtotal: $18.13

- $1.00 Garnier Coupon
- $0.50 Crest Coupon (PG 8/2)

New Subtotal: $16.63

Used: $16.98 rebate check

Paid OOP: $0.73 tax only!!

Will Receive: $4.99 Rebate (zantac), $2.00 Rebate (garnier), $2.99 Rebate (werther's), $2.00 Rebate (light bulbs), $2.79 Rebate (crest), $1.49 Rebate (tape)

During my couponing hiatus, Walgreens stopped with their Easy Saver Rebate program. :( They promised a more consumer friendly and beneficial program, but nothing has been released. Don't expect many Walgreens deals anymore, I expect they'll be few and far between. Today I stopped by because I'm out of fabric softener and this was cheap enough. I also found a gift card with $7.50 on it.

$2.79 - Field Flowers Suavitel
$2.79 - Field Flowers Suavitel
$2.79 - Morning Sun Suavitel
$2.79 - Morning Sun Suavitel

Subtotal: $11.16

- $2.79 Wags B1G1F Coupon (8/2 in-ad)
- $2.79 Wags B1G1F Coupon (8/2 in-ad)

New Subtotal: $5.58

Used: $5.58 (GC)

Paid OOP: $0.00

Now was for the greatest trip of all; Publix! I'm a roll with learning to use competitors coupons and manufacturers coupons - combined with sales.

$6.99 - Arm & Hammer Cat Litter
$4.00 - Coke 2 Liters x 3
$2.75 - Del Monte 4pk Fruit Cups
$4.99 - Charmin Ultra Soft 6pk
$1.99 - Kids Cuisine
$3.49 - Cascade
$1.99 - Publix Bottled Water 6pk
$5.38 - Capri Sun x 2
$3.98 - Kraft Italian Dressing x 2
$2.58 - Soft Soap x 2
$10.45 - Pillsbury Crescent Rolls x 5
$3.88 - Fruit Roll Ups x 3
$8.76 - Ragu x 4
$4.76 - Mac N Cheese x 4
$0.99 - Loofa/Sponge

Subtotal: $66.98

- $1.98 Publix Penny Item Coupon (water)
- $5.00 Rite Aid $5/$25 Coupon (IP)
- $1.50 Kraft Dressing Coupon (IP)
- $4.00 BJs Charmin Coupon
- $1.34 Coke B2G1F Coupon (hangtag in store)
- $5.00 BJs General Mills $5/3 Products Coupon*
- $2.00 BJs A&H Kitty Litter Coupon
- $1.50 Kraft Dressing Coupon (IP)
- $8.00 BJs Kraft $8/4 Products Coupon**
- $5.00 BJs Kraft $5/3 Products Coupon**
- $7.00 BJs Unilever $7/4 Products Coupon***
- $0.60/2 Ragu Coupon (RP 8/2)
- $0.60/2 Ragu Coupon (RP 8/2)
- $5.00 BJs General Mills $5/3 Products Coupon*
- $1.00 Charmin Coupon (hangtag in store)
- $10.00 BJs General Mills $10/5 Products Coupon*
- $3.00 BJs Cascade Coupon
- $2.00 BJs Del Monte Fruit Cup Coupon
- $1.50 BJs Soft Soap Coupon
- $1.50 BJs Soft Soap Coupon

New Subtotal: -$0.94

Paid OOP: $0.68 tax only!!

Now, my receipt from Publix is VERY confusing. I typed this out how I did the transaction. However the Publix receipt states my total was six cents and I was negative fourteen cents for regular tax. HUH?! Yeah, I can't figure it out and I've spent too long even trying. But I paid $0.68 total. :)

While updating this I realized I had even more BJs coupons to use. (Mum, you didn't hear about the following deal!) The husband and I put together a list and decided to give the store next to our neighborhood a shot. (We hate that store, coupons always cause problems, but we didn't feel like driving across town again.) Once again, the universe is on my side, because it went flawlessly.

$11.99 - Tide Detergent
$11.94 - Eggo Waffles x 6
$10.45 - Pillsbury Crescent Rolls x 5
$4.99 - Charmin Ultra Soft Toilet Paper
$5.97 - Kelloggs Cereals (Pops & Frost Flakes) x 3
$1.99 - Publix Water 6pk
$4.78 - Pop Tarts x 4

Subtotal: $52.11

- $1.98 Publix Penny Item Coupon (water)
- $2.00 Tide Coupon
- $1.00/2 Pop Tarts Coupons (Kelloggs Insert 8/2)
- $1.00/2 Pop Tarts Coupons (Kelloggs Insert 8/2)
- $1.00/2 Eggo Coupons (Kelloggs Insert 8/2)
- $1.00/2 Eggo Coupons (Kelloggs Insert 8/2)
- $3.00 BJs Charmin Coupon
- $1.00 Charmin Coupon (hangtag in store)
- $10.00 BJs General Mills $10/5 Coupon*
- $7.00 BJs General Mills $7/4 Coupon*
- $7.00 BJs Kelloggs $7/3 Coupon****
- $1.00/2 Kelloggs Cereal Coupon (Kelloggs Insert 8/2)
- $10.00 BJs General Mills $10/5 Coupon**

New Subtotal: $5.13

Paid OOP: $5.13 + tax (cash)

Yet again the Publix receipt is completely confusing and hard to read. UGH!! Also if I would have printed another $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon, my subtotal would have been only thirteen cents! Oh well, I still think it was a fantastic deal. A lot of overage too.

Now I am exhausted and ready for bed!

* The BJs General Mills Coupons were $5 off 3 products, $7 off 4 products and $10 off 5 products. I used these for the fruit rollups, eggo waffles, pop tarts and pillsbury crescent rolls. Found in BJs magazine and coupon booklet.

** The BJs Kraft Coupons were $8 off 4 products and $5 off 3 products. I used these for the capri suns and mac n cheese. Found in BJs magazine.

*** The BJs Unilever Coupons were $7 off 4 products. I used these for the ragu sauces. Found in BJs magazine.

**** The BJs Kelloggs Coupons were $5 off 3 products and $7 off 4 products - for some reason my coupon rang up $7 for 3 items. I used this for the Kelloggs cereals. Found in BJs magazine.

2009-07-31T22:09:00.007-04:00

Hello! I'm back! That was a long, unexpected hiatus from couponing/blogging. I think it just became a bit too overwhelming and I needed the break. Plus I had a lot of work woes that needed to be dealt with.

Anyway, I woke up this morning, 2 hours before my alarm, and my first thought was "coupons! expiring! today!" - I have no idea why. I got up, went through my cabinet. Threw away 99% of my coupons (old/expired) and found some good ones - that, expired today! Seriously, good ones...check out all the FREEness...

I spent my day at work planning out my trip to Publix. (Work is that slow lately.) I had tons of competitors coupons to use and wanted to work out a good scenario for low oop. It's been awhile since I've done this. The husband got home late, so we didn't head out until 9pm and the store closes at 10pm. I didn't get everything I wanted tonight, but I considered it my "test run". I'll be back this weekend. Here's my haul...

$3.87 - Snuggle Fabric Softener
$1.70 - Louana Vegetable Oil
$4.00 - Coke 2 Liters x 3 Bottles
$3.99 - Pledge
$1.89 - Country Crock Spread x 2 Tubs
$3.87 - Muellers Pasta x 6 Boxes
$2.99 - Oscar Mayer Jumbo Beef Hot Dogs
$10.95 - Ragu Pasta Sauce x 5 Jars
$4.99 - Charmin Toilet Paper 6pk
$3.29 - Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaner
$4.59 - Drano
$2.99 - Shout
$4.78 - Pop Tarts x 4 Boxes
$2.79 - Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce x 2 Bottles
$9.95 - Honey Nut Cheerios x 5 Boxes
$2.75 - Del Monte Fruit Cups

Subtotal: $69.39

- $5.00 Publix $5/$30 Coupon (received in mail)
- $2.00 BJs Snuggle Coupon
- $1.34 Coke B2G1F Coupon (found in store w/2 liters)
- $3.99 FREE Pledge Coupon
- $1.00 Muellers ($1.00/3 IP)
- $1.00 Muellers ($1.00/3 IP)
- $2.99 FREE Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Coupon
- $10.00 BJs Unilever Coupon*
- $4.00 BJs Charmin Coupon
- $1.00 Charmin Coupon (found in store w/detergents)***
- $3.29 FREE Scrubbing Bubbles Coupon
- $4.59 FREE Drano Coupon
- $0.75 Target Pop Tarts Coupon (IP)
- $0.75 Target Pop Tarts Coupon (IP)
- $0.75 Target Pop Tarts Coupon (IP)
- $0.75 Target Pop Tarts Coupon (IP)
- $10.00 BJs General Mills Coupon**
- $2.00 BJs Del Monte Fruit Cup Coupon

New Subtotal: $14.19

For some reason my receipt is all wonky and the numbers don't add up when it shows the amount before coupons. It shows $96, but I believe that is before the Publix B1G1F deals, which applied to the following items: Muellers Pasta, Louana Oil, Country Crock, Pop Tarts, Cheerios & Kraft BBQ sauce.

* The BJs Unilever coupon came from their magazine they mail out to members. Ragu is a Unilever product. In the end I got 5 jars of sauce for $0.95!!

** The BJs General Mills coupon applied to cereals and fruit rollups. When you buy 5 of the pictured products, you get $10.00 off. I receive $0.05 overage and 5 free boxes of Cheerios!

*** We found a hangtag coupon for any Charmin 6 pack hanging around a laundry detergent. Since I used the $4 BJs Charmin coupon, I wasn't sure if they'd take both. They did! BJs is a competitors and they ring it in as a store coupon, so you can still use the manufacturer coupon. This meant a 6 pack of toilet paper for free. :)

I have several more of these coupons and plan to stock up this weekend! The transaction went flawlessly and the cashier told me I should teach coupon classes. I love having a nice cashier.

Target is clearancing out a TON of their toys, anywhere from 30% to 75%. I went to the store in town last night and it was wiped out. My friend beat me there and cleared the shelves! Way to go Nicole. ;) (That's the real coupon queen btw, she taught me all this.) Tonight we went to the Target in the next town. While their shelves were still relatively full, not all the items were discounted. We came home with just this tonight:

$3.74 - Tech Deck Ramp
$0.74 - Tech Deck Mini Skateboard
$1.74 - Dora Characters
$2.47 - Lego Set

Subtotal: $8.69

Not bad. My husband is a big kid and got the Tech Deck items. I collect Legos, so grabbed the only set I saw. And I got the Dora characters because it has a CUTE monkey and dragon.

I haven't done any couponing since April/May. But that doesn't mean I wasn't getting deals! Last month my husband bought this Blazer for $300. He had to repair a few things on it, which cost us about $100. He turned around and sold it for $1000. $600 Profit!! He is now currently working on an F150 that he got in a trade (no $), which he plans to keep and when that's fixed up we'll sell his Civic.

I have been searching nonstop for a 1960's vintage mid-century buffet for months. Unfortunately they sell for $500-$2000! I saw an affordable one forever ago on Craigslist and it sold before I had a chance to leave work that same day. One day I was browsing Craigslist when I hit refresh and a new ad popped up. "Dining Table & Side Table" was the title, basically no keywords there (smart sellers ALWAYS use keywords!! sell faster, make more money!!). I clicked on the link and I immediately called; I WANT THAT BUFFET! The lady agreed to sell it separately for $100. I called my husband, he arranged to borrow a friends truck and he drove over to pick it up.

While there, he gave me a call and said the dining room table and chairs were really nice and he thought I would like them. The lady said she'd sell them to him for another $100. I said fine. I assumed I'd hate the set and I'd just turn around and resell the table for about $1500 (the going rate...). When I got home it was all set up and it is perfect. Near mint condition. I couldn't be happier with the buffet and the table is awesome. It's nice to have a table again too!

After looking all over town, I found that carpet for $30 at BJs Wholesale Club. :) Every other store wanted $200+ for that size rug!

I plan to get back into couponing starting this week. There are FIVE INSERTS in the August 2nd Sunday paper; make sure you get one (or 2 or 3). I hear that CVS and Rite Aid will have great deals this upcoming week too. Off to research those now.

2009-05-07T12:30:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since I've updated. Truth be told, I'm completely out of the deals loop lately. April was a terribly bad month for deals. I mean there wasn't anything worthwhile at any store! May isn't proving to be much better.

Beginning of April we hauled our stockpile and various other items to a friend of a friends house for a yard sale. Over the course of 2 days we made just under $900. My goal was to go over $1000, but no such luck. The Friday sale was extremely busy and the best day. Saturday was slow and disappointing. There were about 10+ other yard sales on the same road. I always thought Saturdays were best for yard sales, but I think it's Thursdays and Fridays.

One night in April I was talking online to a friend of mine and half-jokingly mentioned taking a vacation and going to Universal Studios. He jumped at the idea. Within a week we had it planned and a condo booked. I guess this can be included in the 'deals', so I'll go ahead and ramble about it.

A few years ago we took a similar vacation with other friends of ours. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and had VIP passes for Universal Studios. I wanted to have the same exact vacation, so I checked the prices for the Hard Rock and nearly died. For 3 nights it was $1300.00 for a 1 room with 2 queen beds; no kitchen. What??!?! That's insane. I checked out several other hotels and their prices weren't much better.

So I took a different approach. Renting a home or condo. I found a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo with it's own private pool (not community). So for a 6 night vacation, it's costing under $300 per couple! It has a laundry room and a full kitchen as well. We plan to get groceries and avoid eating out often. Including tickets to Universal + gas + groceries + spending money, we're estimating to spend less than $1000 total (I'd say $800, but added an extra $200 just in case). I'm quite excited not just about taking a real vacation that's NOT on a boat, but that I was able to find some amazinlgy affordable!

Once we get back from vacation, I'm hoping to get back into deals and coupons and all that fun stuff. For right now I'm taking a short hiatus to focus on other things. :) Have a happy May everyone!

2009-03-19T14:06:00.004-04:00

Still no huge updates. I was able to recover my laptop, but it still has a few quirks. :/ I'm working on saving up for an Apple Macbook - I'm tired of the problems with Windows/PCs and virus's!

This website offers a $300.00 Apple gift card when you earn 3700 'swagbucks'. You basically use their website as a search engine to earn the bucks. You can also send in old cell phones and video games to earn extra swagbucks as well! Worthwhile for gaming geeks like us that have lots of old games laying around.

Click the banner to sign up! Thanks! <3

2009-03-11T11:21:00.004-04:00

Yikes! Over a month since I've posted. Unfortunately I encountered some serious computer problems recently - had to completely wipe out five computers and reinstall windows - and lost all my files/pictures/programs. :( I had lots of deals to post, but lost all my pictures. Boo.

I was excited to post about my first fantastic grocery shopping trip at Publix! Our original cost was $160.00+ - after coupons my total was $36.00!! Our Publix stores accept competitor coupons. I was able to use the Rite Aid $5 off $25, register rewards from Walgreens and coupons from BJ's (high value!). I hope to master this again in the near future, it was exhausting.

There aren't many deals going on this week. The only notable bargains are at Walgreens. Garnier products are on sale for $2.99 again. Use the $2.00 easysaver coupon (booklet) and a $1.00 manu coupon and it's free. My store now has "LIMIT 1" coupons all over the Garnier section, lol.

There's also a Huggies deal at Walgreens. Buy $25.00 worth and get a $10.00 RR. Go to coupons.com and print out the $5.00 and $3.00 Huggies coupons - after you print the first time, go back to the homepage. Go to the last page of coupons, you'll be able to select the same 2 and print a second time.

$10.00 - Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers
$10.00 - Huggies Jumbo Pack Diapers
$6.00 - Huggies Wipes (the huge package)
-------
$26.00 - Subtotal
- $5.00 - Huggies Q
- $5.00 - Huggies Q
- $3.00 - Huggies Q
-------
$13.00 - Total

Receive $10.00 RR, total was $3.00. Some people are reporting being able to use the $5.00 coupons on the wipes too, so that could make your total as long as $1.00. (You'd need multiple computers to print from.) Also if you have the Walgreens coloring book, there's $1.00 coupon in there to use. I never found those at my store though.

I did the Huggies & Garnier last night and it went perfectly. :)

2009-02-08T16:16:00.001-05:00

This past week was full of Walgreens deals. CVS had some deals going, but of course every single store around here was sold out the entire week. They really need to learn how to stock up for sales! I managed to hit all three drug stores since my previous post, so here's my weeks worth of deals in order of purchase date. :)

January 31st at Walgreens I attempted the Unilever deal again! Buy 8 products, get $10 is Register Rewards.

$23.92 - Dove Deodorant @ $2.99/ea. x 8

Subtotal: $23.92

- $8.00 Wags In-Ad Coupon ($1.00/ea. x 8)
- $6.00 Dove Coupons ($1.50/2 x 4) (RP 1/18)

New Subtotal: $9.92

Paid OOP: $9.92 + tax (cash)

I was suppose to receive the $10 RR, but it did not print. Since the store was busy I didn't bother bringing it up to the cashier. I called Catalina (1-888-8coupon) and after 40 minutes on hold, they're mailing me my $10 RR. Unforunately the 40 minutes was easier than the hassle of dealing with the store (there are new excuses everytime when an RR does not print).

February 1st I received my very first gift card from Walgreens from the January Easy Saver program that included the extra 10%. I decided to go grab the February Easy Saver deals to use up some expiring register rewards (they expire way too quickly)...

$7.99 - Zucol 18 Ct. Lozenges
$9.99 - Revlon Concealer

Subtotal: $17.98

- $10.00 RR (Ragu Deal)
- $2.00 Revlon Coupon (SS 1/11, SS 2/8)
- $2.00 Zucol Coupon (SS 2/1 or IP)

New Subtotal: $3.98

Paid OOP: $3.98 + tax (gift card)

Will Receive: $7.99 ESR (zucol), $9.99 ESR (revlon)

$9.99 - Revlon Lip Gloss
$2.49 - Thermacare Heatwrap

Subtotal: $12.48

- $10.00 RR (Dove Deal)
- $2.00 Revlon Coupon (SS 1/11, SS 2/8)

New Subtotal: $0.48

Paid OOP: $0.48 + tax (gift card)

Will Receive: $9.99 ESR (revlon), $2.49 ESR (thermacare)

$10.00 - Theraflu @ $5.00/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $10.00

- $2.00 Theraflu Coupon (IP)
- $2.00 Theraflu Coupon (IP)

New Subtotal: $6.00

Paid OOP: $6.00 + tax (gift card)

Will Receive: $6.00 ESR (theraflu) & $5.00 MIR

Profit! The MIR does not require a form here are the details: Up to $6.99. Send UPC from Theraflu Hot Liquids or Warming Relief Syrup and a dated cash register receipt. Include your name and address on a 3x5 index card and mail to the following address, must be received by 06.15.09:

Theraflu Money Back Offer
Box 6842
West Caldwell, NJ 07007

On February 7th I ran to Walgreens to check out the Right Guard RR deal. People on the forums are reporting coupons inside the box, which would make it a profit. Unfortunately neither of the two boxes on the shelf had coupons, but it was still a decent deal...

$5.99 - Right Guard Pro Deodorant
$1.99 - Wags Multi-Purpose Solution
$3.99 - Garnier Hair Spray

Subtotal: $11.97

- $1.00 Garnier Coupon (RP 1/4, RP 2/8)

New Subtotal: $10.97

Paid OOP: $10.97 + tax (cash)

Received: $5.00 RR (right guard)

Will Receive: $1.99 ESR (solution), $3.99 ESR (garnier)

On February 6th I purchased a Venus razor and a Gillette Fusion Gamer razor at Walgreens. They were on sale for $8.99 and advertised as receiving $6.00 in register rewards. This would mean cheap/free razors. I went and picked up one of each - separate transactions - neither RR printed. When I pointed this out to the cashier, she called the manager. Once she hung up she informed me that since I used coupons, I was not entitled to any RR deals - false. I was like no, that's not true (recall the Dove or Ragu deal?!). I didn't even bother fighting it. I went back today (the 8th) and returned both razors. My favorite cashier was working, so we decided to try the deal out again - with coupons - and ta-da! The RR printed every time!

$8.99 - Venus Spa Breeze Razor

Subtotal: $8.99

- $2.00 Venus Coupon (PG 2/8)

New Subtotal: $6.99

Paid OOP: $6.99 + tax (cash)

Received: $6.00 RR

$8.99 - Venus Embrace Razor

Subtotal: $8.99

- $2.00 Venus Coupon (PG 2/8)

New Subtotal: $6.99

Paid OOP: $6.99 + tax (cash)

Received: $6.00 RR

$8.99 - Gillette Fusion Gamer Razor

Subtotal: $8.99

- $4.00 Gillette Fusion Coupon (PG 2/8)

New Subtotal: $4.99

Paid OOP: $4.99 + tax (cash)

Received: $6.00 RR

So yay for the register rewards finally working. I knew it wasn't because I used coupons. There's always a new excuse when it comes to failed RR deals at that store. Anyway, I also took advantage of some cleaning supply deals this week at Walgreens...

$7.00 - SCRubbing Bubbles @ $3.50/ea. x 2
$2.50 - Windex Wipes
$2.50 - Windex Multi-Purpose

Subtotal: $12.00

- $3.00 SCRubbing Bubbles Coupon (IP)
- $1.00 Windex Coupon (IP)
- $1.50 Windex Wipes Coupon (IP)

New Subtotal: $6.50

Paid OOP: $6.50 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $4.00 ESR (sc johnson cleaners)

That's everything for Walgreens (finally)!! I ran by CVS on February 1st to take advantage of a money making L'Oreal deal. Unfortunately I was only able to find two L'Oreal products - misplaced around the store. People are getting sneaky and hiding ECB items around the store the night before sales start, boo.

$5.99 - L'Oreal Towelettes
$5.99 - L'Oreal Towelettes
$7.99 - Earinse
$2.49 - Excedrin 10 Ct. Vial

Subtotal: $22.46

- $2.00 L'Oreal Coupon (RP 2/1)
- $2.00 L'Oreal Coupon (RP 2/1)

New Subtotal: $18.46

Used: $8.00 ECB & $10.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.46 + tax (cash)

Received: $10.00 ECB (loreal), $2.49 ECB (excedrin), $7.99 ECB (earinse)

There are three CVS stores in my town. I went to all of them numerous times this week. They never restocked on the L'Oreal products nor the $2.99 Electrasol. I ran by last night and got a raincheck for both items though. Hopefully they'll have them soon.

And finally we have Rite Aid's February 8th deals. They didn't have the Bayer Contour Meters I wanted, go figure. Three of those would have gotten me a free t-shirt and a $10.00 Rite Aid gift card. Oh well! :)

$6.00 - Durex Play
$2.99 - Garnier Hair Spray
$2.99 - Nivea Lip Balm

Subtotal: $11.98

- $2.00 Durex Coupon (SS 2/8)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon (RP 1/4, RP 2/8)
- $1.00 Nivea Coupon (RP 2/8)

New Subtotal: $7.98

Paid OOP: $7.98 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $6.00 SCR (durex), $2.00 SCR (garnier), $2.00 SCR (nivea)

$6.00 - Durex Play
$2.99 - Garnier Hair Spray
$2.99 - Nivea Lip Balm

Subtotal: $11.98

- $2.00 Durex Coupon (SS 2/8)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon (RP 1/4, RP 2/8)
- $1.00 Nivea Coupon (RP 2/8)

New Subtotal: $7.98

Paid OOP: $7.98 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $6.00 SCR (durex), $2.00 SCR (garnier), $2.00 SCR (nivea)

Now I need to go input all my Walgreens and Rite Aid receipts online so I can get my rebates. :) I'm going to try to put together some grocery deals this week as well. We'll see how that goes. My goal is to one day be able to grocery shop and cut my bill by at least 75%. So far my best is only 61%. At least I'm trying.

2009-01-30T12:28:00.004-05:00

EDIT! Forgot a few B&BW deals; added to end of post on 01.31.09.

This weeks haul! :) Here's the breakdown, starting with Walgreens. We needed trash bags, so I grabbed these. I knew they were on sale, but didn't realize they had a rebate too!

$1.99 - Tuf Kitchen Trash Bags 30 Ct.

Subtotal: $1.99

Paid OOP: $1.99 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $1.00 Wags Rebate

$0.99 isn't bad for a 30 pack of trash bags. No complaint on the quality either. Next few transactions are from CVS. A friend of mine gave me a helpful hint; give ECBs first, this cuts down on the tax and makes your OOP much lower. The only problem I ran into was running a negative total, so I'd have to throw in something small to make up the difference. But it definitely makes the OOP lower!

$24.95 - Gillette Mens Shampoo @ $4.99/ea. x 5
$1.19 - CVS 30 Ct. Cough Drops

Subtotal: $26.14

Used: $15.00 ECB

- $1.19 CVS Coupon (scanner)
- $10.00 Gillette Coupons ($2.00/ea. x 5) (PG 12/28, PG 1/18)

New Subtotal: - $0.05

Paid OOP: $0.70 (tax only)

Received: $15.00 ECB (gillette)

$14.97 - Gillette Shampoo @ $4.99/ea. x 3
$1.19 - CVS 30 Ct. Cough Drops
$0.89 - Chunky Candy Bar

Subtotal: $17.05

Used: $9.98 ECB

- $1.19 CVS Coupon (scanner)
- $6.00 Gillette Coupons ($2.00/ea. x 3) (PG 12/28, PG 1/18)

New Subtotal: - $0.12

Paid OOP: $0.25 (tax only)

Received: $9.00 ECB (gillette)

My total was originally negative sixty-six cents, so I threw in the Chunky candy to fix that. Oops! :) I forgot to use ECBs first for the next couple of transactions. I wrote the scenarios out in the exact order I paid ECB/Coupons or Coupons/ECB.

$7.99 - Gillette Fusion Gamer Razor
$7.99 - Nasogel

Subtotal: $15.98

- $2.00 Nasogel Coupon (IP)
- $4.00 Gillette Razor Coupon (PG 12/28)

New Subtotal: $9.98

Used: $2.00 ECB, $7.58 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.40 + tax (cash)

Received: $4.00 ECB (gillette), $7.99 ECB (nasogel)

This was my test transaction for the razors. The limit is published as 1, but people on the forums are reporting a limit of 5!! Sure enough, my limit was not reached at 1. I will also receive $3.00 for the Nasogel MIR that's inside the box.

$31.96 - Gillette Fusion Gamer Razors @ $7.99/ea. x 4

Subtotal: $31.96

- $16.00 Gillete Coupons ($4.00/ea. x 4) (PG 12/28)

New Subtotal: $15.96

Used: $3.00 ECB, $7.99 ECB, $4.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.97 + tax (cash)

Received: $16.00 ECB

$15.98 - Gillette Fusion Gamer Razors ($7.99/ea. x 2)

Subtotal: $15.98

- $8.00 Gillette Coupons ($4.00/ea. x 2)

New Subtotal: $7.98

Used: $5.00 ECB, $2.98 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.56 (tax only)

Received: $8.00 ECB

$15.98 - Gillette Fusion Gamer Razors ($7.99/ea. x 2)

Subtotal: $15.98

Used: $7.58 ECB

- $8.00 Gillette Coupons ($4.00/ea. x 2) (PG 12/28)

New Subtotal: $0.40

Paid OOP: $0.40 + tax (cash)

Received: $8.00 ECB

Next up, Walgreens, to attempt the Unilever "buy 8 products get $10.00 RR" deal.

$23.92 - Dove Deodorant @ $2.99/ea. x 8

Subtotal: $23.92

- $8.00 Wags Dove In-Ad Coupon
- $6.00 Dove Coupons ($1.50 off 2 Dove x 4) (RP 1/18)

New Subtotal: $9.92

Paid OOP: $9.92 + tax

Received: $10.00 RR

!!! This was an awesome deal for me, since Dove deodorant is the only deodorant I can use that doesn't cause any skin reactions. I was excited about this one. On the forums the deal seemed to be hit or miss all week. I waited for someone to post the UPC code for the working deodorants and I lucked out and found ONLY 8 on the shelf of the exact kind I needed. UPC # 79400 50730 Dove Original Clean only.

The last stop this week was Rite Aid. I actually did two separate, but identical, purchases and just stuck them in the same picture...

$3.99 - Veet Bladeless Razor Kit
$2.99 - Garnier Body Volume Shampoo

Subtotal: $6.98

- $2.00 Veet Coupon (IP)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon (RP 1/4)

New Subtotal: $3.98

Paid OOP: $3.98 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $3.00 Rebate (veet), $2.99 Rebate (garnier)

Rinse & repeat!

Also another wonderful event this week was finally getting our hardwood floors installed. It turned out beautiful. I just had to share...

Edit! I forgot I ran to Bath & Body Works earlier this week to take advantage of some email coupons I received. They were for a FREE Signature (original packaging) product, up to $12.00, with ANY purchase. The "original packaging" note made sense when we got to the store. Looks like B&BW has redesigned their bottles and are clearancing out the old styles. I also noticed the smaller sizes and higher prices. Mmhmm...

$5.00 - Cucumber Melon Body Spray
$1.00 - Raspberry Plum Lip Balm

Subtotal: $6.00

- $5.00 B&BW Coupon

New Subtotal: $1.00

Paid OOP: $1.00 + tax (cash)

$5.00 - Irresistible Apple Body Spray
$2.00 - Black Stuffed Sheep

Subtotal: $7.00

- $5.00 B&BW Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.00

Paid OOP: $2.00 + tax (cash)

My dogs LOVED the little sheep I bought a few weeks ago, so I grabbed another so they quit fighting over it. :)

2009-01-21T21:53:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the new version of ShopGirlStar. I was bored at work and played around with a new layout and color scheme. It's simple, but I like it. I'm also making a few minor changes to the blog. I'm going to keep updates to 1-2 times per week rather than every time I get a deal.

I'm also going to start listing the coupon information. For example if I use a $1.00 Tgel coupon, I'm going to put "-$1.00 Tgel Coupon (RP 12/7)" - meaning the coupon was in the 12/7 Red Plum coupon insert. If the coupon is a printable I'll put an "(IP)" link next to it. If the coupon is something I received in the mail, I'll simply put "(mail)". (Of course, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or email me!) This method starts with this entry! :P Now on to some CVS deals from Tuesday (01/20/09) evening...

$2.97 - American Greetings Cards @ $0.99/ea. x 3
$3.79 - CVS Allergy 5 Ct.
$3.79 - CVS Allergy 5 Ct.

Subtotal: $10.55

Used: $10.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.55 + tax (cash)

Received: $3.00 ECB (cards), $7.58 (allergy)

The greeting card deal is different from store to store, depending on which cards they carry. Some areas are Hallmark cards, buy 3 get $3.00 ECB, limit 5. Unfortunately our area is American Greetings cards, buy 3 get $3.00 ECB, limit 1. One! Boo!

$19.96 - Neutrogena TGel Shampoo @ $4.99/ea. x 4
$16.98 - Maybelline Concealer @ $8.49/ea. x 2
$9.97 - Zantac 150 Bonus Pack (30Ct+8Ct)
$3.98 - Excedrin Migraine 24 Ct @ $1.99/ea. x 2
$2.97 - American Greetings Cards @ $0.99/ea. x 3

Subtotal: $53.86

- $10.00 CVS Coupon ($10/$50)
- $2.00 CVS Zantac Coupon
- $2.00 Tgel Coupon (IP)
- $2.00 Tgel Coupon (IP)
- $1.00 Tgel Coupon (RP 12/7)
- $1.00 Tgel Coupon (RP 12/7)
- $3.00 Maybelline Coupon (RP 10/26)
- $3.00 Maybelline Coupon (RP 10/26)
- $5.00 Zantac Coupon (mail)
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon (IP)
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon (IP)

New Subtotal: $20.86

Used: $7.99 ECB, $5.00 ECB, $5.00 ECB, $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.87 + tax (cash)

Received: $5.00 ECB (tgel), $10.00 ECB (maybelline), $2.00 ECB (zantac), $3.00 ECB (cards)

This was a great transaction, since I use Zantac and Tgel daily. And both items are generally quite pricey! I received the $10 off $50 coupon from the in-store scanner, but it beeped at the register that it did not belong to my card. The numbers matched, so the cashier rescanned it. The second time it said the coupon had already been used! It took about 5 minutes for the shift supervisor to manually deduct $10. All of us were confused about that one! Thankfully it was at my friendly store with my favorite cashier. :)

I received my Huggies coupons in the mail today, so we ran to Rite Aid for a fantastic deal. Further deal details are after the next two transactions...

$25.00 - Huggies Wipes @ $2.50/box x 10

Subtotal: $25.00

- $5.00 Rite Aid Coupon ($5/$25 IP)
- $10.00 Huggies Coupons @ $1.00/ea. x 10

New Subtotal: $10.00

Paid OOP: $10.00 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $2.00 Huggies Rebate, $10.00 Kimberly Clark Rebate

This went smoothly, but our store was low on wipes. We ran to another store a few miles away and repeated the same transaction...

$25.00 - Huggies Wipes @ $2.50/box x 10

Subtotal: $25.00

- $5.00 Rite Aid Coupon ($5/$25 IP)
- $10.00 Huggies Coupons @ $1.00/ea. x 10

New Subtotal: $10.00

Paid OOP: $10.00 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $2.00 Huggies Rebate, $10.00 Kimberly Clark Rebate

A few details about this particular Rite Aid deal: I used the $1.00 bath & body coupons from the 1/11 Smart Source, not the $0.50 wipes coupon - no beeps! The sale tags at Rite Aid specify that only the 72-80 ct. tubs (natural care) are on sale for $2.50, but the 64 ct. tubs (soft skin & calming touch) ring up $2.50 as well. :) After all is said and done, I made $4.00 on this deal. The $2.00 Huggies rebate is for purchasing 2 Huggies products. The $10.00 rebate is for purchasing $25.00 worth of Kimberly Clark products (ie Huggies).

I went ahead and cashed out my very first month of Walgreens rebates. I checked the ads for next week and didn't see anything of interest. I hope to have my card in time for the February FAR deals. Next week should be good for CVS. I'm still doing my homework on next weeks deals. See you then!

2009-01-18T22:38:00.000-05:00

I missed out on several deals last week, because we've been too busy with another home improvement project. We spent 12+ hours on Saturday removing carpet and busting up tile; and another 6+ hours today finishing it up. We are exhausted. I managed to get a double paper today and around 3pm ventured out to CVS and Walgreens. To my surprise, everything I needed was on the shelves. Woo!

First up was CVS. I got so much stuff in one transaction that there are three pictures for this one scenario...

$12.00 - Pepsi 12 Pk. @ $3.00/ea. x 4
$12.00 - Reeses Whipps @ $0.50/ea. x 24
$9.98 - Throat Coolers @ $4.99/ea. x 2
$7.58 - CVS Allergy 5 Ct. @ $3.79/ea. x 2
$5.00 - Pepsi 2 Liters @ $1.25/ea. x 4
$5.00 - Gatorade @ $1.25/ea. x 4
$3.00 - Reeses Peanut Butter Cups @ $0.50/ea. x 6

Subtotal: $54.56

- $10.00 CVS Coupon ($10/$50)
- $12.00 Reeses Whipps Coupons ($1.00 off 2 x 12)
- $4.99 Throat Coolers B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $27.57

Used: $10.00 ECB, $10.00 ECB, $6.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.58 + tax (cash)

Received: $10.00 ECB (pepsi), $9.98 ECB (throat coolers), $7.58 ECB (allergy)

Will Receive: $5.00 CVS Gift Card for purchasing $15.00 worth of Hershey's candy, $15.00 in Pepsi coupons

I spent $26.99 in ECBs, but received $27.56 in ECBs back!! Plus the $5.00 gift card that I will receive in the mail someday. It was a great day at CVS. I have another $10 off $50 CVS coupon to use before the 23rd. I'll work on scenarios for that at work tomorrow. :)

Oh and the Pepsi deal is buy $20.00 get $10.00 in ECBs back. There is also a mail in offer on Pepsi products. Spend $15.00 on Pepsi/Fritos and receive $15.00 worth of coupons in the mail. (Click here for the PDF form.) EDIT! After reading the fine print, looks like I need to pick up some chips now, oops! I'll get those tomorrow. :)

My next (and last) store for the day was Walgreens. I'm getting more and more into their rebate program. Receipts I entered a few weeks ago were finally approved and since I selected a Walgreens gift card instead of a check, they added 10% of my total to the card! That's $5.00 for free! This is the best method for us, since we use Walgreens daily (it's right around the corner and open 24/7 - very convenient).

$15.92 - Ragu @ $1.99/ea. x 8
$2.49 - Vent Fresh Refill

Subtotal: $18.41

- $3.00 Rago Coupons ($0.75/2 x 4)
- $2.49 Vent Fresh Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.92

Paid OOP: $12.92 + tax

Received: $10.00 RR

This was my best deal of the day, since we use Ragu a lot! $2.92 (+ tax) for 8 jars of Ragu!?! Fantastic deal. I may attempt to put this towards the Pepsi deal at Walgreens for another $10.00 RR and roll it for more Ragu if they restock, there were only 10 jars on the shelf. The deal is buy 8 items (there were several products, not just Ragu) and receive $10.00 RR.

RR = Register Rewards. You can use these on your next purchases. You cannot roll RR's like you can with CVS's ECBs. If you use your RR to repeat the same deal, another RR will not print. That kind of sucks, but you can get creative and work around it.

I'm hoping to run by Rite Aid and/or CVS tomorrow, but we are expecting our floor installer right after work. He is going to assess our area and confirm the quote. Unfortunately our foundation isn't in great shape. We're crossing our fingers that additional prep work will not exceed a couple hundred dollars. :(

2009-01-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

These are from the past few days. Ran into a few minor issues with ill informed cashiers. :/ I love how the "store policies" change from day-to-day and from cashier-to-cashier.

CVS stuff...

$4.99 - Throat Cooler
$4.99 - Throat Cooler
$6.99 - L'Oreal HIP Eye Shadow Duo
$6.99 - L'Oreal HIP Eye Shadow Duo

Subtotal: $23.96

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $4.99 Throat Cooler B1G1F Coupon
- $2.00 L'Oreal Coupon
- $2.00 L'Oreal Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.97

Used: $5.00 ECB & $1.98 ECB & $4.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.63 (tax only!)

Received: $9.98 ECB (throat coolers x 2), $7.00 ECB (HIP), $7.00 ECB (HIP)

I had a raincheck for the L'Oreal HIP Eye Shadow Duos from the 12/21 sale. They didn't automatically print when I paid, but the manager was able to manually print them out for me. Worked like a charm.

$18.00 - Stayfree Pads @ $4.50/ea. x 4
$12.00 - SoyJoy 6 Pk. @ $6.00/ea. x 2
$3.00 - Bandaids

Subtotal: $33.00

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon
- $3.00 SoyJoy Coupon

New Subtotal: $18.00

Used: 9.98 ECB & $7.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $1.02 + tax (cash)

Received: $10.00 ECB (stayfree), $12.00 ECB (soyjoy)

$14.95 - Listerine 500mL @ $2.99/ea. x 5
$3.27 - Kotex Bonus Pack
$3.49 - Lasagna (not pictured)
$0.99 - Cheetos (not pictured)

Subtotal: $22.70

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Kotex Coupon

New Subtotal: $18.70

Used: $12.00 ECB & $6.70 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.14 tax only!

Received: $15.00 ECB (listerine), $2.00 ECB (kotex)

(I basically got lunch for free, hehe!) The listerine was also a raincheck from the 12/21 sale. Again it was manually printed after the transaction. I guess they round up the ECBs for these, not sure. She clumped them into one large $15 ECB, so that'll be fun to figure out how to use! I still have a raincheck left for 5 Right Guard deodorents, that'll be a $30.00 ECB! Yikes.

Next stop was Walgreens. I was checking out just fine until the "photo specialist" girl walked by and was like "No! Limit 1!" - apparently from yesterday until today, the deal on the Garnier has changed to one per person. Not even per purchase/transaction, but PER PERSON. What?! I tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen. This kind of thing drives me insane! Stores need to properly train their employees so they are all on the same page!

$2.99 - Garnier Shampoo
$8.49 - Orajel Medication
$1.99 - Index Cards

Subtotal: $13.47

- $2.00 WAGS Garnier Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.47

Paid OOP: $10.47 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $8.49 Orajel Rebate

Since I still have 5 Garnier coupons left, I ran by Rite Aid to try to find a specific styling product for a friend of mine. Only two were found. Still have 3 Garnier coupons, maybe I can try them out tomorrow at another Walgreens though.

$3.00 - Garnier Melting Conditioner
$3.00 - Garnier Melting Conditioner

Subtotal: $6.00

- $1.00 Garnier Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $4.00

Paid OOP: $4.00 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $4.00 Garnier Rebate

I hope next week is just as busy! I wanted to do the SoyJoy deal at Rite Aid, but the shelf was completely emptied. Boo! Wish I would have noticed that deal earlier in the week. Oh well. Plenty of SoyJoy to come courtesy of CVS next week. ;)

2009-01-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

Since this is our off season at work, I have plenty of time to work out scenarios. :) Which brings me to this entry! Another update this week and more Garnier. I started out at CVS...

$4.50 - Stayfree Pads
$4.50 - Stayfree Pads
$4.50 - Stayfree Pads
$4.50 - Stayfree Pads
$3.00 - Bandaids
$2.99 - Garnier Shampoo

Subtotal: $23.99

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.99

Used: $5.99 ECB & $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.70 (all tax!)

Received: $2.00 ECB (garnier), $10.00 ECB (stayfree/bandaid)

My next CVS transaction was botched. I have rainchecks from the huge 12/21 free-after-ecb two day sale they had. Well the store refused to accept the rainchecks, claiming they weren't allowed to give rainchecks for that sale. Funny, since corporate told me otherwise. I didn't push it though, they were very friendly about it all, just misinformed. I was originally getting the 2 HIP L'Oreal eyeshadows for $6.99 get $6.99 ECBs, but I put them back when the raincheck was refused. (I'll retry at another store tomorrow.) Since the husband wanted his candy, I still checked out with the other item I had.

$1.99 - Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares
$2.99 - Garnier Shampoo

Subtotal: $4.98

- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.98

Used: $0.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $3.98 + tax (cash)

Received: $2.00 ECB (garnier)

Meh, what can you do. Win some, lose some. I never cause a scene over something like that. I don't want to be one of those couponers. I want my cashiers to like me and not bitch and moan throughout a transaction. ;) So far so good!

Next up was Rite Aid; who is also doing the Garnier deal! Every single drug store is doing the Garnier deal this week, interesting!

$3.00 - Garnier Shampoo
$3.00 - Garnier Shampoo

Subtotal: $6.00

- $1.00 Garnier Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $4.00

Paid OOP: $4.00 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $4.00 Rebate

While grabbing the shampoo we noticed an end cap with a a fleece blanket sale! We picked up four of these 50"x60" fleece blankets for $10.00! Not bad at all! Especially since our three small dogs love them!

Next and final stop was Walgreens. I found a few more Garnier coupons and I wanted to see if they had restocked on any FAR items yet.

$2.99 - Garnier Shampoo
$5.98 - Garnier Mousse @ $2.99/ea. x 2
$8.97 - Garnier Hair Gel @ $2.99/ea. x 3
$1.69 - Reynolds Wrap
$0.99 - Plastic Forks
$4.99 - Vent Fresh Air Freshener

Subtotal: $25.61

- $12.00 Walgreens Garnier ESC ($2/ea x 6)
- $0.70 Walgreens Reynolds Coupon
- $6.00 Garnier Coupons ($1/ea x 6)

New Subtotal: $6.91

Paid OOP: $6.91 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $4.99 Walgreens Rebate (vent fresh) & $4.99 MIR (vent fresh)

I read on a few forums that 7th Generation cleaners were on clearance at Walgreens stores for $1.19. I printed out two coupons for $1.00 off any cleaner just in case. Sure enough, our store has a shelf full of the cleaners!

$1.19 - 7th Generation All-Purpose Cleaner
$1.19 - 7th Generation All-Purpose Cleaner

Subtotal: $2.38

- $1.00 7th Gen. Coupon
- $1.00 7th Gen. Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.38

Paid OOP: $0.38 + tax (cash)

WOW! Can't beat that! Especially for those expensive 'green' cleaners. Not only that, but with the purchase, a catalina coupon printed out. $1.00 off any two cleaners. Not as good as my $1.00 off 1 cleaner, but still nice! :)

In the mail today I received my order from Rosas Candles. The lady who use to run Hoffmans Candles now works for this place. When they offered a free shipping deal, I took advantage of it and placed an order for some of my favorite scents of theirs.

$0.99 - Coconut Cream Pie Brick Tart
$1.98 - Cinnamon Buns Brick Tart @ $0.99/ea. x 2
$0.85 - Pineapple Supreme Donut Tarts (2)
$0.85 - Pineapple Supreme Mini Tarts (3)

Subtotal: $4.67

Paid: $4.67 total!

On my receipt is a handwritten note that they had sold out of the second Cinnamon Buns brick tart, so they sent me 3 large regular cinnamon buns tarts. Works for me. And they shipped via Priority Mail! Which cost $4.65. I'm not sure how that worked out! Now if only they would bring back Pineapple Coconut. Actually I wish Scentsy would add that scent to their list!! ;)

2009-01-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said to stay tuned? Yeah, well check this out!!

Ran to CVS to do this weeks deals. Since it's the last day of the week, I was surprised to find most of what I was looking for.

$10.49 - Glucerna Shakes 6 Pk.
$8.99 - Schick Quattro Razor
$2.99 - Colgate Total Toothpaste

Subtotal: $22.47

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $4.00 Schick Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $10.00 Glucerna Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.97

Used: $2.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.98 + tax (cash)

Received: $5.00 ECB (schick), $2.00 ECB (colgate)

$14.99 - Contour Meter
$10.49 - Glucerna Shakes 6 Pk.
$8.99 - Excedrin Express Gels 100 Ct.
$4.79 - Excedrin Back & Back 24 Ct
$4.79 - Excedrin Back & Back 24 Ct
$2.99 - Colgate Total Toothpaste

Subtotal: $47.04

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $14.99 Contour Coupon
- $10.00 Glucerna Coupon
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.55

Used: $5.99 ECB & $5.56 ECB

Paid OOP: tax only! (cash)

Received: $5.00 ECB (glucerna), $2.00 ECB (colgate), $5.00 (contour)

Now I was suppose to received $10.00 ecb's for spending $20.00 on Excedrin products. However I didn't notice until I had left the store and was sitting in the laundromat. Then I realized that the $10.29 box of Excedrin rang up as $8.99 instead?! On top of that, my receipt said I only had $10.42 towards the $20.00 deal, when clearly I had spent $18.57 towards it.

Later this evening we went back to CVS. I picked up another Excedrin box - and remembered to use the $2.50 CVS pain meds CRT I had!

$10.29 - Excedrin Express Gels 100Ct.
$7.99 - NasoGel Drip Spray
$1.79 - Pepsi 2 Liter

Subtotal: $20.07

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $2.50 CVS Coupon ($2.50 off $10 pain meds)
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.57

Used: $6.99 ECB & $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.58 + tax (cash)

Received: $7.99 ECB (nasogel)

Gee, I didn't get my $10.00 Excedrin ECB AGAIN! Since they can now manually push through ECBS at the register, I pointed it out to the cashier. I also showed them my receipt from earlier (with ecbs still intact to show that I did not receive them). It took about 10 minutes to explain the math to two different cashiers. They kept insisting I needed to spend another $0.13. Yes, thirteen CENTS. I was like...no...I spent...

$4.79 + $4.79 + $8.99 + $10.29 = 28.86 !!!

After dumbing it down, they finally pushed it through and printed out my $10.00 ECBs. A very simple process, but wow...they need some basic math lessons. Heh. I also wonder why the exact same box of Excedrin rang up $10.29 (correct price) the second time, but only $8.99 the first time. Very odd!

I also wanted to make a note about our trip to the laundromat. We have a washer and dryer in our house, but our king size comforter set doesn't fit. I called around to some dry cleaners and they told me anywhere from $45 to $75 to clean the set! We used the commercial washer for $6.00 and commercial dryer for $1.25 at the laundromat. So a total of $7.25 and an hour of our time saved us at least $37.75. :) We were able to fit two huge comforters in that washer, with plenty of room to spare. I think you could get at least 4 in there!

Now for the BEST deal in awhile...FREEBIES! All at Walgreens! :) I went at 12:35am and did the first two transactions, then later today to do the others.

$11.96 - Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner @ $2.99/ea. x 4
$2.99 - Garnier Hair Putty
$1.69 - Reynolds Wrap

Subtotal: $16.64

- $10.00 Walgreens Garnier ESC ($2/ea x 5)
- $5.00 Garnier Coupons ($1/ea. x 5)

New Subtotal: $1.64

Paid OOP: $1.64 + tax (cash)

This was my 'tester' transaction to make sure the Garnier deal was working flawlessly. The Reynolds Wrap should have been $0.99, but I didn't catch it at first. I also didn't want to make a big deal about it so I could do a second transaction without any hassle. :)

$41.86 - Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner @ $2.99/ea. x 14
$5.98 - Garnier Mousse @ $2.99/ea. x 2
$5.98 - Garnier Hair Putty @ $2.99/ea. x 2
$3.49 - Electrasol Tablets 20 Ct.

Subtotal: $57.31

- $36.00 Walgreens Garnier ESC ($2/ea. x 18)
- $18.00 Garnier Coupons ($1/ea. x 18)
- $2.50 Electrasol Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.81

Paid OOP: $0.81 + tax (cash)

Will Receive: $1.50 FAR for Electrasol (profit!!)

YAYAYAY!! This deal was very exciting for me. Usually when something this good comes along, everyone on the forums and a friend of mine can do it just fine, but I get stuck with a huge hassle of a transaction! The cashier I had was very kind and patient and scanned through everything without a hitch!

I went back this morning around 10:30am and to my surprise, they had a ton of Garnier products on the shelves (in three different places; end cap, aisle, beauty section). Plus my favorite cashier was working! On top of that, the husband found more $1.00 off Garnier coupons on a display.

$47.84 - Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner @ $2.99/ea. x 16
$5.98 - Garnier Mousse @ $2.99/ea. x 2
$8.97 - Garnier Hair Surf @ $2.99/ea. x 3
$3.59 - Cottonelle Wipes

Subtotal: $66.38

- $42.00 Walgreens Garnier ESC ($2/ea. x 21)
- $1.60 Walgreens Cottonelle ESC
- $21.00 Garnier Coupons
- $1.00 Cottonelle Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.78

Paid OOP: $0.78 + tax (cash)

INCREDIBLE! After this I didn't plan on doing anymore today. I noticed the unfriendly manager lady starting to follow me around. The husband convinced me to just go in and finish it already. So we did. When I went to the counter of my favorite cashier, she said the manager just told her I could only get $2.00 off 1 item. I was said I've done this before and plus the ESC automatically deducts $2.00 from every item purchased, not just one. If they only wanted it off one product, then they'd reprogram their computers. The lady said no problem, she'd do it anyway. :)

$29.99 - Garnier Shampoo/Conditioner @ $2.99/ea. x 10
$17.94 - Garnier Full Control Hair Spray @ $2.99/ea. x 6
$14.95 - Garnier Mousse @ $2.99/ea. x 5
$8.97 - Garnier Frizz Control @ $2.99/ea. x 3
$5.98 - Garnier Reg. Hair Spray @ $2.99/ea. x 2
$2.99 - Garnier Hair Gel
$2.99 - Garnier Surf Hair
$1.69 - Reynolds Wrap

Subtotal: $85.50

- $56.00 Walgreens Garnier ESC ($2/ea. x 28)
- $28.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $1.50

Paid OOP: $1.50 + tax (cash)

And now I'm absolutely exhausted. :) I haven't even looked at the weekly Rite Aid or CVS deals! Be sure to get a Sunday Paper today, there are 5 coupon inserts!

2008-12-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

I put together several scenarios for a bunch of stores I wanted to go to tonight. Unfortunately it was one of those frustrating times when everything seems to go wrong!

First stop was Kroger. I signed up for the P&G Esaver which adds coupons directly onto your Kroger Plus Card. When it scans, it's suppose to automatically deduct those coupons; this did not work for me. Not one cent came off thanks to that program. Anyway...

$8.99 - Bounty Paper Towels 8 Pk.
$19.99 - Iams 20lb Dog Food
$6.00 - Always Pads
$6.00 - Always Pads
$5.99 - Downy Fabric Softener
$3.49 - Cascade

Subtotal: $50.46

- $5.00 Kroger P&G Sale ($5/$25)
- $5.00 Kroger P&G Sale ($5/$25)
- $1.00 Iams Coupon
- $1.00 Always Coupon
- $1.00 Always Coupon
- $1.00 Cascade Coupon
- $1.00 Downy Coupon
- $0.50 Bounty Coupon

New Subtotal: $34.96

Paid OOP: $34.96 + tax

Now if my card coupons would have worked, my total would have been $25.xx + tax! I'm irked about it. This is the second time I've tried to use the card coupons and they have not worked. I won't bother with it again. However I did spent $50.00 on P&G products! So I can mail off my receipt and get the $120.00 booklet of coupons! Plus it's stuff I needed and will use.

After Kroger we ran to a new Walgreens that recently opened up. I went in looking for the 2 for $8 Listerines. I grabbed the ones on the shelf that were with the sale tag and went to check out. I had the rudest cashier ever. I grabbed the wrong bottles (they were mislabeled, not really my fault). I began to walk away to go get the right ones when the cashier turned to a friend of mine (she didn't know he was with me) and to other customers in line and said "wow what a bitch!" - !!! I was not rude. I hadn't done a thing wrong! I was so upset we just left. My husband went back in and got her name. I've already sent off an email to corporate. I also won't be visiting that store ever again.

At this point I felt completely defeated and just wanted to go home. The husband said to give our Walgreens a shot. I'm glad we did. I love the employees at my store! They are so sweet. I spoke to my favorite employee for a bit, she works the beauty counter. She was telling me about the Revlon FAR. :) This is what I did at that store...

$4.00 - Listerine Whitening
$4.00 - Listerine Whitening

Subtotal: $8.00

- $1.00 Listerine Coupon
- $1.00 Listerine Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.00

Paid OOP: $6.00 + tax

Received: $4.50 RR

$4.99 - Revlon Matte Blue Eye Shadow

Subtotal: $4.99

- $4.50 Walgreens RR

New Subtotal: $0.49

Paid OOP: $0.49 + tax

Will Receive: $4.99 Rebate :)

For some reason it completely escaped me that I had a $2.00 Revlon coupon to use! The other FAR item was out of stock, but I could have easily found a filler! Oh well. I may go back and get the green eye shadow, love the bright colors!

Last stop was Rite Aid. After the September Cover Girl debacle with that store I was afraid of what would happen. Thankfully it went smoothly!

$9.39 - Cover Girl Tru Blend Foundation
$9.39 - Cover Girl Tru Blend Foundation
$3.39 - Cover Girl Black Eye Shadow
$3.39 - Cover Girl Lime Eye Shadow
$3.50 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner
$3.50 - Pantene Shampoo/Conditioner

Subtotal: $32.56

- $9.39 Rite Aid Cover Girl B1G1F
- $3.39 Rite Aid Cover Girl B1G1F
- $9.39 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $3.39 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $3.00 Pantene Coupon

New Subtotal: $4.00

Used: $2.65 gift card

Paid OOP: $1.35 + tax

Will Receive: $3.00 Rebate for Pantene

Also in the mail today I received another Charlie Brown DVD thanks to the Voila! offer. This is the 2nd one I've received! And I'm awaiting a third. :) The offer was to send in 3 proofs of purchases from Voila! meals. Well I scored about 12 bags of Voila! for $3.00 during a Publix sale awhile ago. :)

The wonderful husband picked me up another white storage shelf from Lowes today. It was on sale for $19.99, plus he got 10% off. Not bad. Those shelves don't seem to go on sale very often. While I took a shower he set it up and reorganized my stockpile for me!

Last weekend we moved my stockpile from the guest bedroom into the "lego room". I need to reclaim the guest bedroom. My poor sister had to sleep on the couch when she stayed over a few nights ago.

This is all my free make-up, samples, razors, toothpastes, etc! Oh and most of my Legos can be see in the bins on the left, lol. Hopefully next week my new shelf will start filling up. ;) Stay tuned...

2008-12-21T15:16:00.000-05:00

(Updated this entry!) Today was a GREAT CVS deals day! Lots of items free after ECB. I did have a bunch of scenarios planned out that I had worked hard on for several days. Yeah, well, I left my list at work. :( But in the end, I think I did OK! My ECB profits were minimal, because along with my scenario list, I left all the coupons at work as well. Arg!

$3.99 - Excedrin Express Gels 20 Ct.
$2.99 - Listerine 500mL
$2.99 - Arm & Hammer Cleaner
$6.99 - L'Oreal Hip Eye Shadow Duo

Subtotal: $16.96

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)

New Subtotal: $13.96

Used: $4.97 ECB & $8.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.00!! NOTHING! Not even tax?!

Received: $2.99 ECB (listerine), $3.99 ECB (excedrin), $2.99 ECB (arm & hammer), $6.99 ECB (l'oreal)

Profit: $3.00 :)

$4.99 - Zantac 150 8 Ct.
$5.99 - Sally Nail Enamel
$2.99 - Listerine 500mL
$2.99 - Listerine 500mL

Subtotal: $16.96

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)

New Subtotal: $13.96

Used: $9.99 ECB & $2.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.98 + tax

Received: $4.99 ECB (zantac), $5.99 ECB (sally), $5.98 (listerine)

Profit: $3.00 :)

$5.99 - Zipfizz 3 Ct.
$5.99 - Sally Nail Enamel
$2.99 - Listerine 500mL
$2.99 - Arm & Hammer Cleaner

Subtotal: $17.96

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)

New Subtotal: $14.96

Used: $10.00 ECB & $3.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.97 + tax

Received: $5.99 ECB (zipfizz), $5.99 ECB (sally), $2.99 ECB (listerine), $2.99 ECB (arm & hammer)

Profit: $3.00 :)

$8.49 - Sleepinal 32 Ct.
$6.99 - L'Oreal Eye Shadow Duo
$2.69 - Skintimate Shave Gel
$2.99 - Listerine 500mL

Subtotal: $21.16

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $2.69 Skintimate Coupon

New Subtotal: $15.47

Used: $9.99 ECB & $4.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.49 + tax

Received: $8.49 ECB (sleepinal), $6.99 ECB (l'oreal), $2.99 ECB (listerine)

Profit: $3.00 :)

So overall I made $12.00 in ECBs and spent exactly $2.80 out of pocket (cash). So technically that leaves with me a $9.20 profit and a load of free stuff. The sale continues until tomorrow, so I'll check out the stores by work and see if they have any of the items my store was sold out of. I'm happy with what I got though!

Also ran to Publix to get some groceries. The only deals were...

$4.99 - 9 Lives Cat Food 3.15lbs
$8.99 - Intuition Refills 3 Ct.

I had FREE coupons for both items, so they were FREE. :)

Edit: Went back to the same CVS store after I found some coupons! Unfortunately I didn't have any ECBs to start up with (they are all expired), so I came up with a scenario to make my oop about $5. However the store was completely sold out of the L'Oreal Eye Duos - which I needed! Funny since an hour before they had plenty! I had to rework my deals and spent more oop than I wanted...

$2.59 - Halls Natural Drops
$5.99 - Sally Nail Enamel
$5.99 - Sally Nail Enamel
$1.29 - Icebreakers Gum
$1.29 - Icebreakers Gum

Subtotal: $17.15

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.29 Icebreakers B1G1F Coupon
- $0.50 Halls Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.36

Paid OOP: $12.36 + tax

Received: $2.59 ECB (halls), $11.98 ECB (sally)

The cashiers jaw nearly hit the counter when she saw I was paying for the order in cash and not ECBs lol. With this order I received a coupon on my receipt for $5.00 off a $15.00 order! Woo! But it was good for only 3 days, so I figured I'd roll it now.

$5.99 - Zipfizz 3 Ct.
$4.99 - Zantac 150 8 Ct.
$3.99 - Excedrin Express Gels 20 Ct.
$5.99 - Energizer 8 Ct. AA Batteries

Subtotal: $20.96

- $5.00 CVS Coupon ($5/$15)
- $1.00 Energizer Coupon

New Subtotal: $14.96

Used: $11.98 ECB & $2.59 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.39 + tax (cash)

Received: $5.99 ECB (zipfizz), ECB (zantac), $3.99 ECB (excedrin)

We need batteries, so I did a 3rd transaction to finish out the Energizer buy $15 get $5 ECB deal.

$5.99 - Energizer 8 Ct. AA Batteries
$5.99 - Energizer 8 Ct. AA Batteries

Subtotal: $11.98

- $1.00 Energizer Coupon
- $1.00 Energizer Coupon

New Subtotal: $9.98

Used: $5.99 ECB & $3.99 ECB

Paid OOP: only tax - $0.14! :P

Received: $5.00 ECB (energizer)

Woot. The end!

2008-12-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

A few small deals today. First stop, CVS...

$9.99 - Nova Max Monitor
$9.99 - Earinse 1 oz.
$5.79 - Maybelline Lip Gloss
$5.79 - Maybelline Lip Gloss

Subtotal: $31.56

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ( $3/$15)
- $5.79 CVS Maybelline B1G1F
- $4.00 Maybelline Coupon
- $4.00 Maybelline Coupon

New Subtotal: $14.77

Used: $8.99 ECB & $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.78 (no tax??)

Received: $9.99 ECB (monitor) & $9.99 (earinse)

The store manager checked me out, she is so nice. She put both Maybelline coupons through just fine, and I received the overage! Not sure why there was no tax. Tax isn't listed at all on my receipt.

I received an email coupon from Bath & Body Works today, so I ran by...

$3.50 - Brown Sugar & Fig Shower Gel (travel size)
$1.50 - Cucumber Melon Hand Gel

Subtotal: $5.00

- $3.50 B&BW Coupon (free travel size w/any purchase)

New Subtotal: $1.50

Paid $1.61 after tax and did this transaction twice. :) I was happy to find Brown Sugar & Fig, even if it was only the small version. I love that scent.

As we left I saw Petsmart and was reminded I needed some crickets for the chameleons. Did I mention that my female chameleon, Lily, was a model for Home Depot recently? I was contacted through a website the day before the photoshoot. Very last minute, but we did it! And the result? Well we were paid $150.00!! And she'll have a full page spread in their February catalog (I'll post it when I get a copy). It was a fun experience!

Anyhow, buying crickets at Petsmart for $0.11 each reminded me that I need to buy my crickets in bulk online. I paid $13 for 1000 crickets at the Reptile Expo in October and that last over a month! Much better than $5 every other day for 50 crickets! So this is my not-a-deal picture. :)

2008-12-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, over a month since I updated! I didn't go out in November at all. I was sick for about three weeks with a nasty cold. When I get sick, I'm out of it for weeks. Shopping was the last thing I wanted to do, nevermind trying to put together scenarios!

All better now though. All of my ECBs were expiring December 4th, so I ran to CVS to try to use them up. I wanted to roll them, but figured I wouldn't get any good deals so the plan was to just get things I needed. To my surprise, rolling them was quite easy!

$2.50 - Febreeze Air Effects
$2.50 - Febreeze Air Effects
$4.99 - Extreme Energy Drinks
$8.99 - Complete Multi-Purpose Solution

Subtotal: $18.98

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)

New Subtotal: $15.98

Used: $5.00 ECB & $5.00 ECB & $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.98 + tax

Received: $4.99 ECB (energy), $8.99 ECB (solution), $10.00 ECB (survey)

I forgot I had taken a survey last month through the CVS panel, so that was a nice surprise!

I did one more transaction to use up the last of my expiring ECBs...

$2.50 - Febreeze Air Effects
$2.50 - Febreeze Air Effects
$8.99 - Complete Multi-Purpose Solution
$8.99 - Zantac (not pictured)

Subtotal: $22.98

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $5.00 Zantac Coupon
- $1.00 Febreeze Coupon
- $1.00 Febreeze Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.98

Used: $9.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $2.99 + tax

Received: $5.00 (febreeze), $8.99 (solution), $2.00 (zantac)

This OOP was much higher than normal. My husband checked out with this order and I was busy chatting with the store manager and didn't notice. Otherwise I would have found the gift card I have (and also forgot to use on my purchase). Either way, I still did decently for going in without a plan!

Today we had a few errands to run and I remembered that I had three Bath & Body Works coupons, two of which were expiring. So here are the transactions we did there...

$10.00 - Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap x 3
$6.00 - 2 in 1 Lip Stain & Gloss

Subtotal: $16.00

- $6.00 B&BW Coupon (free lip item up to $12 with any purchase)

New Subtotal: $10.00 + tax

I absolutely love these soaps! Sadly the store didn't have any scents I wanted (white tea & ginger or brown sugar & fig)!! I left with freshwater cucumber, cherry blossom and warm vanilla sugar. The gloss is cherry. Next up...

$10.50 - Warm Vanilla Sugar Shower Gel
$1.50 - Warm Vanilla Sugar Hand Gel

Subtotal: $12.00

- $10.50 B&BW Coupon (free item up to $13 with any purchase)

New Subtotal: $1.50 + tax

Can't beat that! I received that coupon card in the mail. :) What a bargain. The $1.50 soaps were the cheapest in the store. The sample sizes that I prefer are now $3.50 and up, what a rip! And they no longer have bars of soap, grrr. One more...

$12.00 - Lip Color & Scrub (Coconut Truffle/Brown Sugar Scrub)
$1.50 - Sweat Pea Hand Gel

Subtotal: $13.50

- $12.00 B&BW Coupon (free lip item up to $12 with any purchase)

New Subtotal: $1.50 + tax

Woot. So, yay for all of that. I should have more updates this week, we'll see. About to check out my drug store fliers now. :) Have a good week!

2008-11-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

Wow it's been awhile since I've updated. And no, I haven't had any deals to report until now! A bit sad. CVS was out of everything I needed for several weeks and I was not allowed a raincheck. I have to call corporate tomorrow about missing ECB, so I'll be sure to complain about the raincheck problem as well.

I have been receiving a ton of freebies in the mail! I'll put the mail bag updates at the end of this post. :) For now, here's two orders I did at CVS tonight before even more of my ECBs expired, grrr.

$9.99 - Nova Max Diabetes Meter
$10.00 - Ice Breakers Gum x 10 @ $1.00/ea.

Subtotal: $19.99

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Ice Breakers Coupon
- $1.00 Ice Breakers Coupon
- $1.00 Ice Breakers Coupon
- $1.00 Ice Breakers Coupon
- $1.00 Ice Breakers Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.99

Used: $10.00 ECB & $1.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.99 + tax (gift card)

Received: $9.99 ECB (meter), $5.00 ECB (gum)

$10.00 - Pampers Diapers Sz. 3
$10.00 - Pampers Diapers Sz. 3
$12.00 - Olay Body Wash x 2 @ $6.00/ea.
$3.49 - Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste

Subtotal: $35.49

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $10.00 Pampers Coupon
- $10.00 Pampers Coupon
- $1.00 Crest Coupon
- $2.00 Olay Coupon
- $2.00 Olay Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.49

Used: $4.98 ECB & $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.51 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (pampers), $5.00 ECB (olay)

Should have received $3.49 ECB for the Crest, but it did not print. I double checked the ad and the item and I did purchase the correct one. Arg. How annoying. I also forgot to return the razors I purchased that week that rang up incorrectly and also did not print ECBs. CVS has become increasingly annoying.

Alright, here's a list of things I've received in the mail!

Free Coca-cola 20oz - 3 (mycokerewards)
Free Powerade 32oz - 2 (mycokerewards)

Luvs $5.00 Off Coupon
Starbucks 2 Free Drinks
Free Windex Product up to $3.50
Colgate sent me an envelope stuffed with various coupons, all under $1.00.
Dole sent me a pineapple recipe book and several coupons, plus a free one.
Stride sent a free pack of gum.
Voila!sent a Free product coupon + various cents off coupons.
Kotex sent two $1.50 off any product coupons.
Bumble Bee sent 2 free product coupons and 2 cents off coupons.
Pepperidge Farm sent 2 free product coupons, 2 cents off coupons and recipe book.
Del Monte sent a variety of 50 cent off coupons.
Ragu sent me a bunch of coupons for products OTHER than Ragu and then only a single 50 cent off Ragu coupon, lol.
Oscar Mayer free product coupon
Avery sent me a huge envelope with an entire box of address labels! WOO.

Pinecone Research - $9.00
SUV Market Research - $350.00
Bzz Agent - Truck campaign crap.

Rite Aid - $10.00 Gift Card for the buy $30 P&G deal - which I didn't do, but something I bought for $5 apparently qualified me for it, woohoo.

2008-10-19T18:17:00.000-04:00

My email project has been very successful. I still have several more companies to email, but once it's completed I'll upload my data chart. :) This past week I received the following...(mail bag)...

Schick Intuition Razor or Refill FREE x 1
Pampers $10.00 Off x 3 (!!!)
Skintimate Shave Gel FREE x 1
A coupon booklet for J&J products.

I'm sure there's more. I'll edit the list this evening when I sort everything out. Today I ran to CVS to do a few deals. It seems like they are sticking with the 2-day only ECB deals. :/ VERY annoying. Especially when they are sold out by 2pm on Sundays!! (Oh and none of the CVS stores have restocked on the Wellpatches that are a monthly ECB deal.) Anyway...

$9.99 - Listerine Whitening Pen
$3.99 - G.U.M. Toothbrush 2 Pk.
$1.69 - 32oz. Powerade
$1.29 - Brach's Autumn Mix Candy 10oz.

Subtotal - $16.96

- $3.00 Listerine Coupon
- $1.00 Powerade Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.96

Used: $10.00 ECB & $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.96 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (listerine), $3.99 (g.u.m), $1.29 (brachs), $1.69 (powerade)

CVS is running a buy $25 worth of specific baby products, get $10 ecbs. Perfect time to use my Huggies FREE coupons! But of course with my luck, I misplaced one of the free coupons. I still made it work...

$9.99 - Huggies Jumbo Pack Sz. 3
$9.99 - Huggies Jumbo Pack Sz. 3
$2.99 - J&J Baby Shampoo
$2.99 - J&J Baby Shampoo
$1.99 - Excedrin Express Gels 20 ct.

Subtotal - $27.95

- $3.00 CVS Excedrin Coupon
- $9.99 Huggies Coupon
- $3.00 Huggies Coupon
- $1.00 J&J Coupon
- $1.00 J&J Coupon
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon

New Subtotal - $7.96

Now this is how the transaction should have been, but instead the cashier and assistant manager messed around with my IP coupons, since one did not scan. This is how they rang it up.

Subtotal - $27.95

- $3.00 CVS Excedrin Coupon
- $9.99 Huggies Coupon
- $3.00 Huggies Coupon
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon (manually entered)
- $2.00 Excedrin Coupon (manually entered)
- $1.00 J&J Coupon (manually entered)
- $2.00 J&J Coupon (manually entered)

New Subtotal: $4.96

Used: $2.00 ECB & $1.69 ECB

Paid OOP: $1.27 + tax (gift card)

Received: $10.00 ECB (huggies)

After that we ran to another CVS only to find that they were sold out of practically everything I had on my scenario list. I did notice they had double edition Sunday papers though! So I put together a small deal...

$2.50 - Sunday Paper
$1.69 - 32oz. Powerade
$1.29 - Brachs Candy
$1.29 - Brachs Candy

Subtotal: $6.77

- $1.00 Powerade Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.77

Used: $4.98 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.79 + tax (gift card)

Received: $1.69 (powerade), $1.29 (brachs), $1.29 (brachs)

Afterwards we decided to make fajitas for dinner. I have chicken, but it's frozen and we aren't patient enough to defrost it. So we ran to Publix to pick up some fresh boneless chicken. Since our order was over $10.00 I went ahead and picked up the penny item for this week.

Greenwise Bathroom Tissue 4 Pk.

Saturday afternoon the husband was on his way home from work when he decided to stop by an estate sale. They had tons of fish, reptile and bird supplies. He came home, picked me up and we ran over there. I was able to score a good bit of stuff I actually needed!

$5.00 - 10 Gallon Aquarium with lid, light, heater, faux plant and two bowls.
$0.25 - Basking Bulb
$0.25 - Basking Bulb
$1.00 - Air Pump (not pictured)

$6.50 TOTAL!!

To give you an idea of what a great deal this is...those basking bulbs are $14.99 each at Petsmart. Those bowls are $5.99 and $8.99 at Petsmart. The air pump is $12.99 at Petsmart. And the tank with lid is roughly $49.99 and the cheapest I found it on craigslist was $30.00 - and that was severely cracked. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the purchase.

I need to tank to house crickets, since I want to buy in bulk. Lily is growing fast! We're going to be attending a reptile expo soon and plan to purchase crickets and silkworms in bulk + quite possibly a male chameleon. ;) But only if we're able to put together a cheap enough cage before then. I like a challenge!

2008-10-05T23:49:00.000-04:00

Edit: I forgot to post my mail bag list! I started a little project a few weeks ago. Results are finally starting to pour in. Here's what I have received in the mail recently...

Any Ziploc Product Up To $3.00 FREE x 2
$2.00 Off Any Tidy Cats Product x 2
Any Huggies Jumbo Diaper Pack FREE x 2
$3.00 Off Any Huggies Product x 1
$1.00 Off Any Barber Foods Chicken Product x 1
$1.00 Off Any 2 Barber Foods Chicken Product x 1
$1.25 Off Any WD-40 Product
Any Breyers Product Free Up To $7.00 x 1
$0.50 Off Any Peter Pan Product
$5.00 Off Any Zantac Product x 2
Any Pledge Product Up To $5.00 FREE x 1
$1.00 Off Any Energizer Product x 2
$2.00 Off Any Tide Product x 1
$2.00 Off Any Venus Razor x 1
$2.00 Off Any 4ct. or 8ct. Venus Refills x 1
Any Tide Product Up To $16.00 FREE x 1

Right Guard (Dial Corp.) sent a coupon booklet and said I can request one every three months. * 35¢ off any Dial product
* 50¢ off any liquid or dry Purex detergent
* 40¢ off any Renuzit product except candles
* 35¢ off any Right Guard product
* 35¢ off any Soft & Dri product
* 50¢ off any Soft Scrub product

Also received a little box via UPS this morning that included a full bottle of Reptocal! Free! I emailed Tetrafaune after the calcium supplements I purchased for Lily exploded all over me. Wonderful company!

I had several coupons expiring today, so I ventured around town this evening once the husband got home this evening. Unfortunately my four $2.25 Electrasol coupons went to waste, because nowhere had a decent price on them. Target was $4.79, Wal-Mart was $4.49. ?!?? Not long ago the same exact package was $2.79!! Ridiculous. Anyway, only CVS deals to post about...

$5.99 - Wellpatch Arthritis
$2.99 - CVS Vitamin D-400
$2.99 - Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste
$2.99 - Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste
$0.79 - Twix (not pictured, nom nom nom!)

Subtotal: $15.75

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.75

Used: $9.99 ECB & $0.50 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.26 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.99 ECB (wellpatch), $2.99 ECB (vitamin), $4.00 ECB (colgate)

I made this purchase last Thursday. While taking pictures I noticed the Wellpatch box was slightly ripped. So I looked inside. There was only one patch in the box! Ugh! I didn't even notice it when I checked out. I'll have to take it back once they get the back in stock. Every single CVS is out right now.

$4.98 - Always Infinity Pads
$6.00 - Tylenol
$6.00 - Tylenol
$2.99 - Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste

Subtotal: $19.97

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $2.50 CVS Coupon ($2.50/$10 pain relief CRT)
- $1.00 Tylenol Coupon
- $1.00 Tylenol Coupon
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.47

Used: $5.99 ECB & $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.48 + tax (gift card)

Received: $4.98 ECB (always), $2.00 ECB (colgate)

I put $12.00 towards the buy $20.00 get $10.00 ECB pain medication deal as well. I received the $2.50 pain relief CRT from the scanner inside the store the last week of September. Hold onto those CRTs!! :)

$4.98 - Always Infinity Pads
$8.00 - Motrin IB
$2.99 - Colgate Maxfresh Toothpaste

Subtotal: $15.97

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Motrin IB Coupon
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.97

Used: $4.98 ECB & $5.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.14 including tax (gift card)

Received: $4.98 ECB (always), $2.00 ECB (colgate), $10.00 ECB (pain relief deal)

I'm not sure how that one worked out, but I'm not complaining!

$4.98 - Always Infinity Pads
$2.99 - CVS Vitamin D-400
$8.00 - Motrin IB

Subtotal: $14.98

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Motrin Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.98

Used: $5.00 ECB & $5.79 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.19 + tax (gift card)

Received: $4.98 ECB (always), $2.99 ECB (vitamin)

Put the $8.00 Motrin towards the pain relief buy $20.00 get $10.00 ECBs deal. I didn't realize I was two cents under $15.00 until I typed this up. Yet the $3.00 off $15.00 coupon went through just fine; no beeps! Too bad they expired today. :(

$4.98 - Always Infinity Pads
$6.00 - Tylenol PM
$6.00 - Tylenol

Subtotal: $16.98

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $1.00 Tylenol Coupon
- $1.00 Tylenol Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.98

Used: $2.99 ECB, $4.98 ECB & $3.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $1.01 + tax (gift card)

Received: $4.98 ECB (always), $10.00 ECB (pain relief deal)

Pretty good CVS haul I think. Especially since we'll USE those items! And since my husband was awesome today and he wanted candy, I did this deal...lol...

$2.99 - Mr. Goodbar Candy
$2.99 - Nutrageous Candy

Subtotal: $5.98

- $2.99 CVS B1G1F Sale

New Subtotal: $2.99

Used: $2.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.00!! Not even tax!

Received: Free candy, lol.

On Saturday I spent a few hours organizing the guest bedroom, which is also where my stockpile currently is set up. I plan to move it to my office shortly, but I need to get the office cleaned out first. I reorganized the entire stockpile set up and thought I would share some pictures.

Closet. I moved another rubbermaid drawer organizer in there to put make-up, toothpaste, deodorants, razors, etc. Diapers and cat food all stacked in there too.

My make-up drawer. I didn't pay a penny for any of this! It's a shame I don't wear make-up. I might be set for life if that were the case.

Wipes and Purex detergent are lined up next to the shelving unit. Once I relocate everything to the office, I'll have to get more shelves!!

And to end this entry, here's a picture of Lily the chameleon! She is doing great. Eating well and growing quickly!

2008-09-29T13:51:00.000-04:00

I managed to get two double-edition Sunday papers and sort the coupons, write out deals and go shopping. All on a Sunday! I usually don't do my errands until the end of the week. I should start doing everything on Sunday. That way I can at least get deal items before they run out. Although I didn't get out of the house until 3pm.

First stop, CVS. I grouped the items wrong in two pictures, so the transaction details may not match the picture. I was too lazy to redo them. :)

$9.99 - Fusion Razor
$0.99 - Dawn Soap (Hand Renewal)

Subtotal: $10.98

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $4.00 Fusion Coupon
- $1.00 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.98

Used: $3.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.98 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (fusion razor)

The candy is that picture was actually in this 2nd transaction....

$1.00 - Goobers
$1.00 - Raisinets
$2.97 - Dawn Soap @ $0.99/ea. x 3
$5.49 - Cover Girl Clean Make-Up

Subtotal: $10.46

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.00 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.46

Used: $5.00 ECB & $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.46 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.79 ECB (cover girl)

Yes, I received $5.79 for the $5.49 Cover Girl product, lol. I tried to use the Cover Girl B1G1F coupon that is in the October P&G insert, but the register wouldn't accept it and the cashier wouldn't push it through. Even though the coupon says ANY. :( Oh well. I'm still bitter for being out two free products. I hope there's another deal this month for those coupons. Last CVS transaction...

$9.99 - Fusion Razor
$5.49 - Cover Girl Clean Make-Up
$0.99 - Dawn Soap

Subtotal: $16.47

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3/$15)
- $4.00 Fusion Coupon
- $1.00 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $8.47

Used: $7.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $1.47 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (fusion razor), $5.79 ECB (cover girl)

I reluctantly went to Rite Aid. After all the bs I went through with them over their false advertising and unprofessional handeling of the Cover Girl B1G1F sale/situation, I didn't plan on going back. But....errr free stuff is free stuff!! So a lot of what I went in for, the shelves were empty: always liners, canned dog food, whiskas cat food pouch, etc - all gone. Also, Rite Aid didn't have their signs up on ANY of their sale items for this week. This drives me nuts. Thankfully everything rang up correctly unlike the last time I was there (CG...)...

$9.00 - Fusion Razor
$2.69 - Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste
$1.98 - Kotex Liners @ $0.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $13.67

- $4.00 Fusion Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon
- $1.00 Kotex Coupon
- $1.00 Kotex Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.92

Paid OOP: $6.92 + tax

Will Receive Rebates: $5.00 (fusion razor) & $2.69 (crest)

$9.00 - Fusion Razor
$2.69 - Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste

Subtotal: $11.69

- $4.00 Fusion Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.94

Paid OOP: $6.94 + tax

Will Receive Rebates: $5.00 (fusion razor) & $2.69 (crest)

My stockpile is a bit outrageous at the moment. I need to have a yard sale, but I don't know when. The husband has new hours and no open Saturdays. :( I'll figure something out. If not this month, we'll hold out until next spring. Here's just the lower half of my shelf...

Completely stuffed. I have things piling up on the floor now. I'll be relocating everything to another room this weekend. Right now I have my entire stockpile in the guest bedroom. It's a bit cluttered!

I'm also working on an interesting project right now. I'll post the details/outcome of it shortly. I want to get enough 'data' before publishing the results. And of course it is coupon/freebie related!

2008-09-26T23:36:00.000-04:00

Well I got a late start on my deals run this week. It's a bit pathetic. I've had my shopping lists all made out, I just hadn't cut the coupons and actually gone to the stores! It's been a hectic work week. TGIF! I ran to CVS this evening and only got 3 things. I hate a horrible cashier, errr a "shift supervisor" that was so snotty that I left the rest of my order on the counter and left. But we'll start with the mail bag first. :)

I requested a Cascade sample from the Walmart sample website a couple of weeks ago. Inside the box included a sample pack of Cascade Complete + a Magic Eraser! And, of course, some coupons.

Here's this evenings CVS trip...

Adidas Deodorent - $4.99
Speed Stick 24/7 Deodorent - $3.99
Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste - $2.99

Subtotal: $11.97

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.00 Adidas Coupon
- $1.00 Speed Stick Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.22

Used: $3.00 ECB & $4.00 CVS Gift Coupon (received from in-store scanner!)

Paid OOP: $0.42 including tax (gift card)

Received: $4.00 ECB (adidas), $2.00 ECB (crest), $2.00 ECB (speed stick)

The Chameleon is doing well. She has a name now: Lily! I wanted something cute and girly, which is very unlike me, and that was what came to mind. She's still super sweet. She's grown a lot too! Big appetite! And her colors are improving.

Here's Lily hanging out on my hand by the window. The black around her eye is what was left of her burn after a freak accident. Apparently she spent too much time under the heat lamp and burnt half her face and all four feet. Thankfully she has recovered fully, but it sure was a scare! I sent the husband to the Walgreens pharmacy at midnight to get medicine help....yes...for my lizard! LOL!

A bad quality picture of her showing her colors. I startled her from her sleep the other night in an attempt to clean her cage. She puffed up and changed colors! Normally they would hiss and get defensive, but the second she saw me, she calmed down. Another good sign! :)

Since her appetite is increasing, I'm going to have to look into some online deals for buying crickets wholesale. Right now I'm paying nine cents per pin head / 1/4" cricket at Petsmart! Way too much.

2008-09-21T20:52:00.000-04:00

We've had a lot going on this week, so I haven't had a chance to upload everything until now. I've also noticed my awesome Cannon digital camera seems to be taking poor quality images, regardless of lighting. :( I hope I don't have to invest in another camera anytime soon!

Since none of the Rite Aids around me seem to be holding the Cover Girl B1G1F sale that's stated in their ad (!!!), I went ahead and worked out a scenario at CVS for the Cover Girl 'buy $10 get $3 ecbs'. These were incredibly difficult to photograph thanks to the reflective packaging, what a pain!

Cover Girl Outlast Smoothwear - $5.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $11.98

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $5.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.99

Used: $3.99 ECBs

Paid OOP: $0.42 (only tax!)

Received: $3.00 ECB (cover girl)

I spent more ECB than I received, but I needed to roll them and use my Cover Girl coupons anyway. Depending on my response from Rite Aid (I emailed corporate) regarding their faulty advertising, I may use the rest of my Cover Girl coupons in the same scenario at CVS again. I went to a second CVS and did the following transaction...

Purex Detergent - $2.99
Aleve Sinus & Headache 10ct. - $3.99
Excedrin Express Gels - $3.99

Subtotal: $10.97

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.00 Aleve Coupon
- $1.00 Excedrin Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.97

Used: $5.00 ECB & $1.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.97 + tax (gift card)

Received: $1.00 ECB (purex), $3.00 ECB (aleve), $3.99 ECB (excedrin)

My husband has been have some back problems this past week and the chiropractor recommended using a heating pad. I figured I'd just put the rest of my Walgreens RRs towards this, here's what we did...

Large Heating Pad - $19.99
Crest Mouthwash - $4.49

Subtotal: $24.48

- $10.00 Register Rewards
- $6.00 Register Rewards

New Subtotal: $8.48 + tax

Received: $4.50 RR (crest)

A few goodies I've received in the mail recently...

Schick Quatro Titanium Mens Razor! & Sample bag of Wholesome Goodness cat food + a free product coupon.

Downy $1.00 coupon, Gillette body wash sample & Cottonelle fresh wipes sample pack.

UPDATE: After several phone calls from Rite Aid regarding their false advertising of the Cover Girl B1G1F sale, I was assured multiple times that the everything was fixed. I went to the store yesterday (Saturday - last day of sale) and guess what? IT WAS NOT FIXED. I was extremely unhappy. I ran to CVS to use up my Cover Girl coupons, only to find I could only do one more transaction - otherwise it would be a waste of money without receiving ECBs. :( I still have six CG coupons! Arg.

Cover Girl Outlast Smoothwear - $5.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $11.98

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $5.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.99

Used: $3.99 ECBs

Paid OOP: $0.42 (only tax!)

Received: $3.00 ECB (cover girl)

I made a few purchases this past week that we're quite "deals". One I needed, the other I wanted. :) My crockpot was in serious need of replacement. The one I had was low quality and only had two settings; low & high. My recipe called for 8 hours on low, after 3 hours our meal was completely burnt. Needless to say, we decided to purchase a nicer one.

We purchased this at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $34.99 and used one of their 20% off coupons. And guess what showed up in the mail a couple of days later? A $10 off $30 coupon! HAH. Figures.

The second thing (the want, not need) I found on Craigslist. A beautiful, two month old, female Veiled Chameleon. Hand raised and extremely friendly! I needed a pick-me-up and this has certainly done that. I'm still trying to figure out a name...

2008-09-14T18:25:00.000-04:00

Saturday afternoon I ran to Walgreens to see if they had any Robitussin or Crest Mouthwash in stock; nope. Completely wiped out! My husband prefers Listerine anyway and I realized that was an RR deal too...

Listerine Mouthwash - $5.50/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $11.00

Used: $5.00 RR & $4.50 RR

Paid OOP: $1.50 + tax

Received: $6.00 RR

Today I quickly went through the new store ads., I didn't plan on going anywhere. Not much really stuck out. The husband insisted we get out and try to get me in a better mood (had a rough night/morning). We made only a couple of quick stops before calling it a day. I like to be lazy on Sundays; restore my energy for the upcoming work week! First stop was CVS...

Purex Detergent - $2.99/ea. x 4
Excedrin Express Gels 24 Ct. - $3.99

Subtotal: $15.95

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.00 Purex Coupon
- $1.00 Purex Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.95

Used: $5.00 ECB & $5.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.96 + tax (gift card)

Received: $4.00 ECB (purex), $3.99 ECB (excedrin)

I still have a stack of the Cover Girl B1G1F Lip Product coupons from the P&G inserts. In my Rite Aid sales ad it stated that the entire Cover Girl line is B1G1F. Meaning FREE lip products! We ran by there but the Cover Girl items were not tagged as on sale and none of the store fliers had the sale listed either. I thought I was losing my mind, so I ran home and sure enough, my ad clearly shows an entire page that's MISSING from every flier in store! I ran back to Rite Aid and picked up the following...

L'Oreal Revitalift Cream - $5.99
Cover Girl Outlast Double Lipshine - $10.99/ea. x 4

Subtotal: $49.95

- $10.99 Rite Aid CG B1G1F Sale
- $10.99 Rite Aid CG B1G1F Sale
- $10.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $10.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.99

Paid OOP: $5.99 + tax

Will Received: $5.99 Revitalift Rebate (SCR)

Now it didn't go through that easily. The Cover Girl items did NOT ring up B1G1F, so the cashier (my favorite!) called the manager up. I love the managers at this store, they are very friendly. The manager hadn't even heard of the Cover Girl sale! He asked to make a copy of my flier, but their machine was down. I let him keep the copy since I had another at home. No one in the store new about the sale at all! He re-rung the order and manually deducted the Rite Aid B1G1F sale and then I handed my coupons. He seemed confused and said "huh, I'll have to look into this" - but he was not rude at all and he rang them through just fine. I think he was honestly not familiar with the coupons policies and that's fine, I think he's relatively new anyway. I left there happy. :) I still have about 10 coupons, but I'm hoping they'll fix their system this week.

Also, for those that do Rite Aid's single check rebate program, double check your August rebates and make sure they all processed. Stupid me requested my check and today I realized that 4 items are marked as "not qualified" or "nothing found on receipt" which is not true. I'll just return the items, but always double check!

Last stop was Petsmart. I received FREE product coupons in the mail and Petsmart was the only place that seemed to carry this brand.

Nutro Natural Choice Cat Food 4lb Bag - $10.99
Nutro Natural Choice Dog Food 5lb Bag - $10.99

Subtotal: $21.98

- $10.99 Nutro FREE Product Coupon
- $10.99 Nutro FREE Product Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.00

Paid OOP: just tax!

The cashier was a bit snotty with me. So where did you get THESE coupons? By her tone it was almost as if she thought they were fake?! It would cost me more than the pet food to make those professionally made coupons, lol. Anyway, that's it for Sunday.

2008-09-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

After a nice dinner and some TIVO catch-up, I finally sat down this evening to go through my ads from the Sunday paper. Very few things stuck out to me. In the end I gathered a few coupons and we ran to CVS before it closed.

Bayer Contour Meter - $14.99
Chex Mix - $1.00
Right Guard Xtreme Deodorent - $2.99/ea. x 3
L'Oreal Revitalift Cream - $5.99

Subtotal: $30.95

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $14.99 Contour Meter Coupon
- $1.00 Chex Coupon
- $3.00 Revitalift Coupon
- $1.00 Right Guard Coupon
- $1.00 Right Guard Coupon
- $1.00 Right Guard Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.96

Used: $5.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.97 + Tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (meter), $5.99 ECB (revitalift), $6.00 ECB (right guard)

That's a nice profit with ECBs! Second order...

Bayer Contour Meter - $14.99
Chex Mix - $1.00
L'Oreal Revitalift - $5.99

Subtotal: $21.98

- $14.99 Contour Meter Coupon
- $1.00 Chex Coupon
- $3.00 Revitalift Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.99

Used: $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.99 + tax (gift card)

Received: $5.00 ECB (meter), $5.99 ECB (revitalift)

I forgot to use the $2 off $10 CVS coupon on the second purchase, but it still turned out well! I still have $19.xx left on my gift card too! Now I am tired! :P

2008-09-11T12:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ran by Kroger to use my 50¢ Cottonelle coupons before they expired (not until the 20th). The Kroger store near work that I checked the other day was completely sold out of the toilet paper, so I was anxious to find them asap. The other Kroger had a full stock of the Cottonelle! I had 20 coupons, gave 7 to my mother, so I had 13 to use. Now Kroger doubles coupons up to 50¢, and the toilet paper is 99¢ for a 4-pack; so it's free!

Cottonelle 4pk Toilet Paper - $0.99/ea. x 13
Iams Healthy Naturals Dog Food - $11.99 (not pictured)

Subtotal: $24.86

- $3.00 Iams Coupon
- $12.87 Cottonelle Coupons (doubled)

New Subtotal: $8.99 + tax

Now that's what my subtotal SHOULD have been. I didn't realize until we were almost home that cashier only scanned in 11 of the 13 Cottonelle coupons. Ugh!! :( So that's $1.98 I paid that I did provide coupons for. Not cool. Oh well. The lines were insanely long and they only had one regular register open, so we went through the self-checkout and that requires you to hand the coupons to the cashier in charge of self-checkout. Well when she scans the coupons, the screen just says "PLEASE WAIT FOR CASHIER" and then it says "PLEASE PAY". Without showing the list of coupons scanned in. Bad set up and I won't make that mistake again.

Afterwards we ran to Target so the husband could get a CD that came out ($20.00!!!). We found more clearance baby items, these were all about $1.00!

Cute! & Cheap. The blue flowery top on the left was $0.68. They have newborn to 4T sizes on sale/clearance.

This morning I ran by Walgreens. I didn't have any drinks left at work, so I ran in to get a few 20 oz's. I noticed they had the Crest mouthwash back in stock and decided this would be a good way to roll over my $10.00 RRs from the Robitussin deal.

20oz. Diet Coke - $1.39/ea. x 2
Milano Cookies - $3.19
Crest Mouthwash - $4.49

Subtotal: $10.46

Used: $10.00 RR

Paid OOP: $0.46 + tax

Received: $4.50 RR for the Crest :)

On the coupon forums people usually rave about their Walgreens beauty advisor cashiers being the best cashiers in the stores. I can't do that about mine, she hates me! She's disliked me ever since I did the diaper deal in July. She certainly liked my husband though; too bad he wasn't with me this morning.

Anyhow, for some reason she was on the regular cash register this morning and I had to go through her line. She sighed and acted annoyed and then made a snotty comment: "You realize you're getting this super cheap right?" Yes. "I don't think it's right." Well I earned that $10.00 register rewards from doing the Robitussin deal at this store. "It's still not right." If it wasn't right, Walgreens wouldn't offer these types of sales. She mumbled, threw my items in a bag and threw the receipt and Crest RR at me. LOL. I don't understand why these cashiers take it so personally. You're paychecks aren't affected by coupons!!

2008-09-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

Fabulous money maker at Walgreens this week. :) Robitussin is on sale for $3.99 each. When you purchase 2, you get $5.00 in register rewards. Purchase 3 and you get $10.00 in RRs. Doesn't sound like a deal, but wait! There are $3.00 off coupons here, making each one only $0.99! I did three transactions, purchasing 3 each time....

Robitussin - $3.99/ea. x 3

Subtotal: $11.97

- $3.00 Robitussin Coupon
- $3.00 Robitussin Coupon
- $3.00 Robitussin Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.97 + tax

Received: $10.00 Register Rewards!

Rinse and repeat two more times. :) Someone already hit up my Walgreens and nearly wiped them out. Every row that had the sale tags were empty, but I had other ones that weren't marked on sale price checked and they worked!

2008-09-04T21:13:00.000-04:00

Woo! One of my coupon lot purchases from ebay arrived today! :P After work we made our way around town to two CVS stores.

Purex Detergent - $2.99
Colgate Total Toothpaste - $2.99
Suave Men's Body Wash - $2.00/ea. x 3
Cover Girl Outlast Lip Color - $9.99/ea. x 6

Subtotal: $71.92

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $0.50 Purex Coupon
- $1.00 Suave Coupon
- $0.50 Suave Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.48

Used: $5.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.48 + Tax

Received: $2.00 ECB (Suave), $2.00 ECB (Colgate) & $1.00 ECB (Purex)

The Purex is an unlisted deal. The shelf tag says $5.99, but it scans at $2.99 and does receive the $1.00 ECB. :) Makes a great filler item.

Suave Men's Body Wash - $2.00/ea. x 2
Maxim Magazine - $4.99 (*)
Dawn Dish Soap - $0.99
Cover Girl Outlast Lip Color - $9.99/ea. x 6

Subtotal: $71.92

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $2.00 Suave Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.48

Used: $5.99 ECB & $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: -$0.51 - Only paid tax ($1.73)

Received: $2.00 ECB (Suave)

(*) The Maxim magazine was a filler item my husband had to go grab. I'm not sure what "went wrong", but it the cashier said our total was negative like $4.00. However, after re-examining my receipt, I don't think she had any idea what she was doing, lol.

Cover Girl Outlast Lip Color - $9.99/ea. x 6

Subtotal: $59.64

- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.00

Paid OOP: $2.10 for tax - Used gift card.

Cover Girl Outlast Lip Color - $9.99/ea. x 6

Subtotal: $59.64

- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F Sale
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $9.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.00

Paid OOP: $2.10 for tax - Used gift card.

2008-09-03T23:10:00.001-04:00

I was about to run out of my blood pressure medication, so I knew I'd have to get a refill within the next day or two. I normally have all my prescriptions fulfilled at the Publix pharmacy. However, since I've had ongoing problems with my nearby Publix, I've been wanting to switch pharmacies. And today was that day! I received a CVS flier in the mail to receive a $25.00 gift card with the transfer of a (new) prescription. Yay! The wonderful husband went and had it filled for me while I was at work and he got the $25.00 gift card without a problem. I love CVS!

I made two additional stops at CVS today as well. We have two CVS cards, but have only used one since we signed up. Well I lost my keys this morning and didn't have our usual card on me and I wanted to run by the CVS near work. I had my other card though, so I decided to use it instead.

Kiss Nail Glue - $1.98/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $3.96

Paid OOP: $3.96 + tax

Received: $5.00 ECB

Now...stupid me forgot that you can't use ECBs from one card to another. I hadn't even considered that! So that was out of pocket. I chose to put that earned $5.00 ECB towards the next order...

Dawn Hand Renewal Soap - $0.99/ea. x 2
Dawn Original Soap - $0.99/ea. x 2
Colgate Total Toothpaste - $2.99
Covergirl Wetslicks Lip Color - $5.99

Subtotal: $12.94

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.00 Cover Girl Coupon
- $1.00 Dawn Hand Renewal Coupon
- $1.00 Dawn Hand Renewal Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.44

Used: $5.00 ECBs

Paid OOP: $0.44 + Tax

Received: $5.99 ECB (Covergirl) & $2.00 ECB (Colgate)

I'll use that $7.99 towards whatever, because I won't be able to keep up with two cards. One is enough hassle for me as it is!

After dinner and some TV/Xbox time we made a trip to the CVS by our house. The really awesome and nice cashier guy was working, that always makes things much easier!

Accu-Chek Diabetes Monitor - $9.99
Suave Body Wash - $2.00
Colgate Maxfresh Burst Toothpaste - $2.99

Subtotal: $14.98

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $0.50 Suave Coupon
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.48

Used: $5.00 ECB & $5.99 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.49 + Tax

Received: $9.99 ECB (monitor), $2.00 ECB (Suave) & $2.00 ECB (Colgate)

I was pleased. Also a note on those monitors, I like to donate them and actually made the mistake of giving one to Goodwill. Not long ago we were at Goodwill and they had a bunch of those monitors stacked behind the counter priced at $79.00!!! :( Ridiculous. I'll be donating them directly to a nursing/assisted living home in the future.

The husband remembered he needed deodorant, so here's our final order for this evening...

Axe Deodorant - $4.99 (!!!)
Suave Body Wash - $2.00/ea. x 3
Colgate Total Toothpaste - $2.99

Subtotal: $13.98

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $2.00 Suave Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $8.48

Used: $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $3.48 (gift card)

Received: $2.00 ECB (Suave) & $2.00 ECB (Colgate)

(!!!) It figures the only deodorant the husband will use is expensive, rarely on sale and never has coupons. I didn't plan on using any ECBs towards this order, just the gift card, but I noticed that $5 was expiring today, oops. I really need to pay attention to expiration dates on those damn things.

I ordered $13.00 worth of coupons on ebay. I'm hoping they get here before Friday/Saturday. If so, I'll have a mega-entry to post!!! ;) (That $13 spent will save me $419.60!!) Oh and my stockpile shelf is completely out of room! :x

2008-09-02T23:02:00.000-04:00

Walgreens has the 500ml Crest mouthwash on sale for $4.49 (normally $4.99). They also generate a $4.50 Register Reward! Although you have to pay in full up front at Walgreens, the item does end up free after the RRs. And as always with RR deals, you have to check out separately to get the RR per item.

Crest Mouthwash (500ml) - $4.49

Subtotal: $4.49 + Tax

Received: $4.50 RR

I repeated this order six times. The husband actually uses this mouthwash, so yay! (I know you prefer Listerine dear, I'm waiting on some deals though!)

Paid OOP: $28.83 (including tax)

Received: $27.00 RRs

Total Spent: $1.83 for six bottles!

I'm going to look into putting the those RRs towards FAR items at Walgreens this month. I've never participated in their FAR (Free After Rebate) program, so it should be a fun new challenge!

Mail bag: A little Walmart box completely smooshed into our mailbox. Our mailman is the laziest guy we have ever dealt with. The man is determined to fit any and all size items into the little mailbox, instead of walking his butt to the front door. The picture doesn't show it very well, but the poor little box was smashed in! Thankfully it wasn't anything fragile. Inside the box was a roll of Scott toilet paper and a coupon!

2008-09-01T00:55:00.000-04:00

While reading some forums tonight I found that the One Touch Ultra Mini was on sale at CVS for $19.99 and producing $5.00 in ECBs. Limit 2! I had 2 coupons for $20.00 off those meters, but they expired today! I rushed out to CVS at 9:45pm and made it just in time, they close at 10pm. There are also several other great deals this week!

One Touch Ultra Mini - $19.99
Suave Body Wash - $2.00/ea. x 2
Covergirl Wetstick Amazement Lipcolor - $5.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $37.97

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $19.99 One Touch Coupon
- $2.00 Suave Coupon
- $2.00 Suave B1G1F Coupon
- $5.99 Covergirl B1G1f Lipcolor Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.99

Used: $5.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.99 + tax

Received: $5.00 ECB & $2.00 ECB & $5.99 ECB

The ECB deals were: $5.00 for the meter. Suave deal is buy $6.00 worth and get $2.00 ECB. Covergirl Wetsticks Amazement lipcolor is $5.99 get $5.99 ECB, so FREE. Remember to get the Amazement kind with the blue cap!

Since this store only had one meter I decided to run to the 24 hour CVS in the next town. The husband also noticed that one of the Covergirl lipcolors I bought was opened, eww! So I exchanged that as soon as I got to the other store. Check those seals!

One Touch Ulta Mini - $19.99
Suave Body Wash - $2.00/ea. x 2
Kiss Nail Glue - $1.98/ea. x 2
Covergirl Outlast Lip Color - $9.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $47.93

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $9.99 CVS Covergirl Lip B1G1F Sale
- $2.00 Suave B1G1F Coupon
- $19.99 One Touch Coupon
- $5.99 Covergirl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.96

Used: $5.00 ECB & $2.00 ECB

Paid OOP: $0.98 + Tax

Received: $5.00 ECB & $5.00 ECB

The Kiss nails are on sale, buy any 2 and get $5.00 ECB. The ad state that it excludes the glue, but it worked for me! Money maker. :)

Also, do you notice the error that cost me $4.00? The girl only took off $5.99 for the Covergirl B1G1F coupon?!?!! Even though it was $9.99!! :( I'm not sure what to do about that. That's $4.00 in ECBs I could have saved. How would they refund this to me? They already took my coupon? Hmm. I'll probably wait and call customer service in two days.

Anyhow, last stop was Walmart, to browse. I went by the baby section and they have a lot on sale/clearance now. Most of the items are not ringing up at the prices they are marked. Items that are $4-$5 are ringing up for $1.00! I picked up a few random outfits, various sizes. Baby showers coming up...(cousin-in-law is already taken care of, so this doesn't give anything away, lol).

Cute. :)

2008-08-31T03:13:00.000-04:00

Prepare for a lengthy entry today! I took my sweet time organizing every single coupon I've collected since February - it took approximately six hours. Insane, I know. I researched sales that were ending today and made sure to use any coupons that expire today. Then I spent two hours running around town to a variety of stores. Let's begin!

First stop, CVS # 1.

Garnier Fructis Instant Melting Conditioner - $3.34
Garnier Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner - $3.33/ea. x 2
Garnier 100% Vibrant Colors Hair Dye - $5.00/ea. x 2
Reeses - $0.79/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $21.58

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $3.00 Garnier Hair Dye Coupon
- $3.00 Garnier Hair Dye Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Shampoo Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Shampoo Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Hair Product Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.58

Used: $10.00 ECBs (were expiring today)

Paid OOP: $0.58 + tax

Received: $5.00 ECB

This transaction didn't go completely as planned, because I had to deal with the little jerk cashier who thinks he can play the role of CVS god. (Insert eye roll here.)

Next stop, Kroger!

Cottonelle Toilet Paper 4pk. - $0.99
Diet Coke - $1.50/ea. x 2
Healthful Life Cat Food - $2.09
Cherry Kool-Aid - $0.20/ea. x 5
Kraft Cheese - $2.49
Pet Pride Kitty Litter 14lbs. - $5.99

Subtotal: $15.56

- $5.99 Kroger Pet Pride FREE Coupon*
- $2.09 Healthful Life Cat Food FREE Coupon
- $2.49 Kraft Cheese FREE Coupon (with purchase of 3 kraft items - koolaid)
- $1.00 Cottonelle Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.99

About a week ago we purchased the Pet Pride kitty litter, because they were out of our normal kind (Arm & Hammer) and we desperately needed some kitty litter. It was around 1am. We go home and went to change it and the bottle barely filled up the box - it was ridiculous. I emailed the company to complain and today I received a long apology letter and a coupon for a free kitty litter. I'm highly impressed with their response! This time, we were not disappointed either!

Okay, next I went to CVS # 2...

Stayfree Pads - $4.50/ea. x 2
Zipfizz - $5.99

Subtotal: $14.99

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $8.49

Used: $6.00 ECBs

Paid OOP: $2.49 + tax

Received: $5.00 & $5.99 ECBs

I was irked to pay so much out of pocket for this transaction, but my lowest ECB amount was $1.50. The $1.98 I tried to use expired ONE day ago and they would NOT let me use it. :( Keep an eye on those expiration dates!

Next stop, Rite Aid # 1...

Pledge Multi Surface Duster - $2.00/ea. x 2
Pert Shampoo/Conditioner - $2.99/ea. x 2
Itch-x - $3.99
Duck Packaging Tape - $1.50

Subtotal: $15.47

- $2.00 Rite Aid Rebate Check
- $1.00 Pledge Coupon
- $1.00 Pledge Coupon
- $3.00 Pert Coupon (with botanicals)
- $2.00 Pert Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.47 + tax

I will receive a $2.00 rebate for the Pledge Dusters, a $3.99 rebate for the Itch-x and a $1.50 rebate for the packaging tape. Total rebates: $7.49. Profit! :) I cannot submit for the Pert because I already bought it, but the coupons were expiring today and after the coupons I received two bottles for $0.99 - can't complain about that. BUT! There's a mail in rebate form on one of the bottles for up to $3.99 back!! PROFIT!!

Next was CVS # 3...

Garnier Fructis Cream Conditioner Bonus Pack - $3.34
Zipfizz - $5.99
Ajax Dish Soap - $1.79/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $12.91

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2/$10)
- $1.79 CVS Ajax B1G1F Sale
- $0.20 Ajax Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Fructis Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.92 + tax

Used: $4.99 & $1.49 ECBS

Paid OOP: $1.44

Received: $5.99 ECB

I only need one more bottle of Garnier to get another $5.00, I'll get that sometime this week.

Next I went to Rite Aid # 2...

Diet Coke - $1.39
Duck Packaging Tape - $1.50

Subtotal: $2.89

- $2.00 Rite Aid Rebate Check

New Subtotal: $0.89 + tax

Will receive $1.50 rebate for the packaging tape.

Also, Friday evening the husband met up with a woman to sell six packages of Walgreens diapers and the 39 packages of Gerber baby food that I received for free. We made $45.00 off the deal! The woman was extremely thankful. So were we. :)

Since this entry is already long, I figured I'd post updated pictures of my stockpile! :)

Toilet paper (low!), hershey syrup, cleaning supplies, dish soap, hand soap, air fresheners, candles, etc.

Make up, shampoo/conditioner, mouthwash, dish detergent, feminine products, hair dye, wipes, facial products and samples.

This is my closet full of cat good, Walgreens diapers and the storage drawers on the left contain razors, toothbrushes, toothpastes, etc.

And that concludes my deals for today. It's 3:05am and I'm exhausted. Goodnight!

2008-08-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

The husband is doing an overnight tonight. :( Before he left for work at 9pm, he ran a few errands with me. He's very open to the other coupon/ecb/rr/scr shopping. In fact there are times when he'll run to the grocery store and come home with a handful of coupons he found. It's too cute. He was the one that came up with the fantastic deal at Kroger for the Stouffers meals a few weeks ago - that was a bargain!

We ran by Walgreens to try to do the John Frieda deal, but couldn't find those specific products anyway! Boo!

Next we ran to CVS and I got the following, and completely forgot a few other things, oops!

Stayfree Pads - $4.50/ea. x 2
Kotex Liners - $1.49
Chapstick - $0.99

Subtotal: $11.48

- $2.00 CVS $2/$10 Coupon
- $4.50 Stayfree B1G1F Coupon
- $0.75 Kotex Coupon

New Subtotal: $4.23

Used: $4.00 ECBs

Paid OOP: $0.23 + tax

Received: $5.00 ECB & $1.49 ECB - PROFIT!

I don't even use those products! Except the chapstick. :) I'm not sure what to do with the Stayfree and Kotex though...donate perhaps.

Our last stop was to Rite Aid. I found a couple more Pert plus coupons that expire 8/31 so I figured I'd going ahead and use them up. I also found a free Mighty Dog coupon while shuffling through old inserts.

Pert Plus Shampoo/Conditioner - $2.99/ea. x 2
Might Dog Canned Food - $1.19

Subtotal: $7.17

- $2.00 Pert Coupon (any)
- $3.00 Pert Coupon (botanicals)
- $1.19 Mighty Dog Canned Food FREE Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.98 + tax

And I'll receive a $2.00 rebate for the Pert! So another profitable purchase. Woot.

The husband and his friend were able to load up and take home our hardwood flooring today. Here it is! I hate that this stack will sit there until October, but it's worth it.

Next to our disgusting carpet and ugly entry way tile. I'm going to destroy that tile and put the hardwood there as well. When we bought the house, on our initial walk-through, one of the tiles was cracked, so we asked for it to be replaced. It was, but terribly done. The other tiles are chipped around the edges from where they pryed up the busted tile. They tried to cover it up with grout, but it's noticeable! Cheap builders, ugh. At least we have our first home owner experience. We'll definitely know what to look for in our next home. Anyway, that's our new flooring! I can't wait for it to go down. Unfortunately we're not entirely sure where to put our furniture during the process...hmmm...

2008-08-26T22:47:00.000-04:00

Mail bag: Received my FREE coupons for a box of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. This was for the offer where you mail in any other 5 cereal coupons to Post and they'd send you the free coupon. It worked!

Our meal plan is going well this week. I made chicken pot pie yesterday and brought leftovers for lunch today. Tonight I made spaghetti and meatballs, only to realize I'm out of spaghetti. And of course pasta isn't on sale this week, go figure. I made a quick run to Publix....

Honey Bunches of Oats - $3.79
Publix Spaghetti - $1.19/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $6.17

- $3.79 Honey Bunches of Oats FREE Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.38 + tax

I made a shopping list for Rite Aid while sitting in a meeting at work today. So after my Publix trip I ran by Rite Aid since they're right next door. Unfortunately they didn't have 5 of the 7 things on my list. :(

Pert Plus Shampoo/Conditioner - $2.99
Itch-X Gel - $3.99

Subtotal: $6.98

- $2.00 Pert Coupon

New Subtotal: $4.98 + tax

I'll get back $2.00 for the Pert and $3.99 for the Itch-X from the Rite Aid August SCR. So that makes this purchase a profit of $1.01. :)

I made a yummy dessert tonight. Well at least I hope it's yummy! Waiting for the husband to get home from work before I dig into it. It's a homemade shortcake with whipped topping and strawberries! It's the first time I've made it, but it looks good!

The husband is on overnights starting tomorrow. :( No hardwood floor pictures until at least Friday. I think that's when he'll be picking it all up. Off to bed!

2008-08-25T21:47:00.001-04:00

No shopping goodies today, but just a few things to share! First off, a mail bag update. I finally received the Lego lot I purchased on ebay! It took two weeks to get here, but let me say, it was a bargain. I also received three coupons in the mail: FREE box of Cheerios, FREE 5lb bag of cat food and FREE 5lb bag of dog food. I remember requesting the dog and cat food, but not the Cheerios. Also received a $3.00 check from Pinecone Research. (I miss the $5 days, ugh.)

Secondly, another huge home improvement update. The husband and I did a lot of research the other night and discovered that we do not need to wait for him to get into upper management before relocating. In fact, he can transfer as-is to any store in the United States. Plus renting a moving truck isn't nearly as expensive as we expected! See where I'm going with this? That's right...

We're working hard on getting the house in perfect shape to put it on the market. This will take a little while and cost some money, but it's something we both really, really want. We'd pick up and leave right NOW if we could.

So our next project will be...to install our brand new HARDWOOD floor in the living room, dining room and "foyer". We scored HARDWOOD flooring for under $200.00! And yes, it's hardwood, NOT laminate. I'm quite excited. :) It's not quite the color we would have picked, but since we just plan on selling, it's perfect. Installation won't begin until October (husband has a vacation then), but I'll post pictures when it all starts. I'm sure it'll be just as fun as the tile in the kitchen was, lol.

2008-08-24T20:05:00.000-04:00

Today I managed to crawl out of bed long enough to find some coupons and run to Kroger. The husband picked up a Sunday paper for me, phew, so it was not forgotten! I haven't even picked through the paper yet. I just needed to make a quick run for some groceries for this week. Here's what we managed to get...

Sara Lee Soft & Smooth White Bread - $2.59/ea. x 4
Red Potatoes - $4.99
Diet Coke - $1.50
V8 Fusion Juice - $3.99/ea. x 2
Friskies Cat Treats - $1.79/ea. x 6
Hillshire Farm Deli Meat - $3.00/ea. x 2
2 Onions - $1.28
Cat Litter - $3.99
Parmesan Cheese - $2.69
Bread Crumbs - $1.50

Subtotal: $51.03

- $2.59 Sara Lee FREE Bread Coupon
- $2.59 Sara Lee FREE Bread Coupon
- $2.59 Sara Lee FREE Bread Coupon
- $2.59 Sara Lee FREE Bread Coupon WYB 2 Hillshire Farm Lunchmeats
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $1.79 Friskies FREE Cat Treats Coupon
- $3.99 V8 Fusion Juice FREE Coupon
- $3.99 V8 Fusion Juice FREE Coupon

New Subtotal: $21.95

I found the Sara Lee FREE Bread w/Hillshire Farm Deli Meat Purchase coupons on a tearpad in the bread section. I grabbed a few more, they don't expire until the end up September! I have to say I noticed a HUGE difference in prices on this trip, lots of items have doubled in price. My usual spaghetti sauce is $2.59 for the large bottle, today it was $3.99! Ouch. Thankfully I'm stocked on that and pasta from a previous sale.

We didn't get much, but we didn't need much either. We made a meal plan for the week (based on the husbands work schedule) and we checked the pantry before we left.

Sunday - Hot Dogs + Potatoes/Onions
Monday - Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday - Spaghetti & Meatballs
Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan
Thursday - Grilled Cheese / Sandwiches

I'll have enough leftovers from Mon/Tue/Wed meals to bring them to work for lunch! We started tonights dinner, grilling out and it was a nice evening. Then there was a downpour, fun weather we've been having lately! We ended up soaked, but dinner was delicious. I'm on an onion kick recently...

DELICIOUS! :) Now I'm going to lay back in bed and finish watching Smart People and a Lifetime movie I recorded earlier, lol.

2008-08-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

Mail bag: $3.99 rebate check for the Tums mail-in offer from a few months ago. :)

Today I took a Rite Aid trip to use up the rest of my B1G1F coupons I had for the Vive shampoo! The one I went by yesterday was completely sold out. Thankfully the third store had a full shelf!

Vive Hydra Gloss Shampoo - $4.99/ea. x 8
Crest w/Scope Toothpaste - $3.19

Subtotal: $43.11

- $4.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Vive Sale
- $4.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Vive Sale
- $4.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Vive Sale
- $4.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Vive Sale
- $4.99 Vive B1G1F Coupon
- $4.99 Vive B1G1F Coupon
- $4.99 Vive B1G1F Coupon
- $4.99 Vive B1G1F Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.44

And I'll receive $3.19 back for the Crest SCR! Only six bottles of shampoo are pictured. I clipped one of my mothers coupons for her a few weeks back when CVS had the B1G1F sale, but were sold out. I'm happy that I was finally able to use the coupons! Shampoo sells great at yard sales!

Also, a new bit for the blog! Bzz Agent! I've been a member for a couple of years, but I always found it weird and confusing. After discussing it further with a friend I mine, I went ahead and joined one of their reports. It ended up being for Max Factor make-up products. Look what I received in the mail today!!

Max Factor blush/powder, mascara, lip colors and a brush. Plus a stack of coupons. All I have to do is "test" the products, write a report on them and "bzz", which basically means to share my opinions with others. I highly recommend signing up! They offer all sorts of products during their studies too.

2008-08-19T22:11:00.001-04:00

The past few weekends have been very busy for us and I've now gone two weeks in a row without getting a Sunday paper. One of which, unfortunately, had some very good coupons. :( Even my little neighborhood paper didn't have the coupons I was looking for in the inserts. Anyhow I managed to make a couple of stops today. First up was Rite Aid...

Downy Fabric Softener - $4.49
Crest w/Scope Toothpaste - $3.19
Vive Hyrda Gloss Shampoo - $4.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $17.66

- $4.99 Rite Aid B1G1F Vive Sale
- $4.99 Vive B1G1F Coupon
- $1.00 Downy Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.93

I used my June rebate check to pay $5.49.

Total OOP: $0.44 + Tax

And I'll receive $3.19 back for the Crest SCR! :) I have more of the Vive Hydra Gloss B1G1F Shampoo coupons, but they only had 2 bottles left. I'll stop by the other Rite Aid tomorrow and hope they have some!

After that I decided to run by Publix and pick up a few items we were out of. Hurricane Fay (or is it just a tropical storm now?) is pounding Florida and heading our way, so I'd like to have the basic items now rather than having to make a last minute run to a crowded and empty-shelved store!

Vegetable Oil - $2.69
Taco Bell Fajita Kit - $2.69
1/2 Gallon Milk - $2.49
Large Eggs, 18 - $2.09
Crystal Lite - $2.00
Butter - $2.69
Mac N' Cheese - $0.75
Planters Mix - $1.50
Lettuce - $1.49
American Cheese - $3.19

Subtotal: $21.58

- $3.19 Kraft Buy 3 Get Cheese Free Coupon
- $1.00 Planters Coupon
- $1.00 Country Crock Coupon

New Subtotal: $16.39

Not bad. I'm sure I could have done better, but it wasn't a planned trip and I didn't prepare any other coupons. I just happened to have those on me. :) The Planters and Country Crock coupons I received in the mail. :)

2008-08-19T22:11:00.000-04:00

2008-08-13T22:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on Craigslist, the husband found a sales ad for a load of Legos. For $35.00! The picture showed multiple stacks of containers with Legos and an old crate full of the base plates. It really did appear too good to be true. The husband immediately called and the lady said someone was already on the way to pick them up.

:( Oh well. Wasn't meant to be. But later in the evening the husband received a phone call from a number he didn't recognize. It was the Lego lady! The original claimer of the Legos was a no-show! We could come pick them up asap! And so he left. And nearly two hours later he returned with...

Incredible. 13 bins, 1 crate and a new in box set. Although the collection has a funky smell and some pieces were sticky, after a bath, everything is perfect and we can't get over the parts we are finding. ORIGINAL Star Wars minifigs!! Those are huge ebay sellers. Complete sets from discontinued collections. There are just so many! We MORE than doubled our entire collection, for only $35.00! This lot on ebay would have easily fetched $200 or more, not including the separate sets and Star Wars minifigs. We're quite excited with our find. :) And that's the only recent 'deal'.

It's been a very nice birthday. I had to work, but when I got home the husband had cleaned the kitchen (we had an ant issue yesterday, omg) and took me out to eat and shopping. Picked up the Batman Lego set I wanted (it was cheap!) and we looked everywhere for the New Super Mario Brothers DS game, but no luck. Four stores and we couldn't find it. I gave up! Maybe another time.

2008-08-11T13:47:00.000-04:00

This was from a trip to CVS on Friday to use up the rest of my Pert and Cover Girl coupons. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as planned and somehow I managed to only get six bottles of foundation when I know I had eight and used four b1g1f coupons, arg.

Pert Shampoo/Condition - $3.69/ea. x 2
Cover Girl Foundation - $8.99/ea. x 6
Dawn Dish Soap - $0.88/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $63.08

- $3.69 CVS Pert B1G1F
- $8.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F
- $8.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F
- $8.99 CVS Cover Girl B1G1F
- $8.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $8.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $8.99 Cover Girl B1G1F Coupon
- $2.00 Pert Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.49

Here's where I lost my mind and for some unknown reason I didn't use my $2 off $10 CVS coupon OR ECBs! I paid cash! I have no idea what I was thinking. The cashier also wouldn't let me use two Pert coupons, only one. She was a bit of a stickler and I felt lucky just to have her put the B1G1F coupons through. Oy! That's the most I've spent out of pocket in a long time.

On Saturday the husband took me to the Lego store for my birthday (August 13th!). I can't get over how insanely expensive Legos are! But I'm a Lego lover!! We spent the weekend building things. I left the Lego store with this amazing set...it was $49.99 - which is on the cheaper side of Legos - wow. It was well worth it. I spent just over two hours putting it together and have so many ideas. I always build houses, wish I was an architect!!

I'm lucky to have a husband that enjoys toys just as much as I do. :)

2008-08-04T22:42:00.001-04:00

It was a busy shopping day after work! And for once everything went smoothly. :) I'll be updating the side bar with a few new coupon links this evening, so keep an eye out for those! Here we go...

CVS 10 Ct. Aspirin - $1.99
Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste - $2.49
Colgate Total Toothpaste - $2.99
Children's Advil - $5.79
Oral-B Advance Toothbrush - $2.49/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $18.24

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2 off $10)
- $1.99 CVS Coupon (Free Aspirin)
- $1.00 Oral-B Coupon
- $1.00 Oral-B Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon
- $1.00 Children's Advil Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon

New Subtotal: $9.00

Used: $5.00 & $2.50 ECB

Paid OOP: $1.50

Received: $12.29 ECBs!

Profit: $3.29 :)

Since one of my least favorite cashiers was working at this CVS, I decided to save my other deals for a different store right up the street. Maybe then I'd have better luck with the B1G1F sales and the B1G1F coupons.

Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste - $2.49
Colgate Total Toothpaste - $2.99
Children's Advil - $5.79
Covergirl Trublend Foundation - $8.99/ea. x 2
Extreme Energy Drink - $4.99

Subtotal: $34.24

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2 off $10)
- $8.99 CVS Covergirl B1G1F Sale
- $1.00 Children's Advil Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $8.99 Covergirl B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.01

Used: $5.79 & $5.00 ECBs

Paid OOP: $0.22

Received: $14.28 ECBs

Profit: $3.27 :)

This transaction went so smoothly that I felt brave enough to do a second transaction immediately afterwards. I almost never do this. But I had a wonderful cashier and a few more coupons!

Covergirl Trublend Foundation - $8.99/ea. x 2
Pert Plus Shampoo/Condition - $3.69/ea. x 2
Diet Coke 20oz - $1.49/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $28.34

- $2.00 CVS Coupon ($2 off $10)
- $8.99 CVS Covergirl B1G1F Sale
- $3.69 CVS Pert Plus B1G1F Sale
- $8.99 Covergirl B1G1F Coupon
- $2.00 Pert Coupon
- $2.00 Pert Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.67

Paid OOP: $0.67

Received: $0.00 - This wasn't an ecb deal, just freebies! I had to throw in the diet cokes, because my original total was negative $3.00 - oops! :)

After CVS I came home and had dinner with the husband. He made some delicious baked ziti! Afterwards we had to run to a friends house so I decided to stop by Rite Aid to repeat yesterdays deal, but with an item I forgot.

Noxema Razors Pack - $3.99
Gillette Fusion Power Razor - $9.00
Nice'N Easy Hair Dye - $7.49
Gillette Mens Shampoo - $4.49
Olay Pore Scrub - $7.49
Infusium 23 Shampoo - $5.99 (bonus pack with spray)
Revlon Nail Enamel - $2.99

Subtotal: $41.44

- $1.50 Rite Aid Nice'N Easy Coupon
- $3.00 Infusium 23 Coupon
- $1.00 Gillette Shampoo Coupon
- $4.00 Gillette Fusion Coupon
- $1.00 Revlon Coupon
- $1.00 Olay Coupon
- $2.00 Nice'N Easy Coupon

New Subtotal: $27.94

I paid that amount in cash and will receive $28.94 in rebates for the above items! Small profit, but a profit nontheless! Woo. I also picked up one more pack of the Noxema razors, since I forgot them yesterday....

Noxema Razors Pack - $3.99

Subtotal: $3.99

Will receive $3.99 rebate, so they were free. Phew! I'm exhausted and ready for bed now!! But first I must input my Rite Aid receipts on the website - don't forget to do that in order to claim your rebates!

2008-08-03T17:32:00.000-04:00

Time to catch up! Mail bag for the past week includes: $3.00 Pinecone check, $1.00 Old Spice Body Wash Coupon + sample bottle & Nivea Shave Cream sample + $1.00 coupon. Nothing too exciting.

Friday I ran to CVS to do another batch of the Lifesavers deal. I went to the same store as before, but had a different cashier. She kindly told me I'm "not suppose to do this" and that it's "fraudulent and illegal". Wrong and wrong. *eyeroll*

Lifesavers - $2.19/ea. x 10

Subtotal: $21.90

- $10.95 - CVS B1G1F Sale
- $10.95 - Lifesavers B1G1F Coupons x 5

New Subtotal: $0.00

Received: $5.00 ECB

I also received an additional $10.00 ECB for a CVS survey I took in mid-July. And I received a coupon for a free bottle of CVS aspirin 10-120 count, up to $1.99. I was in CVS this afternoon and couldn't even find a CVS aspirin for less than $3.49! Free?! Hmm. I forgot a few coupons at home, so left empty handed. I'll figure that one out tomorrow. I still have 5 of the Lifesavers B1G1F coupons left. I attempted to use them Friday evening at the store by my house and was refused. *sigh* I'm getting a bit fed up with CVS lately.

Last night we went to IHOP (ew) around 1am with a friend. Since it's right near Walmart, we stopped by after we ate. I had two of the Electrasol coupons that I needed to use since they're expiring soon.

Electrasol Powerball Tabs 20 Ct. - $2.50/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $5.00

- $2.25 Electrasol Coupon
- $2.25 Electrasol Coupon

New Subtotal: $0.50

Today I picked up a double edition Sunday paper. Lots of fantastic coupons! Rite Aid was by far the best store for deals this week. I spent an hour sorting, cutting and planning and off I went!

Nice'N Easy Auburn Hair Dye Kit - $7.49
Gillette Fusion Power Razor - $9.00
Olay Pore Redefining Scrub - $7.99
Infusium 23 Shampoo - $5.99 (bonus double pack!)
Gillette Mens Shampoo - $4.49
Revlon Pink Nail Enamel - $2.99

Subtotal: $37.95

- $6.98 Rite Aid SCR (May)
- $1.50 Rite Aid Nice'N Easy Coupon
- $2.00 Nice'N Easy Coupon
- $4.00 Gillette Fusion Razor Coupon
- $1.00 Gillette Mens Shampoo Coupon
- $1.00 Revlon Cosmetics Coupon
- $3.00 Infusium 23 Coupon
- $1.00 Olay Coupon

New Subtotal: $17.47

I will receive a single check rebate for the following items: $7.99 Olay, $5.00 Razor, $3.99 Nice'N Easy, $3.49 Gillette Shampoo, $2.99 Revlon, $1.99 Infusium 23. Total rebate amount? $25.45!! Yay!

Although looking at my receipt I realized that my $3.00 Infusium 23 coupon rang up as $1.00 off Fixodent, wtf? Ugh. :( So they owe me $2.00. Have to get that cleared up tomorrow, since the store closes in 6 minutes. I really don't like Sunday store hours.

2008-07-31T22:36:00.000-04:00

After a very stressful day, the awesome husband took me to Rite Aid and CVS to do some deals. :) CVS did not go very well at all. The cashier would not accept my Lifesavers B1G1F coupons on top of their B1G1F sale, even though a CVS down the street did and it's been approved by corporate. I tried to explain it, but he didn't understand, so I just voided the order and left. He was very nice though, so I didn't make a big deal. I'll just hit up the CVS next to my work tomorrow morning. Here's what I picked up at Rite Aid...

Garnier Fructis Curls Shampoo - $2.99
Garnier Fructis Melting Masque - $2.99
Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash - $5.00/ea. x 3

Subtotal: $20.98

- $1.00 Garnier Fructis Shampoo Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Fructis Styler Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Pro-Health Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Pro-Health Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Pro-Health Coupon

New Subtotal: $16.73

Once I submit my receipt I'll receive a Single Check Rebate for $15.98! $10.00 for the mouthwash, $2.99 for the shampoo and $2.99 for the melting masque. So that entire order only cost $0.75 out of pocket! Woot. Did a small second order...

Garnier Fructis Curls Shampoo - $2.99
Garnier Fructis Melting Masque - $2.99

Subtotal: $5.98

- $1.00 Garnier Fructis Shampoo Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Fructis Styler Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.98

And I'll receive a Single Check Rebate for $5.98! Which made this order a $2.00 profit. :) I'm not a fan of paying more out of pocket and getting a check later, but I'm definitely enjoying Rite Aids SCR program and my check always arrives!

2008-07-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

Today was a wonderful CVS day! I picked up some coupons from my friend and hit up the store before work.

Lifesavers - $2.19/ea. x 10

Subtotal: $21.19

- $10.95 CVS B1G1F Deal
- $10.95 B1G1F Lifesaver Coupons

New Subtotal: $0.00

Received: $5.00 ECBs

This is the first time my entire order was zero! I didn't even pay tax! It didn't cost me a dime in ecbs or out of pocket and I made $5.00! I was able to do a second transaction as well...

Lifesavers - $2.19/ea. x 10
Twix - $0.50

Subtotal: $21.69

- $10.95 CVS B1G1F Deal
- $10.95 B1G1F Lifesaver Coupons

New Subtotal: $0.52 (Which was all tax)

Received: $5.00 ECBs

I'm not sure what happened with this transaction. I originally only had the 10 bags of lifesavers, same as the first transaction. But the cashier (same one) was flustered from a crazy customer that was a head of me and didn't input the coupons correctly at first. She had to void several and I think confused herself and I ended up with a negative total. I said no problem and just tossed in a Twix bar. I still can't figure out the math on the receipt - it's a mess! But that's the basic idea, I think.

I still have 10 more coupons, so that's another $10.00 in ECBs to earn. :) I gave 5 of them to my mother so she can go ahead and get some free candy and ECBs too. This was perfect timing, since I have $30 in expired ECBs that are completely useless. :( *sigh*

2008-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Another amazing day at Walgreens! This time I tried purchasing four sets of diapers and using three diaper coupons at once. It worked! I honestly think the only reason the cashier allowed it was because she had a thing for the husband. LOL. That's fine with me! I let him work his charm so we can get the best deals. ;)

Comfort Stretch Diapers Jumbo Pack - $5.99/ea. x 4
Dawn Dish Soap - $1.99/ea. x 2
Mini Composition Notebooks - $0.99/ea. x 2
Bic Comfort 3 Razors - $ 4.29/ea. x 2
Sure Deodorent - $2.99
Tuf Paper Towels - $0.89/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $43.27

- $10.00 July ESC Diaper Coupon
- $10.00 August ESC Diaper Coupon
- $8.00 Wags Pharmacy Diaper Coupon
- $0.94 Wags Mini Notebook Coupon
- $0.94 Wags Mini Notebook Coupon
- $0.30 Wags Tuf Coupon
- $0.30 Wags Tuf Coupon
- $1.30 Wags Bic Razor Coupon
- $1.30 Wags Bic Razor Coupon
- $1.50 Wags July ESC Sure Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon
- $0.50 Dawn Coupon
- $1.00 Sure Coupon
- $2.00 Bic Coupon
- $2.00 Bic Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.69 + Tax !!!!!!

Received: $5.00 Register Rewards

At this point the cashier is flirting with my husband and trying to get him to try on some colognes, so I decided to do another round! The cashier did not like me one bit. I was extremely friendly and told her thank you for being patient with my coupons and she rolled her eyes. I told her I'm not going to wipe out the shelves, I really hate when people do that. She rolled her eyes and said "yeah ok". Nice! But I didn't care. ;) The husband worked his charm on her while I checked out with my 2nd (and last) transaction...

Comfort Stretch Diapers Jumbo Pack - $5.99/ea. x 4
Sure Deodorent - $2.99
Tuf Paper Towels - $0.89/ea. x 3
Huggies Soft Skin Wipes - $2.99

Subtotal: $32.61

- $10.00 July ESC Diaper Coupon
- $10.00 August ESC Diaper Coupon
- $8.00 Wags Pharmacy Diaper Coupon
- $0.30 Wags Tuf Coupon
- $0.30 Wags Tuf Coupon
- $0.30 Wags Tuf Coupon
- $1.50 Wags July ESC Sure Coupon
- $1.00 Sure Coupon

New Subtotal: $1.21 + Tax !!!!

Received: $5.00 Register Rewards

For being such an awesome sport, I gave a few register rewards to my husband to buy some nice cologne, lol. Not the one the flirty cashier was pushing on him, lol! I know plenty of people were able to hit up multiple stores and rack up on diapers, but we had to get our tile floor done and didn't venture beyond the only Walgreens in our town. But I was not disappointed. :)

2008-07-25T21:38:00.000-04:00

Today was an amazing deal day!! I got up extra early to meet a friend at Walgreens to try out the diaper deals. To my surprise, it worked perfectly! I managed to get 15 packages of diapers!

I used the $5.00 off 2 packages from the July Easy Saver Catalog coupon and the $5.00 off 2 packages from the August Easy Saver Catalog. The ESC is a coupon brochure located next to the Walgreens weekly ads in store. The August ESC started early, today, so we were able to combine them! The best part was that each coupon took $2.50 off each package of diapers, so it ended up being $7.50 off per coupon instead of just $5.00! Here's how I did my transactions

Comfort Stretch Diapers Jumbo Pack - $5.99 ea. x 3

Subtotal: $17.97

- $7.50 July ESC Coupon
- $7.50 August ESC Coupon

New Subtotal: $2.97 + tax

Now what makes this even better? For every 3 packages of diapers you bought, you got $5.00 in Register Rewards. So it's a profit!! I got $199.85 worth of diapers for $14.85 out of pocket, but earned $25.00 in Register Rewards, making it a profit of $10.15!!

I wanted to do more, but the only Walgreens near me is wiped out (I didn't clear the shelves, promise!). It's a shame we don't have a baby. I have collected so much in free baby stuff lately. Thankfully I know several pregnant people, so I can put together little gift packs for them.

If you plan to do this deal, it only works this Friday and Saturday, so hurry! :)

2008-07-23T00:08:00.000-04:00

We've been working nonstop our entire "vacation" on the new tile floor in the kitchen. What an exhausting project!! Tomorrow we both return to work and guess what? It's still not completed! I'll be without my kitchen until this upcoming weekend. No cooking, no laundry, no downstairs bathroom. Very inconvenient! We purchased around 400 sq. ft. of ceramic tile several months ago for around $40.00 - you cannot beat that deal. However, we didn't realize how much it would cost us in other materials/tools just to install it, so we definitely blew our budget on it. It does look fabulous so far...

Every piece of tile has been put down as of 9:35pm this evening. Now it'll set for 24 hours and the next step is to grout everything, let that set and move everything back in. I learned we cannot seal the grout/tile for about two weeks, which means we'll have to move everything out of the kitchen again. How fun!

Around the time we finished laying the tile, I remembered the Hershey's syrup coupons I had to use at Publix tonight! We rushed to shower, change and get to Publix by 10pm. Since we had to go to the one next to our house, we each checked out separately and hoped to avoid any problems. Thankfully we succeeded.

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup - $1.99/ea. x 4
Hershey's Strawberry Syrup - $1.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $11.94

- $5.97 Publix B1G1F Sale
- $0.99 Hershey's B2G1F Coupon
- $0.99 Hershey's B2G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.99

Rinse and repeat...

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup - $1.99/ea. x 2
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup w/Calcium - $1.99/ea. x 2
Hershey's Strawberry Syrup - $1.99/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $11.94

- $5.97 Publix B1G1F Sale
- $0.99 Hershey's B2G1F Coupon
- $0.99 Hershey's B2G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $3.99

So a total of $7.98 for 12 bottles of Hershey's Syrup - which have a shelf life of two years. I think we're all set for those two years!!

I ran to WalMart to find some specific baby wipes I had coupons for, but of course they didn't have any. I didn't leave empty handed though...

Always Pads 32 Ct. - $4.97/ea. x 2
Always Pads 16 Ct. - $3.17/ea. x 2
Kotex Pantyliners 16 Ct. - $1.00/ea. x 2
Cascade Crystal Clear - $3.47
Iams 8lb Dog Food - $10.96 (not pictured)

Subtotal: $29.24

- $3.17 Always Coupon
- $3.17 Always Coupon
- $0.75 Kotex Coupon
- $0.75 Kotex Coupon
- $3.47 Cascade Crystal Coupon (FREE)
- $10.96 Iams Dog Food Coupon (FREE)

New Subtotal: $6.97

Not bad for Walmart savings; I never have much luck finding cheap items there. I did forget to pick up a copy of All You magazine though. Didn't encounter any problems using the coupons, the cashier was just very slow and read every coupon about 5 times, but she was nice and everything went smoothly. I wish more places were coupon-friendly.

2008-07-20T01:29:00.001-04:00

A few updates, finally! Mail bag: $10 Kroger gift card from the AJC, $8.00 refund check from the AJC and an Iams Dog Food FREE Product Coupon (18-22lb bag!).

A few days ago the husband ran to Publix for me, while I was at work, to get this deal! 39 Packages of Gerber baby food - for free!

This Publix store accepts competitor coupons and I had $1.00 off Gerber baby food from Food Lion. The Gerber baby food was on sale 3 for $3.00 at Publix. I printed out 39 of the $1.00 coupons and the husband came back with 39 packages of baby food! (Double packages too!) Not bad. Unfortunately we've discovered that the Publix right next to our house isn't coupon-friendly (same store as the store/manu incident I posted about) and refused to do the deal, so we only got the 39. I'm pleased with it though!

We've been renovating our kitchen for the past few days, to put down a ceramic floor. This has been such a headache! A very expensive project thanks to an uneven foundation! I had to get out of the house today and thanks to a friend of mine I knew where I needed to go: Kroger!

Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner @ 3 for $10.00 x 9

Pampers 77 count wipes @ $2.61 each x 9

Subtotal: $53.49

- $18.00 Kroger P&G Deal (buy 3 get $3 off)
- $16.00 8 $2.00 Pantene Coupons
- $8.00 8 $0.50 Pampers Coupons (doubled)

New Subtotal: $11.49

- $10.00 Kroger Gift Card

OOP: $1.49 + tax !!!

Would have been better if I had 9 of each coupon, but I was 1 short of each! Later this evening I saw a friend of mine and was able to get six more Pantene coupons from her (thank you!), so I ran up to Kroger again...

Pantene Shampoo & Conditioner @ 3 for $10.00 x 2

Subtotal: $20.00

- $6.00 Kroger P&G Deal (buy 3 get $3 off)
- $12.00 6 $2.00 Pantene Coupons

New Subtotal: $2.00 + tax!

So for approximately $3.49 + tax I came home with 15 bottles of Pantene and 9 boxes of Pampers wipes. That is fantastic!! Kroger ran out of the pink bottles, but my coupon still worked on a different version of the shampoo, yay. Tomorrow I'm going to try a diaper deal at Walgreens and see what I can get!! :)

2008-07-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

I finally felt like going out and seeing what deals I could get. Started off great, but boy did I come home ticked off!

First stop was Rite Aid, this was all they had left in stock. :(

Electrasol Powerballs - $2.99/ea. x 2
Axe Deodorant - $3.99
Neutra Air Freshener - $2.90/ea. x 2

Subtotal: $15.95

- $2.99 Neutra Air Freshener Rite Aid Coupon (B1G1F)
- $2.25 Electrasol Coupon
- $2.25 Electrasol Coupon
- $2.99 Neutra Air Free Buy 1 Get 1 Free Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.47

Would have been much cheaper had the husband not needed the Axe. We'll also get back $4.00 in Single Check Rebates. So technically we spent $1.47. :)

Next stop was Publix. I had a bunch of free coupons I wanted to use and some store coupons. However the cashier was a pain and the manager wasn't helpful and they refused to accept store and manufacturer coupons. Instead they told me to pick which ones I wanted to use. I was extremely mad. I have a friend who just did this deal! Just last week I used a store and manufacture coupon! What on earth is the deal? I already shot off an email to corporate about their inconsistent policies. I still did okay...

Febreeze Apple Spice Coupon - $7.99
Febreeze Air Effects - $3.29
Iams Healthy Naturals Dog Food - $10.29
Duncan Hines Brownie Mix - $2.49
Tide Detergent - $4.99
Cascade Rinse Aid - $3.49
Downy Fabric Softener - $3.49

Subtotal: $36.03

- $5.00 off $35.00 Publix Coupon
- $7.99 Febreeze Candle Coupon (FREE!)
- $3.29 Febreeze Air Effects Coupon (FREE!)
- $3.49 Cascade Rinse Aid Coupon (FREE!)
- $0.70 Tide Coupon ($0.35 doubled)
- $2.00 Tide PUBLIX Coupon
- $3.00 Iams Healthy Naturals Coupon
- $2.00 Downy PUBLIX Coupon
- $2.49 Duncan Hines Coupon (FREE!)

New Subtotal: $6.07

Not bad at all, but like I said it would have been cheaper had they let me use my other coupons. What I find amusing, and what I just noticed while typing this up, the girl DID scan both Tide coupons - manufacturer and store - and they DID both process. Yet she handed me back my Tide manufacturer coupon telling me it wouldn't work and the register wouldn't allow it. What a bunch of idiots tonight. Meh.

2008-07-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

No amazing deals recently. I need to organize my coupons and get to CVS this week though, I have tons of expiring ECBs! We've actually spent quite a bit of money this week, but most of it was a 'need', only a fraction of it was a 'want'.

We purchased a new mattress and boxspring. We desperately needed a new set. Our current one is old, springy and has a huge dip in the center. My husband has a bad back and the last thing we need is a crappy mattress making him even more uncomfortable. That mattress was expensive!

We also bought a beautiful sleigh bed and dresser. They were cheaper than the mattress! We've upgraded from a queen to a king, I hope our little bedroom can handle it! It's all being delivered tomorrow.

I spent awhile searching the internet for deals on king size bed sets. I couldn't find anything decent for under $100.00, so I gave up my online search. After work I met the husband for dinner (his lunch hour) and we ran into Burlington Coat Factory.

Now I absolutely hate this store. Every single time we've gone in there we've had terrible customer service and checking out was a hassle. Plus their lack of a return policy is bs if you ask me. But it was the only store right there that we had time to run into. I'm glad we did.

I found a nice king size bed set for $39.99! A comforter, flat sheet, fitted sheet, bed skirt, pillow cases, pillow shams, etc. I was thrilled. Then we checked out and it rang up $20.99!!! Even better! So that is my only exciting deal recently. Hopefully I'll have something better soon. :)

EDIT: Still hate Burlington. We had to return the set, because when we got home it was missing several pieces! Blargh.

2008-06-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

After work yesterday I ran home to sort some coupons and prepare for a trip to Publix. I wanted to get in a little grocery shopping for the week.

I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I brought my total of $77.29 to $30.99. Definitely wasn't a terrible deal, but I wish I could have done better. Unfortunately I was so hungry by the time I got home, that I rushed to put things away in order to start my dinner. Therefore, no pictures. :(

Off the top of my head, I bought the following...

Kids Cuisine - 10
Barber Brocolli/Cheese Chicken - 1
Frozen Brocolli Florets - 1
Hunts Ketchup - 2
Huge Can of Pear Halves - 1
Huge Cane of Mandarine Oranges - 1
Dole Pineapple Chunks - 1
Ocean Spray Cran-Grape Juice - 1
Apple Juice - 1
Bread - 1
Lettuce - 1
Cucumbers - 2
Wishbone Salad Dressing - 1
Croutons - 1
Fajita Kit - 1

There is more, but I can't remember it! I used a $5 off $35 Publix coupon and several manufacturer coupons. After I ate dinner, I was craving something sweet. I baked a chocolate cake and made my own frosting - a delicious buttercream. Yum! :) Still no stimulus check!!!

2008-06-18T12:15:00.000-04:00

No recent deals, just a few mail bag updates. I received several rebate checks this week.

$5.50 - Pepcid AC Chewables
$3.49 - Glade Car Freshener
$7.99 - Mens Hair Dye
$4.99 - Disposable Razors

All of these, purchased with CVS or Rite Aid deals, are a profit!

I contacted P&G a few weeks ago regarding my rejection letter for the Febreeze Noticeables rebate. I received an envelope in the mail that included FREE product coupons for Febreeze Air Effects & a Febreeze Candle. Plus coupons for $4.00 off Venus razors/cartridges. As nice as that is, I think they owe me the refund check. I followed all the rules and have copies of everything. But free is free!

From what I've read on the forums, practically everyone has been rejected on the Febreeze Noticeables rebate! Seems sleazy to me.

We're planning a yard sale within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully that will bring in some extra cash to go towards hospital bills and a mini vacation we're planning with some friends! We received a letter on the 16th about our stimulus check, we should receive the full $1200.00 by the 20th. Can't wait to get that. :)

2008-06-12T22:39:00.000-04:00

Went to CVS this morning only to discover I left my ECBs and coupons at home! This evening after dinner the husband and I made our rounds. I found $15.00 in ECBs that were expiring today! I planned on doing the Nivea deal, but all 3 CVS stores in our area are sold out. :( Here is what I managed to do...

Fab Laundry Detergent - $1.99/ea. x 2
Ajax Dish Soap - $0.88/ea. x 2
Garnier Nutritioniste Cream Scrub - $5.99/ea. x 2
Twix Candy Bar - $0.50/ea. x 2
Snickers Candy Bar - $0.50
Peanut Butter M&Ms - $0.50/ea. x 3

Subtotal: $20.72

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon (expired 5/30!)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon
- $0.20 Ajax Coupon
- $0.20 Ajax Coupon

New Subtotal: $15.32

Used: $10.00 & $5.00 ECB

Paid: $0.35 Out of pocket.

Earned: $10.00 ECBs

Also earned credit towards the buy $10 get $5 ecb candy deal. Hopefully tomorrow one of the stores will be restocked with the Nivea products I need. I spent all evening looking for those coupons and finally found them all.

2008-06-11T22:54:00.000-04:00

Mail bag! Received a coupon in the mail for a FREE Duncan Hines product up to $4.99. :) Still nothing from Iams or the newspaper. In fact I emailed the newspaper again about my missing inserts, they simply replied stating they'd send a $4.00 refund. Yeah, we'll see about that!

Made a few stops today. :) First up was the CVS near my work...

Garnier Nutritioniste Cream Scrub - $5.99/ea. x 2
Listerine Smart Rinse Mouthwash - $3.49

Subtotal: $15.47

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon
- $1.00 Garnier Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.47

Used: $6.99 & $3.48 ECBs

Paid: $0.12 out of pocket!

Received: $13.49 ECBs!! Profit!

I ran by the CVS near my neighborhood, but they were out of the items I was looking for. I'll have to hit up the one by work again tomorrow. I also discovered that CVS accepts expired coupons! I tested it this afternoon, one of my Garnier coupons expired May 30th. It scanned with no problems!!

Ran to Kroger, not much for deals, but I needed chicken.

I don't have my receipt on hand for this one - I believe the husband stuffed it somewhere. Anyhow it was $14.xx out of pocket. The cat food was free, everything else was not.

Later this evening I decided to make a quick stop by Rite Aid.

Electrasol - $3.49
Tums QuikPak - $3.99
Axe Body Wash - $4.00/ea. x 2
Axe Deodorant - $4.00

Subtotal: $19.48

- $5.00 Rite Aid Coupon
- $2.25 Tums Coupon
- $0.35 Electrasol Coupon

New Subtotal: $11.88

Earned: $10.49 SCR (Single Check Rebate)

Electrasol - $3.49
Tums QuikPak - $3.99
Sugar Babies - $0.21

Subtotal: $7.69

- $2.25 Tums Coupon
- $0.35 Electrasol Coupon

New Subtotal: $5.09

Earned: $5.49 SCR (Single Check Rebate)

Woot! That's it for tonight. :)

2008-06-08T22:06:00.000-04:00

The husband came home from work about 9pm and we decided to go grocery shopping. I spent a few hours sorting coupons and went in prepared. We went to Publix. Once we got there, I was just not in the mood to do any grocery shopping. So we only came home with a few things and spent too much. :P

Purina One Cat Food - $6.99
Totino's Frozen Pizzas - $1.00/ea. x 5
Chicken Pot Pie - $5.99
Publix Green Wise Toilet Paper - $2.89

Smart Balance Milk - $3.59
Suddenly Pasta Salad - $1.39/ea. x 2
Jello Singles - $1.99
Dales Steak Sauce - $2.50*
Publix Honey - $2.89
Country Crock Butter - $2.29
Hersheys Candy Bar - $1.25*

Green Giant Frozen Veggies - $1.00/ea. x 5
Klondike Bars - $3.49/ea. x 2
1 Dozen Eggs - $2.49

Items NOT pictured because the husband was in a hurry to put things away...

Nestle Morsels - $1.79
Zippo Lighter Fluid - $2.99*
Publix All Purpose Flour - $2.29
Publix Vegetable Oil - $2.59

Subtotal: $62.29

- $5.00 Publix Coupon ($5 off $35)
- $2.38 Publix Coupon (Green Wise TP was the penny item)
- $6.99 Purina One FREE Coupon
- $0.70 Egglands Best Coupon
- $3.49 Publix Klondike B1G1F
- $0.55 Country Crock Coupon
- $1.00 Smart Balance COupon
- $1.00 Jello Singles Coupon
- $1.00 Suddenly Pasta Salad Coupon

New Subtotal: $40.18

Not great by any means. I needed everything I bought. Oh and everything with an asterik (*) next to it, are items the husband threw into the cart. Sneaky sneaky! This is everything to add to the stockpile today...

Definitely going to need another shelf soon!!

2008-06-08T18:02:00.000-04:00

I sat down and started going through the CVS weekly flier when I noticed that Dove shampoo/conditioner is buy 1 get 1 free this week. I had $3.00 off 2 coupons for that! But they expired today!

The husband took my car to work today. His car has a flat tire and the donut is very low on air. I went out, looked at the tire, it looked okay enough to make it to CVS. (It's right around the corner.) Sad huh? I was able to get there and back okay though.

Dove Shampoo/Conditioner - $4.99 x 10

Subtotal: $49.90

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $24.95 CVS B1G1F Deal
- $3.00 Dove Coupon
- $3.00 Dove Coupon
- $3.00 Dove Coupon
- $3.00 Dove Coupon
- $3.00 Dove Coupon

New Subtotal: $6.95

Paid: $6.95 cash.

I opted to just pay instead of using my ECBs at this point. I have other ECB deals lined up, but I just had to get this today before my coupons expired.

My total higher than I had estimated and I didn't realize why until I got into the car and checked out my receipt. The items rang up $4.99 each instead of $4.29 each - which is what the signs advertised (as well as the flier).

Technically my out of pocket total should have only been $3.45. Since it's Sunday the store closes at 6pm and there were a ton of people in there. I'll just go back tomorrow for my $3.50 refund. :) Either way, not a bad deal for the only shampoo/condition I really like.

2008-06-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

My mother stopped by this evening and she was all excited about her recent CVS deal. She spent five cents out of pocket! That beat my lowest (ten cents)!! Awesome. :) Of course after that I had the urge to run to CVS before they closed.

Fushion Razor - $9.99
Dawn Dish Soap - $2.00/2
Oral B Toothbrushes - $6.99
Smart Rinse Mouthwash - $3.49

Subtotal: $22.47

- $4.00 CVS Coupon ($4 off $20)
- $4.00 Fushion Razor Coupon
- $0.25 Dawn Dish Soap Coupon
- $0.25 Dawn Dish Soap Coupon

New Subtotal: $13.97

Used: $8.00 & $5.00 ECBs

Paid: $1.35 out of pocket (with tax)

Earned: $15.48 ECBs

There's a little newpapers delivered in our neighborhood once a week. They usually have Smartsource or Red Plum coupon inserts. Imagine my surprise when I opened mine up and found the P&G insert that I didn't get in my Sunday papers! I was quite excited. Our neighbors have no interest in this little paper, they often pick it up and throw it right into their trash cans. My husband did something so very, very awesome tonight. He helped me up to bed (I have a bad migraine this evening) and then he took the dogs outside. When he came back upstairs, he brought me a surprise!

Ten of the newspapers our neighbors were going to throw away!

Now I have ten P&G inserts!! To share of course! :) I also came across a thick book for Rite Aid, so I gathered those out of the newspapers as well.

Coupons inside and lots of them!

The best part? They are manufacturer coupons! Not Rite Aid store coupons, so they can be used anywhere! There are some fantastic coupons inside, for example: $1.00 off Tide! The most I've ever come across is $0.35, so I'm quite excited about $1.00 off! That's my excitement for the evening. Now to sleep off this migraine...

2008-06-03T20:39:00.000-04:00

I received a rejection letter for my Febreeze Noticeables rebate I sent away for a couple of months ago. "Invalid UPC, no receipt enclosed." All false - I make copies of everything right before I mail it off. Now I need to track down a phone number to call them!

While browsing a few forums and seeing several stockpile pictures, I was inspired. I decided to go to get a shelf and start organizing everything I have! I couldn't find any decently sized shelfs for under $25.00, so of course I searched for a coupon! It was my lucky day; $10 off $25 @ Lowes when you use your Visa card.

Picked up my shelf after work (I won't even go into my rant about my terrible cashier!!). Immediately came home and started lugging stockpile items from every room in the house! And ta-da! ...

I left all the laundry detergent downstairs in the laundry area. I left most of the paper towels in the pantry too. Mainly because I can't reach them and the husband has already left for work. And as you can see, I'm out of room! Guess I need another shelf eventually. I took a few close ups to share as well...

The very top: toilet paper, paper towels, dish detergent, kleenex and scrubbing bubbles shower cleaner.

Second shelf: cleaning supplies, dish soap & detergent and my bath & body works soap/spray stash.

Third shelf: Shampoo/condition, body wash, shaving cream, lotions, wipes, deodorent, mouthwash, toothpaste, floss, etc.

Bottom shelf: Razors and cat food galore! I have so many bags of cat food that they're actually stacked to the left of the shelf going up the wall!

I sent an email complaining to the newspaper that I did not receive any P&G inserts in my Sunday papers. To my surprise, I received a response today...

Thank you for your email. I apologize for the inconvenience. The Proctor & Gamble coupons were missing in error. We are still in the process of investigating this error. We will try our best to mail the coupons to you or at least send a refund for the cost of the Sunday paper. Please send us you complete mailing address, phone number and name to complete this transaction.

I hope I receive them soon! I also emailed Iams about their dog food. Basically letting them know that it's the only food that doesn't upset my dogs stomachs (true), but that I wish there were more coupons or sales for their dog food. I have boatloads of cat food, but rarely find great deals on dog food! I received a response within hours, here's a snippet...

For your inconvenience, I would be happy to mail you a coupon good towards a free 8 lb. bag of any Iams Dry Dog Food! If you don't receive this within 14 business days, please be sure to let me know.

Yay! Always email or call companies with compliments or complaints. They're generally good about getting back to you and offering coupons or freebies! I'll post when/if I receive any goodies. I added a new section in the right column - coupon links. I'm only adding the ones I find and am able to use, that way you know they work! :)

2008-06-02T18:47:00.000-04:00

A quick stop by CVS after work this evening...

Arm & Hammer Detergent - $5.99/ea. x 2
Febreeze Spray - $2.50/ea. x 4

Subtotal: $21.98

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $5.99 CVS B1G1F A&H Detergent
- $1.00 A&H Detergent Coupon
- $1.00 A&H Detergent Coupon

New Subtotal: $10.99

Used: $4.99 & $5.58 ECBs

Paid: $0.42 out of pocket.

Earned: $5.00 ECBs

I just realized that the girl adjusted my $6.00 ECB to $5.58 without asking me. I don't like that. I would have used a smaller ECB had I noticed. I handed the $6.00 one to her first too. Hmph!

Anyhow, spent more ECBs than earned, but I'm needing to stock up on laundry detergent anyway (I'm low). You can get the $1.00 off Arm & Hammer Detergent coupons right here. Select skip > special offers > fill out > print coupons. There are coupons available for other products as well. You can print two copies by clicking the back button after it says thank you.

Also you can get a $1.00 off Downy coupon mailed to you by going here. I like Downy, but it's generally too expensive. So match that $1.00 off with some store sales and you can get it pretty cheap!

2008-06-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

The husband picked up a double paper for me today. Much to my disappointment, there were no P&G coupon inserts in either paper! I was not a happy coupon clipper this morning. Oh well, I had to make due with what I had and let me tell you, it wasn't very much.

First stop was CVS. I decided to do the Bounty/Charmin/Duracell buy $20 get $10 ECBs deal.

Bounty Paper Towels 8 pk - $5.99
Duracell 'AA' Batteries - $2.99 x 4 pks
Duracell 'AAA' Batteries - $2.99

Subtotal: $20.94

- $5.00 CVS Coupon ($5 off $15)
- $0.75 Duracell Coupon
- $0.75 Duracell Coupon

New Subtotal: $14.44

Used: $3.00 & $11.97 ECBs.

Paid: $0.61 out of pocket. :)

Earned: $10.00 ECBs.

I did a second order too. I don't know why. I think I justed needed my CVS fix!

Listerine Smart Rinse - $3.49/ea. x 2
Oral B Toothbrushes - $6.99
CVS Bandaids - $1.99/ea. x 2
Caramello - $0.79

Subtotal: $18.74

- $5.00 CVS Coupon ($5 off $15)

New Subtotal: $13.74

Used: $3.00 & $10.00 ECBs.

Paid: $0.74 out of pocket.

Earned: $17.95 ECBs.

Next stop was Walgreens. They have coca-cola 2 liters on sale for $0.89. I've noticed the price of 2 liters slowly creeping up higher and higher later, so I'll take the $0.89 over $1.79 some stores are charging, ouch.

Coca Cola 2 Liters - $0.89/ea. x 5
Stainless Steel Water Bottles - 3 for $10.00
Shaving Gel - $3.99 (not pictured)

Subtotal: $18.44

- $1.00 Shaving Gel Coupon
- $0.89 Coca Cola Free Coupon

New Subtotal: $16.55

Not a great deal, but we need the water bottles and usually they are $15+ each!

Finally our last stop was Publix. The husband was notified that he'd be working overnights for the next 5 days, and not even at HIS work, but at a location an hour and a half away. :( We ended up splurging on a lot of microwave meals. No point in cooking when we'll barely see each other. So there wasn't really a lot of "real" grocery shopping this week...

Coca Cola 6 pks - $2.50/ea. x 5

Stouffers Meals - $2.50/ea. x 8

(Lasanga & Chicken A La King)

Ragu Sauce - $2.99/ea. x 2
Snuggle - $3.99
Mueller Ziti - $1.39/2 (b1g1f)

Subtotal: $43.86

- $5.00 Publix Coupon ($5 off $35)
- $1.00 Snuggle Coupon
- $2.50 Coca Cola 6pk Coupon
- $1.00 Ragu Coupon

New Subtotal: $34.36

Not too shabby. We checked out separately so we could use two of the $5 off $35 coupons since I ended up with four of them. I'll use the other two when we actually do some real grocery shopping. Here was our second Publix order...

Pillsbury Cake Mix - $0.85
Teddy Grahams - $2.99 (sneaky husband)
Arm & Hammer Cat Litter - $7.49
Muellers Bowties Pasta - $1.39/2 (b1g1f)
Muellers Ziti Pasta - $1.39/2 (b1g1f)

1/2 Gallon Milk - $2.29
V8 High Fiber Juice - $3.25
Baking Soda - $0.59
Meow Mix Cat Food - $0.40/ea. x 2
Country Crock Butter - $2.29
Kens Honey Teryaki Marinade - $1.40
Kraft Ranch Dressing - $2.69
Ragu Sauce - $2.99/ea. x 2

Hamburger Buns - $0.99
Sunbeam Bread - $2.19
Bubba Burgers - $8.49 (sneaky husband!)
Pour Over Butter Popcorn - $1.30
Publix Cheese - $2.39
Plastic Forks - $0.89
Stringster Cheese - $3.00
Stove Top Stuffing - $1.79

Subtotal: $54.44

- $5.00 Publix Coupon ($5 off $35)
- $7.49 Arm & Hammer Cat Litter Coupon
- $0.55 Country Crock Coupon
- $2.38 Publix Cheese (penny item!)
- $1.00 V8 Coupon
- $1.00 Ragu Coupon
- $0.80 Meow Mix Coupon
- $0.80 Meow Mix Coupon
- $0.70 Pillsbury Cake Mix Coupon

New Subtotal: $34.72

The Meow Mix coupons were for a FREE cup of food and I had 2 of them. They're on sale at Publix for $0.40. When the cashier entered the coupon amount, it doubled it! Overage! Not much, but hey, every penny counts. Hopefully next week the husbands schedule will be back to normal and we can do some real grocery shopping. This week was incredibly unhealthy!

By the way, if you find any laundry detergent deals I highly recommend you start stocking up! I just read a few articles about the cost of laundry detergents (ALL of them) going up 20-30% due to "higher energy costs". :(

2008-05-29T13:36:00.000-04:00

It's been over a week since I've done any shopping. Yesterday I decided to stop by CVS on my way home from work. I'm low on laundry detergent and they had Tide on sale with ECBs. Not a profit by any means, but it was something I needed!

2X Tide w/Downy (24 Loads) - 2 @ $5.99 each
Life Water - 5 @ $1.00 each

Subtotal: $16.98

- $5.00 CVS Coupon ($5 off $15)
- $0.50 Life Water Coupon
- $0.50 Life Water Coupon
- $0.50 Life Water Coupon
- $0.50 Life Water Coupon
- $0.50 Life Water Coupon

New Subtotal: $9.48

Used: $5.98 & $3.79 in ECBs.

Paid: $0.74 out of pocket. :)

Earned: $6.00 ECBs.

My receipt is about 3 feet long! On top of the ECBs that printed out, I received several other CVS coupons. Free $25 gift card when you transfer your prescription to a CVS pharmacy - this is perfect, as I need to refill my pain pills! Save $1.00 on any body wash. Save $3.00 on any Excedrin 50ct. or larger.

Spent more in ECBs than earned, but I needed the laundry detergent and there weren't very many deals going on. They were still sold out of the Tums, as was the other store. Neither would issue me a raincheck, because they can't issue rainchecks for "free" items. (The Tums is free after ECBs for the month of May.) I know this is false, as several other people have been able to obtain rainchecks just fine.

Tomorrow we have Comcast coming to the house to install cable internet and TV. This will be a huge savings for us. We'll be able to get rid of DSL, the home phone line and Direct TV - saving over $120 a month!! Plus for signing up with Comcast we get a $200.00 Amazon gift card (is it sad I wish it were for CVS? LOL!).

2008-05-20T00:19:00.000-04:00

I read on a few forums that sending compliments or complaints directly to companies is a good way to get coupons. I decided to give it a shot and sent off a few compliments and one suggestion.

Within the past week I have received the following coupons in the mail...

Sara Lee - Free Bread Product
Sara Lee - Free Dessert Product
Sara Lee - $1.00 Off Deli Meat
Sara Lee - $0.55 Off Bread Product
Sara Lee - $0.55 Off Dessert product

Fantastik - Free Product Up To $3.50

Arm & Hammer Cat Litter - Free Product Up To $13.99!!

Kleenex - Free Product Up To $2.99 (2 Coupons)

The emails have definitely paid off! If you're happy with a certain product, I highly recommended visiting the company website and sending off an email letting them know! I received these coupons within days of sending the emails too!

2008-05-19T00:59:00.000-04:00

We went grocery shopping at Kroger on Saturday. We've had a hectic weekend with lots of spring cleaning, so I forgot to get pictures of our haul. However I did bring out Kroger bill from $116 down to $40 with coupons! To my surprise, the cashier was just as excited as we were. So was the lady behind us (she actually congratulated us, lol). Usually people are a bit snotty when it comes to coupons.

Today we decided we're going to have a yard sale in a few weeks. I wanted to start pricing things as we began cleaning, so we made a trip over to Walgreens. I did quite well there! And remembered to snap a picture. :)

Diet Coke 2 Liter - 3 @ $0.89 each
Reg. Coke 2 Liter - 1 @ $0.89
Suavitel Fabric Softener - 2 @ $2.79 each
Skintimate Shave Gel - 3 @ $0.99 each
Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - 2 @ $2.79 each
Yard Sale Price Stickers - 1 @ $1.99

Subtotal: $19.68

-$10.00 RRs (from P&G deal)
- $2.79 Suavitel WAGS Coupon (B1G1F)
- $2.79 Lysol WAGS Coupon (B1G1F)
- $1.00 Suavitel
- $0.50 Suavitel
- $0.55 Skintimate
- $0.55 Skintimate
- $0.55 Skintimate

New Subtotal: $0.95

Used: $0.95 Cash :)

As we were standing in the line at Walgreens, the assistant manager opened another registered and called us over. I was a bit nervous about doing this deal with him. I've read many horror stories on forums about managers being extremely harsh towards people who use coupons.

However, that wasn't the case at all for me! He was very nice and quit surprised at how well I did. In fact he even stated "wow! I guess I need to start clipping coupons!" Phew!

I'm not sure if I'll have any deals to post this week. I didn't really see much in the fliers from the Sunday paper, but I may need to look again. Plus we're on a tight budget for awhile.

2008-05-14T13:20:00.001-04:00

Just now getting around to posting my deals from yesterday. Didn't have a very pleasant evening after getting home from work. We were excited to receive an envelope from the IRS, expecting our stimulus check. No such luck. Instead it's a bill from 2006! That is never fun. Especially when we file through H & R Block. Hmph!

Anyhow, I managed to swing by CVS after work. I hit the store right next to work first. I was looking for the Hawaiian Tropics $1.99 items people have been scoring: money maker! Buy 2 HT items, receive $10 ECB. The only HT items I managed to find were two small bottles for $9.99 each. I'll pass. Here's what I did get at the first store...

Crest Mouthwash - 2 @ $3.99 each
Crest Glide Floss - 4 @ $6.98/2

Subtotal: $21.94

- $4.00 CVS Coupon ($4 off $20)
- $0.75 Crest Mouthwash Coupon
- $0.75 Crest Mouthwash Coupon
- $1.00 Crest Glide Coupon
- $1.00 Crest Glide Coupon
- $1.00 Crest Glide Coupon
- $1.00 Crest Glide Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.44

I used $8.97 + $3.47 in ECBs.

Paid $0.33 out of pocket.

Earned $10.00 ECBs.

So I spent more in ECBs than I earned, but the husband can use these items, so it was a worthwhile purchase.

Still on the hunt for the HT items, I stopped by the CVS by our house. Again, no such luck, but I did have my Hershey's coupons on me and decided to use them. Might as well, right? :) I ended up opening the bags before taking pictures, oops! They are delicious though!

Hersheys Bliss Milk Chocolate - 4 bags @ $4.29 each
Hersheys Mini Bars - 2 @ $0.99 each

Subtotal: $19.14

- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $4.29 Hersheys B1G1F Coupon
- $4.29 Hersheys B1G1F Coupon

New Subtotal: $7.56

Used $6.00 ECBs.

Paid $1.76 out of pocket. This is the highest in quite a while. :(

Earned $5.00 in ECBs. Once again I spent more than I earned, by mistake. I forgot a few things and was in a rush.

Later that evening, the husband decided to make a Walgreens run. I loaded him up with coupons and RRs and off he went. He didn't do too bad! Here's what he was able to get (a lot is still out of stock)...

Tuf Paper Towels - 4 @ $0.89 each
Pepsi 20oz - 2 @ $1.39 each
Diet Coke 20oz - 1 @ $1.39
Diet Coke 2 Liter - 1 @ $1.59
Cottonelle Fresh Wipes - 2 @ $3.18 each
Nail Clippers - 1 @ $2.99 (not pictured)

Subtotal: $18.67

- $2.36 Cottonelle WAGS Coupon
- $2.00 Cottonelle Coupon
- $1.56 Tuf WAGS Coupon

New Subtotal: $12.75

Used $10.00 RRs. Paid $3.50 out of pocket. Not bad for Walgreens. And definitely not bad for sending an unsupervised husband to do the job. (Kidding! He's great with all of this!)

2008-05-12T20:22:00.000-04:00

Once the husband got back from my office this afternoon, we decided to run some errands. My only real plans were for CVS and Walgreens. First stop was CVS. I was annoyed when I realized I left all of my $/$$ coupons at home. I have one of each $4 off $20, $5 off $30 and $3 off $15. But since the store was low on toothpaste I figured I'd go ahead and get a small order.

Colgate Total Advanced Clean Toothpaste -$2.99 Each x 4
Schick Intuition Razor Cartridges - $9.99 x 1

Subtotal: $21.95

- $1.00 Colgate Coupon
- $1.00 Colgate Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $1.50 Colgate Coupon
- $4.00 Intuition Coupon
- $10.00 ECB
- $2.79 ECB

Total w/Tax OOP: $0.80
Earned ECBs: $14.00

Next up was Walgreens. I was sorely disappointed after walking around the store with my weekly flier, only to discover that they didn't have ANY sale items in stock. For example, the Gillette Body Wash? They don't even have it yet! It says "coming soon". Cottonelle Wipes? All gone. Various other items? Nowhere to be found. Since I have to use my RRs before they expire in less than 2 weeks, I went ahead and got a few things.

Tuf Paper Towels - $0.89 each x 4
Puffs Tissues - $1.39 each x 2
Gillette Body Wash Sample - $0.99
Adidas Body Wash - $2.59 x 2
Propel Fitness Water - $1.39
Diet Coke 20oz - $1.39

- $1.00 Puffs WAGS Coupon
- $1.57 Tuf WAGS Coupon
- $10.00 WAGS RR

Total w/Tax OOP: $3.49
Received: $1.00 Gillette Body Wash Coupon (Yeah, the item they don't have! Hah.)

Not great, not bad. The husband liked the Adidas body wash scent and since it's a clearance item and I was anxious to use a $10 RR I "left" him get 2. ;)

Next up was Publix. Just to see what the penny item was and pick up a few of the B1G1 items. Couldn't fit everything into one picture, so this is broken down a bit...

Kids Cuisine Chicken Nuggets Meals - $3.98 for 4 (B1G1F)
Sara Lee Strawberry Cheesecake - $2.74 (50% off)
Sara Lee French Cheesecake - $2.74 (50% off)
Seedless Watermelon - $2.78

Ruffles Potato Chips - $3.79 for 2 (B1G1F)
Sunbeam Giant White Bread - $2.49
Jello Pudding Snacks - $6.00 for 3

Duncan Hines Brownie Mix - $1.25
1/2 Gallon Milk - $2.29
Hunt's Ketchup - $0.88

Airwick Freshmatic Mini - $9.98 for 2 (sale @ $4.99 each)
Airwich Freshmatic Ultra - $5.99 (sale)
Publix Glass Cleaner - $0.01

I only grabbed the last few items because I had coupons and the glass cleaner was a penny. This trip wasn't much of a deal. And of course the cashier made us hold up the line by walking off with my coupons to locate a manager and make sure they were legit. :( I used the following...

- $4.00 Airwick Freshmatic Mini
- $4.00 Airwick Freshmatic Mini
- $4.00 Airwick Freshmatic Ultra

I guess that is suspicious? Oh well, in the end they were accepted and proved to be legit. My total was $33.78. Way more than I wanted to spend, but I can't win them all. "Your savings at Publix: $47.70" Sure didn't seem like it. I have NOT mastered grocery shopping yet. Then again I didn't go in prepare to buy as much as I did (I left grocery coupons at home).

2008-05-12T14:31:00.000-04:00

I sent my first email to a company, praising one of their products. I tried the 'Fantastik' cleaner for the first time and was very impressed. Cleaned wonderfully and didn't have that 'chemical stench' to it, which is very important to me. I was reading on a forum about how companies love to hear customers input, positive or negative. I figured I'd shoot an email to the company. To my surprise I received a response...

How thoughtful of you to tell us how much you enjoyed trying one of our fantastik® products. I'm happy to hear this product left your kitchen and bathroom looking sparkling clean. It's delightful to receive such wonderful feedback and we will happily share your comments with the appropriate people in our company.

To thank you for getting in touch with us, we're sending you a complimentary coupon for a fantastik® product of your choice. Enjoy!

Looks like it pays to praise (or complain?, but I haven't taken that route)!! :) I sent the husband to my office to work for me today. Surgery recovery is going a little slower than expected. I'm hoping to get out to CVS tonight though. And hopefully back to work tomorrow.

2008-05-10T19:16:00.000-04:00

There was a mishap in our guest bathroom a couple of weeks ago. A friend accidentally damaged the sink and flooded the bathroom. As a result, a lot of the Cottonelle toilet paper I purchased April 5th was ruined. :sigh: So I went back onto ebay and nabbed 20 more $1.00 off coupons for around $6.00.

The husband ran to Kroger to pick up toilet paper for me. <3

Cottonelle 4 pack - $1.00 each - purchased 10.

- $1.00 Coupon x 10

Total OOP: $0.00 :)

I decided to stop off at Walgreens this morning and see if they restocked on the toothpastes. They didn't, but I managed to do another deal anyway...

$23.92 - Cover Girl Eyebrow Liner x 8 (um anybody want/need these?!)
$4.98 - Charmin Fresh Wipes x 2
$4.17 - Ivory Soap 3 Pk x 3
$1.39 - 20oz Pepsi

Subtotal: $34.46

- $6.00 RR (Venus)
- $3.00 RR (Zantac)
- $1.00 Charmin Coupon (Wags)
- $1.20 Ivory Coupon (Wags)
- $2.50 Cover Girl Coupon
- $0.25 Ivory Soap Coupon
- $0.25 Ivory Soap Coupon
- $0.25 Ivory Soap Coupon
- $2.50 Cover Girl Coupon
- $2.50 Cover Girl Coupon
- $2.50 Cover Girl Coupon
- $3.00 Cover Girl Coupon (Wags)
- $3.00 Cover Girl Coupon (Wags)

New Subtotal: $6.51 !!!

Earned RRs: $20.00 + $2.00 Cottonelle Coupon

My earned RRs this week that I have leftover....

$46.00 Register Rewards!! And 2 $2.00 off Cottonelle coupons that will come in handy next week when they are on sale 2 for $4.00 (plus I have lots of $0.50 manufacturer coupons). Not bad for my first week with Walgreens!!

Next we went to Publix to pick up the birthday cake (for the husband) and my prenatal vitamins prescription (which has a lot of side effects listed, wow).

We also celebrated my husbands birthday today. It was May 4th, but since I was on bedrest prior to surgery, we opted to celebrate it just a little bit later. I think it was worth the wait. ;) I was so excited about this. I planned and saved for his gift for about a month. I was able to get a couple of people to pitch in on it as well. I don't usually do much for his birthday, because I never know what he wants/needs. He'll just say "nothing". He is difficult to buy for, but for once, I knew exactly what to get!!

I bought him an XBOX 360 Elite and Grand Theft Auto 4. Now the Elite is insanely expensive. I was planning on getting him the next one down, which is what he wanted. But my boss INSISTED I get the more expensive model. He ended up giving me a hundred dollars to put towards the gift! As did other family members. So in the end it only cost me about $400 oop. NOT A DEAL, haha. We picked it up at Target yesterday. They were completely sold out of the GTA4 game, but they had the limited edition version for $30 more, so I went ahead and bought that (it came with a huge metal lock box, a keychain, a book and a bag). Plus a 3 year extended warranty. I went in with a budget in mind and came out completely blowing the budget away. Oops. Totally worth it though, he was excited.

NOT A DEAL. Hah. Oh and seriously, for the price of that one, it should come with at least 2 controllers and free online gaming. Wow.

Alright so after the party my mum wanted to go to the CVS near our house to get the Venus Razor deal. So we met up there and I helped her get a few things. She is still learning it all and spent $24.xx OOP and only earned like $20 ecbs. She'll get the hang of it soon though. I came home with this...

$0.88 - Dawn Dish Soap
$11.97 - Colgate 360 Deep Clean Tooth Brush x 3
$5.58 - Orapik Travel Kit x 2

- $0.25 Dawn Coupon
- $3.00 CVS Coupon ($3 off $15)
- $5.00 ECB
- $10.00 ECB

Total OOP: $0.21
Earned ECBs: $17.55 + a $2 off CVS coupon + a $1.50 off Aveeno coupon

My ECB stack at the moment...

Wow. Roughly $70.00 right now.

Busy day and I'm exhausted. I've decided to put together some "care packages" for people I know with all the extra stuff I've been getting. I'm going to put a box together for my sister tonight. She's a college student, so I imagine helping her save a few bucks on these things would be helpful. For her: a razor, shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, soap, tooth brush, toothpaste, dish detergent, dish soap, etc.

2008-05-10T05:09:00.000-04:00

It's 1am and we just got back from Walgreens. I have been reading about all these amazing deals people are getting there with the P & G deal going on. I spent hours configuring what to get, what coupons to use, what order to do it in, etc. In the end, it wasn't anything like I planned. But I came out better. Unfortunately at Walgreens you spend a lot more OOP than CVS. But I think I did well...considering...

I needed a few more RR's before I could do my deal, so I roamed around collecting what I could while I sent the husband to check out for two small separate orders. I think if I would have split the small orders into even smaller orders I would have spent less OOP, but I didn't even think about it at that time.

First order. Same thing I got this morning.

$9.99 - Venus Razor - 1
$3.99 - Zantac - 1

- $4.00 Venus Coupon
- $5.00 Zantac Coupon

Total OOP: $5.96
Earned RRs: $9.00 ($3 for Zantac, $6 for Venus)

I printed the Zantac coupon off a Zantac website and the register accepted it without a problem, giving me $1.01 overage! I was only able to print one of those, but had another $5 off from the Walgreens website. So I sent the husband to do a second small order.

Second order.

$9.99 - Venus Razor - 1
$3.99 - Zantac - 1
$3.99 - Lax - 1 (after surgery issues :sigh:)

- $4.00 Venus Coupon
- $1.00 Zantac Coupon

Total OOP: $13.23
Earned RRs: $9.00 ($3 for Zantac, $6 for Venus)

This time the $5.00 off Zantac coupon we tried to use beeped and couldn't be used. :( But I had a $1.00 coupon for it, so was able to use that. So basically the Walgreens/Smartsource Zantac coupons do NOT work for overage or adjustments, but the Zantac website coupon goes through fine. Weird!

Oh and a sucky thing about RRs: Unlike ECBs, you can't use RRs you get from an item to purchase the same item for more RRs. The stipulations for RRs are a lot stricter than CVS ECBs. But I wanted to give Walgreens a shot, mainly out of boredom, haha. I've been couped up all week long, I deserved an outing!

Finally we have $18 RRs. From what I've read I can't use the same RRs to pay for a purchase. For example I have 2 $3 for Zantac and 2 $6 for Venus. I can use 1 $3 and 1 $6 but not two $6. This was proven correct with the cashier handed me back one of my $6 RRs. :(

Third (and final) order!

My original plan was a bunch of toothpaste, but they had ONE left and a bunch of empty shelves. Go figure. So I had to play around with my scenario a bit.

$1.39 - 20oz Pepsi - 1
$3.99 - Febreeze - 1 (large)
$7.47 - Charmin Fresh Wipes - 3
$5.00 - Cascade Detergent - 2
$3.49 - Febreeze - 1 (small)
$7.98 - Cover Girl Nail Polish - 2
$2.50 - Crest Pro Health Toothpaste - 1

Subtotal: $31.82

- $6.00 RR (Venus)
- $3.00 RR (Zantac)
- $2.50 Cover Girl
- $0.50 Crest
- $0.25 Cascade
- $3.99 Febreeze (had b1g1f, cashier took off the larger bottle)
- $2.00 Cover Girl

New Subtotal: $13.58

And I received $20 RRs and $2 off Charmin next week!!

Although going over my receipt I just realized the cashier left off my Charmin Wipes coupon. I should have saved another $2.00. Oh well, still not a bad deal!

So that's $29 RRs I have right now. Some people on the forums have $200+ RRs. That is INSANE if you ask me.

Here's a look at everything I got today! For under $40.00! Not too shabby...

2008-05-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

I reluctantly went into work today, it was a painful experience having to wear jeans, drive and sit at a desk all day long with two incisions in my abdomen. OUCH! But I, of course, managed to get a few deals done!

CVS Trip before work.

Diabetes Monitor - 1
Venus Razor - 1
CVS Allergy Meds - 1
Propel Water - 1 Bottle (not pictured)

Total OOP: $0.89
Earned ECBs: $18.79

CVS Trip after work.

Diabetes Monitor - 1
CVS Allergy Meds - 1
Russell Stover Chocolates - 1
Kiss Nail Glue - 2

Total OOP: $0.83
Earned ECBs: $18.79

Walgreens before work.

Venus Razor - 1
Properl Water - 1 Bottle (not pictured)

Total OOP: $8.xx
Earned RRs: $6.00

I must say, I think I'm greatly improving on my ability to spend little OOP. Mainly at CVS. But I hope to master Walgreens this weekend for the P&G RR deal!

2008-05-06T19:01:00.000-04:00

Well I survived my surgery yesterday! Had to beg the doctor to let me come home, but it finally worked and I was released around 7pm last night. They originally wanted to keep me overnight for observation. Can you imagine that bill!?

Since I can't go out and do anything, the husband went out for me. :) We needed a new broom, so he ran to Wal-Mart. I had a coupon expiring today and I wanted to use it!

Broom - 1
Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner - 1
Air Wick Freshmatic - 1

Total OOP: $10.xx

The scrubbing bubbles kit is normally $24.99, was on sale for $12 and I had a $10 off coupon. The Air Wick thing was $6 and I had a $4 off coupon. Not bad! The broom was the most expensive at $5.

My "old" work printer. I took it home to use while I work from home. I kept telling my boss it was an easy fix, but he ignored me and hey, I won't complain, I got a wonderful new printer in my office. It's still not working that great, but the husband was able to set it up so I can print basic things!

Well I better go lay back down. This took more of a toll on my body than I expected. But it's a happy new beginning for us!!

2008-05-02T18:57:00.000-04:00

I definitely made my rounds today. It's my last day of running errands before surgery, so I had to nab the deals that expire tomorrow. Or that have coupons expiring tomorrow.

First stop was CVS right after work.

Colgate 360 Toothbrush - 2 @ $3.99 each - had 2 $1.00 off coupons
Aquafresh Toothpaste - 3 @ $2.99 each - had 3 $1.00 off coupons
Propel Water (not pictured) 1 @ $1.59

Used a $3 off $15 CVS coupon
Used $9.98 ECBs

Total OOP: $0.82
ECBs Earned: $16.95

WOO! And that's not even the best trip. Continue on...

The husband picked up two copies of the All You magazine for me. Those magazines have a ton of coupons! Each magazine had a coupon for a FREE Adidas deodorant. That's an ECB deal at CVS, money make! I clipped and sorted and we made our way to the CVS next to our neighborhood.

12oz Soft Soap Spa Body Wash - 1 @ $4.99 - had 1 $0.75 off coupon
Adidas Deodorant - 3 @ $4.99 each - had 2 FREE coupons
Glade Car Freshener Thingy - 1 @ $3.99 - had 1 $2.00 off coupon

Used $4 off $20 CVS coupon
Used $7.22 ECBs

Total OOP: $0.89
ECBs Earned: $19.96

I also have a mail in rebate for the Glade Car Freshener thingy. But that still isn't the best deal of the day. :) I made a separate purchase at the same CVS...

Bic Soleil Razor - 1 @ $5.99 - had $2.00 off coupon
Vive Pro Shampoo/Conditioner - 4 @ $4.99 - were B1G1F - had 3 $1.00 off coupons
Orapik Dental Travel Kit - 1 @ $2.79

Used $3 off $15 CVS coupon
Used $7.99 ECBs

Total OOP: $0.10 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ECBs Earned: $5.79

I spent more ECBs than earned, but in the end, it's still a good deal for me! I have a mail in rebate on the bic soleil razor too! By the way, I do NOT recommend those Bic razors. Wow. I tried one the other night and it tore my legs up. :(

Okay, next stop Rite Aid...

Trash Bags - 2 @ $5.39 each - but they are B1G1F
Glade Car Freshener Thingy - 1 @ $3.99 - had $2.00 off coupon

Total OOP: $8.04

That's the most I spent all day. :P I have 2 mail in rebates for the Glade thingy.

Last stop, Walgreens.

They didn't have what I was looking for, so this is my "not a deal" picture.

Diet Coke - $1.59 (!!!)
Snicker Ice Cream Bar - $1.49

Total OOP: $3.14 - Pfft.

That was utter fail, but I'll enjoy my snickers and diet coke while I'm laying around doing nothing. The husband works all day tomorrow, so I'll be on couch-rest instead of bed-rest since he won't be there to SERVE me. ;) I had so much I wanted to do this weekend around the house and now I can't!

2008-05-02T18:55:00.000-04:00

Ran by Rite Aid last night because I was out of trash bags and their brand was buy 1 get 1 free (box of 30). For $5.77 I got two boxes! (At Publix they're like 2 for $11 and that's on sale, ouch.) To my surprise, they are really good quality bags. Not super thin like some (that tear easily, etc).

2008-04-29T18:52:00.000-04:00

We ran to Kroger and got the following...

Diet Coke - 2 Liter
Ginger Ale - 2 Liter
Proper Water - 2 Bottles
Purina Healthful Life Cat Food - 7 Bags

Total OOP: $6.xx

I still have 13 cat food coupons to use too. FREE! Kroger only had 7 in stock.

2008-04-29T18:49:00.000-04:00

I ran to CVS before work. I needed to get something to drink and I figured I could at least get some cough drops. I needed something to soothe my throat. I'm scheduled for surgery in six days and once again I've come down with a nasty cold.

20oz Diet Coke - 2 Bottles
Propel Water - 1 Bottle
Peanut M&Ms - 1 Package
Doritos - 1 Small Bag
12oz Soft Soap Spa Body Wash - 2 Bottles

Total OOP: $1.49
Earned ECBs: $9.98

I spent more in ECBs than I earned, but I wasn't in the mood to figure out all the math or what other ECB deals were going on. Still not bad. Back to work I go...

2008-04-27T18:43:00.000-04:00

Picked up the Sunday paper. Cut and organized coupons and headed out for a day of shopping!

CVS Trip.

Listerine - 2 Bottles
Bic Soleil Razor - 1 Package
Bic Soleil Razor Refils - 1 Package
Just For Men Touch Of Grey - 1 Box
L'Oreal Vive Pro Shampoo/Conditioner - 2 Bottles

Total OOP: $2.65
Earned ECBs: $14.99

Rite Aid Trip. We made two orders, so we can put in for two rebate checks. Each order was the following:

Cintre Shine Shampoo/Conditioner - 1 Bottle
Finesse Shampoo - 1 Bottle
Finesse Conditioner - 1 Bottle
Listerine Smart Rinse - 1 Bottle

Total OOP: $8.74

But will receive $7.00 rebate checks. So technically we spent $3.48 for everything. :P

Walmart Trip.

Iams 8lb Dog Food - 1 Bag
Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies - 2 Packages

Total OOP: $8.10

This would have been free, but the gift card I had wouldn't work, so I have to call about it tomorrow. It was the $10 card from the Mach Razor survey I did. Kept being declined.

After Walmart, we decided to go by GameStop since it was right there. That store is tiny and it was crowded. It smelled like pickles and I couldn't wait to get out of there. I did a preorder for Wii Fit. :P I'll put a couple bucks down on it every week. Then when I pick it up I won't feel terrible for wasting $90 at once. Haha.

Kroger Trip.

Paper Towels - 2 Packages
Spaghetti - 4 Boxes
Soft Soap - 2 Bottles
Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce - 1 Bottle (THIS IS SO GOOD BTW)
Cottonelle Toilet Paper - 2 Packages

Total OOP: $6.69

Also went and purchased gas while at Kroger. $48.00 - WOW! That's the most I've EVER spent filling up my CRV. Thank god for great gas mileage.

Publix Trip. Last stop!

Texas Toast - 2 Boxes
Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie - 2 Boxes
Sparkle Paper Towels - 1 8 Pack
Lucky Charms - 1 Box
Chinnamon Toast Crunch - 1 Box
Publix Sweet Tea - 2 1/2 Gallons (Only 1 pictured.) This was only 1 cent!

Total OOP: $12.xx (Misplaced this receipt, oops.)

After Publix we decided to go to Bugaboo Creek. I wasn't in the mood for my normal pasta meal, but they had a new menu. The 'Maple Garlic Chicken Wings' sounded awful but looked soooo good. I got those. DELICIOUS. Difficult to eat though. I won't touch my food with my hands, so eating wings with two forks is hard. Really good though. And we both had $5 off coupons!

YUMMY.

2008-04-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday after work I ran by Target. Someone posted on a forum that The Good Life Cat Food was on sale for $3.59. I had 8 $3.00 off coupons. The cat eats anything, so I figured I'd stock up for cheap.

And I came home with 8 bags of The Good Life Cat Food - a few not pictured. I also had a $5.00 off coupon for Iams Naturals Cat Food and that was $7.69, so it ended up as $2.69. Not bad. Plus I had an $8.00 off coupon for Iams Naturals Dog Food (!!!), so I was able to get a larger bag that was $10.79 for $2.79! After a variety of price checks and resets, I spent $10.98 OOP. Not bad for all that cat and dog food!!

Today after work I decided to stop by the nearby CVS store. To my surprise they had everything I was looking for in stock! I ended up breaking my order up into two separate purchases. The cashier was a bit slow and took forever. I purposely waited until everyone had checked out before I went to the register, as I hate to hold up a line! When I began checking out I was the only customer in the store. Twenty minutes later, when I left, there were 9 people behind me. I felt so bad. :( But it wasn't my fault!!

Sunlight Dish Soap - 1 Bottle - $0.79, had $0.25 coupon
Alavert Allergy Meds - 3 Boxes - $6.99/ea. had $4.00 off coupons

Total OOP: $1.28
ECBs Earned: $12.00

Soft Soap Spa Body Wash 12oz - 2 Bottles - $4.99/ea.
Soft Soap Spa Body Wash 18oz - 2 Bottles - $5.49/ea.
Herbel Esscenses Shampoo - 1 Bottle
Herbel Esscenses Conditioner - 1 Bottle
Hello Kitty Zoothbrush - 2 Brushes
Speed Stick 24/7 Deodorant - 1 Stick

After the cashier rang this all up and figured out my coupons (seriously, so slow), the total was NEGATIVE $2.82! She looked confused. I said no problem, just scan the Hello Kitty toothbrush again and I'll go grab a second one. She did...

Total OOP: $0.25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TWENTY FIVE CENTS!
Earned ECBs: $26.95

I was so excited about that deal. Although I did leave so embarrassed for holding up the line. :(

Once I get home we decided to grab dinner and stop by Publix. I had some manufacturer coupons to use up, because they expired today. I needed paper towels, toilet paper and shampoo. This entire deal ended up completely messed up, because the cashier I had was rude and ignorant and refused to listen to me!

Bounty Extra Soft Paper Towels - 4 Packs
Charmin Ultra Soft Toilet Paper - 2 Packs
Pantene Shampoo/Condition - 2 Bottles

Now I had 2 $3.00 off Bounty coupons and 2 $5.00 off Charmin/Pantene when purchased together coupons. The lady rang my stuff up and refused to accept the coupons, because the ones I got weren't what was PICTURED. I said no, READ the coupon. It's for ANY SIZE, not that specific one. She just kept repeating herself and refused to take it. Meanwhile, my clueless husband proceeded to run the debit card through and pay for the order. Then I pointed to the lady and said "Well you can use the $5.00 off coupons, because I DID get the correct Charmin & Pantene" and sure enough she said "yes you can use those". No kidding. She should have listened to me! But since the husband already paid we had to go over to customer service and get $10 back. :sigh: Can't win them all I guess. Ended up spending $16.xx OOP - should have been under $10, but whatever. I'm more annoyed at how the lady treated me, when I was calmly trying to explain.

Went to the CVS store by our place. My favorite cashier guy was there! He is so cool. He never gives me trouble about coupons or anything.

Sunlight Dish Soap - 1 Bottle - Had $0.25 coupon.
Alavert Allergy Meds - 1 Box - Had $4.00 coupon.
Hello Kitty Zoothbrush - 4 Brushes - Had 2 B1G1 Free Coupons.

Total OOP: $0.72
Earned ECBs: $7.00

So that was my evening. Now I'm exhausted, have a headache and am ready for BED!

2008-04-23T18:33:00.000-04:00

Ran to CVS after work. I have $35 ECBs so I figured I'd see what they had. I bought 3 Spa Radiant Body Wash bottles at $5.49 each. I received $16.47 in ECB's. Paid with $15.00 ecb and spent just a $1 OOP.

Going to pick up 2 more tomorrow. The CVS by our house hired this new kid and he's a complete jerk with coupons/ecb's. :(

2008-04-16T18:28:00.000-04:00

On Monday I picked up some EOB gift bags at CVS. Buy 3 @ $1.49 and get a $5.00 ECB. I bought 5. Hopefully I can nab one more bag so I can get another $5.00 ECB. But every store has been out.

When the husband went tonight, he picked up the following for me...

Diabetes Contour Monitor was $14.99 on sale with $14.99 ECB's! So free after purchase. However, I had an up to $30.00 off coupon for this exact monitor! So I spent $0.00 on it and still got the $14.99 ECBs! Which is awesome, because I had $0.00 to start with since my Aveeno deal failed yesterday. Now I don't need a diabetes monitor, but my dad does! So that's perfect!

Bought the Airwick Freshmatic Mini Start Kit on sale for $4.99, but I had a $4.00 off coupon, so it was only $0.99! That's my second one of those.

And I had him get the Dawn as a filler and I had a $0.50 coupon on it, so it was only like $0.70. He spent less than $2.00!! <3 Awesome. Even though the cashier was trying to give him grief, stupid kid. The manager approved it just fine.

Now to figure out how to roll my $14.99! Oh and I need to call back customer service tomorrow about my failed Aveeno deal. They owe me $10! (Purchased the same exact items I purchased last time and the ECBs didn't print. The cashier kid didn't understand what I was talking about, so I saved myself the hassle and just decided to leave and call CS in 48 hours.)

2008-04-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

Long day. Had to use up a ton of coupons that expired today, so we ended up running around town for a few hours. Prices aren't exact. Left my receipts downstairs and I don't feel like going down to get them at 3am. :P

@ CVS

Pepcid AC - 1 Box
Excedrin - 2 Bottles

Total OOP = $1.06
Earned ECBs = $7.00

@ Publix

Totino's Pizza Rolls - 3 Boxes
Jello Pudding - 1 Package
Electrasol Dish Detergent - 1 Bottle

Total OOP = $4.xx

@ Walgreens

Kleenex - 3 Boxes
Duracell Batteries - 2 Packages
Revlon Tweezers - 1
Everybody's Nuts - 1 Box

Total OOP = $6.xx

@ Kroger

Ritz Crackers - 1 Box
Cheez It's - 1 Box
Always Pads - 1 Package
Alfredo Sauce - 2 Jars
Soft Soap - 1 Bottle
Mozarrella Cheese - 3 Bags
Pillsbury Biscuits - 3 Packages

Total OOP = $24.xx

Kroger pissed me off. Not a deal at all. They also didn't take off my $5 for purchasing 10 qualified items. I left in an pretty bad mood, but I didn't feel like dealing with the customer service line for $5.

@ Bath & Body Works

Sea Island Cotton Spray - 1 Large Bottle
Moonlight Path Spray - 1 Mini Bottle
Fresh Pineapple Spray - 1 Mini Bottle
Fresh Pineapple Spray - 1 Large Bottle

Total OOP = $5.xx

@ Bath & Body Works

Brown Sugar & Fig Spray - 1 Large Bottle
Warm Vanilla Sugar Spray - 1 Mini Bottle
Wild Honeysuckle Hand Soap - 1 Bottle
Exotic Coconut Hand Soap - 1 Bottle
Japanese Cherry Blossom Hand Soap - 1 Bottle
Midnight Pomegranate Hand Soap - 1 Bottle
Warm Vanilla Sugar Hand Soap - 1 Bottle
Fresh Cucumber Hand Soap - 1 Bottle (Not Pictured.)

Total OOP = $13.xx

2008-04-10T18:19:00.000-04:00

Todays bargains at CVS. I spent more OOP than I planned. We had to go to a few different stores, because our CVS was out of a lot, so my arrangement of purchases ended up out of wack. Not bad though. Plus the husband kept adding things to the cart that I didn't have coupons for.

CVS Extra Strength Pain Relief Gelcaps - 2 Boxes
Excedrin Migraine - 5 Boxes
Softsoap Pomegranate & Mango - 1 Bottle
Pepcid AC Complete - 1 Bottle

Total OOP - $3.77
Earned ECBs - $15.98

(Did not receive the $4.99 ECB for the Softsoap, oops. Didn't get the one that specified SPA.)

Dove Shampoo - 2 Bottles
Sunsilk Shampoo - 1 Bottle
Sunsilk Conditioner - 1 Bottle
Listerine - 1 Bottle
Axe Deodorant - 1 Bottle
Dove Deodorant - 1 Bottle
CVS Brand Trash Backs - 1 Box

Total OOP - $2.26
Earned ECBs - $5.00

Aveeno Shave Gel - 5 Cans
Aveeno Body Wash - 1 Bottle

Total OOP - $3.04
Earned ECBs - $10.00

Febreeze Air Effects - 1 Can
Febreeze Fabric Refreshener - 1 Bottle
Febreeze Noticeables - 1 Package
CVS Extra Strength Pain Relief Gelcaps - 3 Boxes

Total OOP = $2.44
Earned ECBs = $16.97

Half of my razor collection. I don't think I'll need to worry about razors for a long, long time!

I have a long list of other items I need to get soon. Hopefully I can make a few trips before/after work this week. Sadly I only have $5.00 ecb leftover, simply because I had to pay for the Axe deodorant, listerine and trash bags unexpectedly.

2008-04-05T18:18:00.000-04:00

Had the husband run by Kroger for me. I'm getting over a nasty cold and haven't been able to get around too much lately. I purchased 20 Cottonelle $1.00 off coupons on ebay for about $6.00. They were on sale for $0.99 a pack at Kroger! Couldn't resist.

2008-04-01T18:11:00.000-04:00

I got all of this at CVS yesterday. I only spent $2.xx out of pocket and I got $5 ecb's as well.

This lot was from Walgreens last week. After coupons it was like $8.xx out of pocket and I received $10 rr's. I also bought a bottle of Excedrin (not pictured) and got it for free.

I really miss our old fridge, the freezer could hold a whole lot more. I paid probably $5 for everything in there. Minus that small ice cream. This is all from Publix.

My ever growing supply of paper towels.