CVS 5/29...5 items, $.48!!

I would say this was one of my best runs, but I had a $.22 run earlier this week and got 3 ECBs back! HA!

Today I bought:

2 Glade Soy Candles $4.99 each ($2 off this week)
-2 $4 Glade coupons

1 Ambi face wash clearanced to $3.50
-$3 off Ambi printable coupon

1 Purina dog treats Bonz on sale for $2.99
-$3 Purina printable (once you get a quote for their pet insurance)

1 Little Tikes teething toys $2.99

-$3 off of $15 purchase CVS Q printed at the price scanner
-$2 off a Skin Care purchase also printed at the scanner

=$19.46 plus tax before coupons
and

$.48 after, including tax!! 98% savings!! Woohoo!!

I am donating the Ambi and my baby is already loving the teethers!

Stop & Shop Week of 5/29

There are a few good deals this week at Stop & Shop. I haven't been shopping there as much as Shaws because they don't have those great catalina deals usually.

This week is a bit different though!

They have select Kellogg's cereals 4 for $6, must buy four. The flavors included are Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, or Rice Krispies (see flyer for sizes info). There are coupons for Apple Jacks and Rice Krispies that I know of. There are also 4 $1 doubler coupons on the flyer this week. You can use all 4 in one transaction of $15 or more.

If you buy 8, here is the scenario:

8 cereals at $12
-8 $1 off cereal coupons (if you have that many!)
-4 $1 doublers
= Free cereal!!

There is also a milk catalina promo going on but it's for 12oz or larger Kellogg's cereals. These are different than the ones included in the deal above. However, the Kellogg's cereals that are 14.5oz-16.3oz (and cereal cups?) are buy 4 save $4. You can combine this with the milk deal. I'm unsure of how great a deal this is with no pricing. I do have some $1 off mini wheats Q that might fall into this. The deal is buy 3 boxes get 1 free milk catalina, buy 5 get 2 free milk cats, buy 7 get 3!!

There are some other items that may be fantastic with the $1 doublers if you have the right coupons.

Arm & Hammer detergent is 2 for $5...if you have 2 $1 off of 1 coupons, this would be 2 bottles for $1!

Bagelfuls (*SARA this is for you!) are $2, if you have the $1 printable and $1 doubler, you can get FREE bagelfuls!!!

Ritz Toasted Chips are 2 for $5 there is a $1 printable so you could get them for $.50 a bag after coupon and doubler!

Planters Dry Roasted or Cocktail Peanuts are also 2 for $5. Also $1 off printable, so you can get them for $.50 each w/coupon and doubler!!

Nestles Drumsticks (yum) are 2 for $6. There have been $1 coupons printable (maybe also in the paper) for $1 off. Get them for $1 each using both coupon and doubler.

CVS 5/25

So a great run today. I spent $4.42 out of pocket and got back 3 ECBs. I honestly think I'm going back for one more round this week! It's just crazy! I also had to use some ECBs to get some expensive sensitive sunblock for my daughter, oh well!

I got:

2 Post Cereals
2 Planters nuts
2 Neutrogena Sunblock
2 Neurtrogena eye shadows
1 eye pencil
1 eye pencil sharpener
1 eye shadow
1 Stella D'Oro cookies
1 Clearasil wash
1 box of bandaids
1 Colgate toothpaste
1 box of Playtex Tampons
1 4ct of Wisps

CVS 5/24 Great Week!!

I didn't get nearly as much as I could have. I was starting from the ground up this week with no ECBs so I wanted to begin with a relatively small transaction.

I got:

4 Sobe Life 0 waters- On sale as BOGO $1.69 each
2 Therma Care 3 pack neck wraps $6.99 each
1 Stella D'Oro breakfast cookies $1.40 (not really part of the deal, lol)
2 Purina Dog treats $2.99
--------------------
Total=$27+ before discounts applied
-$4 off of $20 purchase CVS coupon emailed to me
-2 BOGO Sobe Life coupons (printables here)
-2 $3 Therma Care coupons on their site or here
-2 $3 Purina dog food or treat printables here
------------------
New Total=$7.35 including tax!! I received 5 ECBs back too!

I'm going to take those 5 ECBs and do another deal to get some ECBs!

Go here for all the great deals

Thrifty Clothes!

Ok so recently I had 2 events (and actually a 3rd coming up) to attend and no clothes to wear. I tried to be thrifty but I ended up splurging on myself :). But I have recently lost more weight and I have no summer clothes. What is a girl to do? Well I finally remembered to hit the Salvation Army on Wednesday when they have family day. Certain tags are half off (all but one tag color in this case). I bought a bunch of Gap and a few Ralph Lauren items. All were gently used and a great deal!

I also hit Old Navy's clearance pretty hard! In the pic you can see I few items I got. I got a pair of navy cords for $1.97. They are super cute on too! And I got a cute sweater for $1.97, it has an 1.5 inch hole on the seam on the side that I can easily sew. It was marked down the $1.97 for the hole. But it's a very minor defect that I can fix in 15 mins. I also got a tie for $.10!!! I have an Old Navy coupon (check www.oldnavyweekly.com thursday nights, late...or very very early Friday mornings) that I plan on using on clearance at another store.

Target is another great place to find clearance clothes. I often fill my girls closets at the end of each season with $.98 and $1.98 items.

Don't forget Walmart!! I recently needed a pair of nice dress pants for an interview. I went to old navy to check the clearance and they did not have much for dress pants. They had non clearance pants for $29.99. Well that was too much for me! So I went Walmart and found a great pair for $9 on clearance.

Just be careful to not over pay for used clothes. A consignment shop near me often has clothes for $3 and up. Right across the road at Target I often find shirts for less than $1, new. Same thing with Salvation Army or Savers. Some items are a great deal, but sometimes they are asking too much. Make sure you use good judgement and do not assume if it's a thrift shop it must be a great deal. Not always!!

Seabra and Big Lots

So Seabra wasn't the most exciting place in the world. I did get some good deals on fruits and veggies. I also scored on some chicken (got a good lb or 2lbs for $.96, not sure on the weight since the label seemed to be WAY off, but I wasn't complaining for the price!).

I will say that they have some decent deals on anything that isn't in an isle. You aren't going to find the great cereal deals there most likely.

I did hit Big Lots today. It was interesting to see some of the pricing (comparing it to the grocery store where I can use coupons). I will say they had a few great deals.

I did see a few Naglene reusable bottles with crystal light sticks inside for $2 and $3.50 (bigger one). The $2 one is currently on sale for $5 at Shaws. You can use a Crystal Light coupon on it, but still it ends up being more there. Unless they put it down to 90% off, Big Lots has them beat. I have a few of these bottles and they are fantastic! If I didn't already have a bunch I would have stocked up!

I was able to get my husband 6 pairs of Hanes socks for $4 (cheapest I can find is usually $7 at walmart). They had Crystal Light sticks (the boxes of them) for $1 and some for $2.

Just keep in mind they are overpriced on some products. Since they don't take coupons, you have to know you are getting a good deal on some items. The socks were a given since you rarely get deals on items like that. But I saw some items that were a few dollars more than they normally are.

I've been really selective these last few weeks trying to not buy stuff just because they are a deal. I have a few staples in my stockpile and some other items that I simply do not need, free or not. I have had a lot going on and just found going to get deals I really do not need as wasteful. I've also had to buy a few items that are not so thrifty for events going on. So I've been trying to not spend extra on other things ;)

The Thrifty Mama here has quite a few deals this week. Rite Aid has some deals this week that I may partake in. She listed them on her site. Check it out! I'll let you know how I do.

Sorry!!

I'm sorry I have been slacking this week. It was a busy week for me. I graduated yesterday with my Masters degree and I needed to get some things in order for that. Also my 2.5yr old had her gymnastics show. And I had a few dinners/lunches/whatever with some family.

I am going to go on a shopping adventure tomorrow at Seabra's. They have some produce and other items on sale I plan to take advantage of. There aren't too many great deals at CVS this week so I am not sure what I'll be getting from there other than going in to scan my card once or twice.

I'm sure I'll come across some deals over the week I'll share with you. Make sure you print all the deals on www.coupons.com, www.redplum.com, www.smartsource.com, and check out the kraft memorial day promo with all those great coupons. You can print most of them off of several sites. The Kraft BBQ sauce will be free at many stores!

Target Deals 5/10-5/16

Here are the deals I think are good at Target this week. They may vary by region!

Quaker True Delights bars $2.89 (not on sale)
-$1 Quaker Coupon here
-$1 Quaker Target Coupon....all the Target coupons are here
=$.89

Ritz Crackers $2.54 (not on sale, regular price)
-$1 Ritz Coupon Kraft Link **print ASAP, these are limited** Several of the coupons are here.
-$1 Ritz Target Q (use link above)
=$.54 each!

Velveeta Shells and Cheese sale $1.50
-$1 Velveeta Shells and Cheese coupon (in the Kraft link I listed above)
=$.50 each box

Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs (select varieties) sale $1.93
-$1 100 Cal Packs Coupon (kraft link or www.coupons.com)
-$1 Nabisco Snacks Target Coupon
=$FREE

Crystal Light sticks sale $2.99
-$1 Crystal Light Coupon (kraft link, $1 off of 1 or $2 off of $2 or www.coupons.com)
-$1 Crystal Light Target Coupon
=$1!

Kraft Mayo $1.99
-$1 Kraft Mayo (kraft link above)
-$1 off of 2 Kraft Mayo Target printable
=$.99 for 2!!

Kraft Salad Dressing $1.59
-$1 Kraft Salad Dressing from 5/10 paper
-$1 off of 2 Kraft Dressing Target coupon
=$FREE

Kraft BBQ Sauce $?? (Goes on sale for $1 at Shaws often so if it's much more than don't get it at Target)
-$1 Kraft BBQ coupon (kraft link)

Swiffer Refills are on sale for $4.04. If you buy 2 you get a $5 gift card for Target. There are coupons in the booklets we recently got. So you can probably spend $6 or so out of pocket and get a $5 gift card! I forgot these today!

CVS 5/10

Happy Mother's Day! I did get a chance to shop on this fine day. As you can see, I didn't get much. I didn't pay much either. I did have a return mixed in here, but I paid $.86 after everything was said and done. I probably would have paid $2 more without the return.

The milk and bottle liners were needed, but the shoes I did use ECBs and even a Walgreens $5 Register Reward! I also used a $5 off of $30. I did have razors in the deal (hence the return discussion) but I returned those right after once I realized my coupon wasn't entered in the way I expected.

*Lesson to take away from this is if you don't think your deal is as good as you originally thought, feel free to return those items. I was not happy with the way the cashier rang in a BOGO coupon for razors. I would have ended up paying $5.99 for 2 sets of disposable razors. Not a terrible price, but certainly not the $.99 each or less I usually get them at. So when I realized what the cashier was doing with the BOGO coupon, I decided I did not want them. I have walked away from deals feeling like I got a bad deal. So now I'd rather look like a pain in the butt than pay an extra $6.

I will post some more good deals at CVS this week!

Fun times here!

Here is what we did this week:



Rori the cool baby.



Bean bag fun.



Girls playing in their room.



Playing with Carter (he's hiding behind Rori's giant bean).

Ready to plant!

This weekend Pat is going to have to get the garden ready because these plants are ready! It's hard to tell from the pic, but all of the pods have sprouts except the very last 2 rows. Those are both eggplants and they do take forever to grow, so no surprise. I did buy a decent amount of fruit today, but didn't get everything I normally do and I still spent around $9. I normally spend around $15 for my produce each week. Considering most of my grocery bills are around $35-$40 that is huge! If I can cut that done to $5 or less I'd be happy!!

Shaws 5/8...43 items, $47!

So lets just say I got a lot of stuff! I paid around $47.18 for all of this. My total before was around $100. I say this because they have problems with sales ringing in correctly and using coupons. So rather than getting mad, I just returned the items. My original total was over $120. So they lost about $47 between Sara and I today. I returned $22 worth of Soft Soap. She returned $25.

I did get 2 Uno's pizzas, a whole chicken, 2 small steaks, 3lbs of chicken, 4 boxes of cereal, Pull Ups, 1.5 gallons of milk, deli meat and cheese, 12 rolls of Cottonelle (which is hidden), organic pasta, wheat hot dog buns, light hamburg buns, bananas, 2 mangos, 1pt strawberries, blackberries, onions, 2 Celeste pizzas.....etc I did buy more junk food than usual, but it was free and we don't eat it often so no biggie!

The best deal this week is on select Kelloggs cereals and poptarts. They are 4 for $10. There is a $4 off coupon in their ad.

So:

$10 for 4 cereal
-$4 in ad coupon
-4 $1 Kellogg cereal coupons
-------------
=$2 for 4 boxes of cereal!!

Many of them have "coins" on them for free stuff. Free shirts, blankets, movie tickets, etc!!!

Just don't buy the Soft Soap Ensembles yet! That's the promo that wasn't working for us!

CVS 101

Just wanted to highlight the importance of using your CVS Extra Care Bucks card or getting one if you haven't! Normally I think CVS is overpriced, but using the ECBs program and sales, they are the best deal in town for many items!

Here is an awesome tutorial you should check out. It tells you how the ECBs program works and other couponing guidelines for CVS. Check it out here!

Once you get a card (do it at the store, online takes forever!) make sure you scan it every time you go in at the price checker. Nifty coupons print out daily! Also once you get a card register it on their website and they send you a $4 off of $20 purchase.

Look at my previous post about my CVS transaction. I had a $3 off of $15, but I did not pay $15 out of pocket. That's why it's a great program! Plus you can combine CVS coupons with manufacture ones to get really great deals!

Also if you get your prescriptions there, always give your card! They give you a 1 ECB for every 2 prescriptions when you use your card. Right now they have tear pad coupons for 2 ECBs for every 2 prescriptions.

Ok go get your card!!!

CVS 5/5

Yay for a new camera! We are testing it out and so far so good. This deal was courtesy of vocalpoint.com. If you haven't signed up yet, do it! They often have great printable coupons they send to you and recently sent out a mini wheats package. It had a sample of mini wheats, 1 Buy one Get one coupon, and 4 or 5 $1 off mini wheats coupons!

So my deal today could have been better but I did not have my coupons for the deodorant. However I had ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) to burn so no biggie!

Here was my deal:

3 Mini Wheats $10
2 Addidas deodorant $5
--------------
Total= $15
-$3 off of $15
-5 ECBs
-1 BOGO mini wheats coupon ($3.33)
-2 $1 mini wheats coupon
-----------
New Total (w/tax)= $1. 76 or .26? either way, I got 11 back in ECBs!!

Mini wheats are like water around here. Everyone loves to snack on it so we can never have too much. There is a $1 off printable available on www.coupons.com for several Kelloggs cereals which can make this deal good if you have any ECBs or $4 off of $20 or $3 of off $15.

$3.33 each isn't a great price, but with the coupons and ECBs it's not bad.

We have Sprouts!!

Last week I planted a bunch of seeds to get them started for our garden. The broccoli is growing! Woohoo! I am hoping to save some money by growing at least a few things at home. I have several veggies, fruits, and a few herbs. My 2 year old is very excited about them so it's fun for her too.

Next week or so we will move them into the yard! I'm hoping the gopher has moved over the winter....I'm sure he will love to feast on all this, but we will try to keep him out!

Fiber One Bars at Target

I was looking around at the deals for this week and stumbled across this site. Looks great so I think I'm adding this to my favs!

At Target this week they have the Fiber One Bars for $2.39. If you buy 4 you get a $5 Target gift card. So:

Buy 4 @ $2.39 each= $9.56
- 4 $1.35 coupons here
---------
Total= $4.60 and get a $5 gift card!

Works out to $1.04 a box plus gift card!

Walgreens & CVS 5/2

I will admit I'm not a huge fan of Walgreens usually. I did ok, but they have this silly register problem where you can only use as many coupons as you have items. Doesn't sound like a big deal, right? BUT their register rewards count as coupon. So even though I had a $5 register reward which is just $5 off the purchase, I had to toss an item in to apply it to.

Here is what I got:

1 Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner $13.99
1 Excederine Back and Body $1.29
1 Excederine Extra Strength $1.29
1 Burts Bees Lip Shimmer $1.29
-------------
Total=$18.93
-$7 Scrubbing Bubbles
-$5 Register Rewards
-2 $1 off Excederine
---------------
New Total= $4.93 and received $3 back in register rewards

Second Transaction:

1 Nivea Body Wash $4.99
1 Walgreens Cashews $.99
--------------
Total= $8.63
-$1 Nivea Coupon
-$3 Register Rewards
----------
New Total= $2.33 plus I received $5 back in register rewards

Overall I spent under $7.50 and got back $5. My total savings was around $40, so I paid around 17.5% of the original cost:)

I also went to CVS:

4 Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner Refills $5 each
2 Starbucks Frappicinos 2/$3
-----------
Total= $23
-2 BOGO (buy one get one) Scrubbing Bubbles coupons (-$10)
-2 $1 Starbucks coupons
-10 Extra Care Bucks (ECBs)
------------
New Total=$1.91 and got back 6 in ECBs!! I saved around 93%, based on sale price!

I'm ready to go with this shower cleaner! I shouldn't need to buy cleaner for a while and by then I should get some more nearly free ones!

Hoping to have a camera very soon ;)