Great Deals at CVS This Week

Quick update. I ran by CVS over the weekend with my $17 in leftover ECB and scored 6 nail polish, 6 Sobe, 8 2L of soda, 3 bags of Tostitos, 2 bags Doritos, and 3 Tostitos dips for about $10 and I got a $10 gas card for FREE!

There are lots of sweet deals, and maybe even a couple money makers at CVS this week. Check out the deals on Clippin' with Carie.

What's That? You Don't Have Time To Coupon??

It's a sad excuse I hear so often, and I admit it was mine at first too. The past couple week's shopping trips, especially yesterday and today, should be a shining example of how much money you can save if you put in a little effort. It only takes one trip to get hooked, so what are you waiting for?

Walgreen's

Last night I ran by Walgreen's on my way home and here is what I picked up for $3.33 (savings of $31.09). I started out with $3 RR from the other day and used my coupon for FREE John Freida foam hair color and got $2 more in RR that I used with my coupon to pay only about $1 for the razor. Then I got the $5 RR for buying the razor that I used to pay for most of the toilet paper! Oh yeah, and I got another $3 RR to use later!

CVS/Pharmacy

I originally had a much larger list, but a few of the items on it either weren't sold at my store or someone was really confused when they did the match up. Lucky for me I forgot to print my list so I took my laptop in with me and was able to move things around on the spreadsheet and make them work. For this trip I started out with $16 in ECB from various trips in April and my $5 off $25 coupon. I spent a grand total of $0.55 and left with $17 in ECB! That's $101.76 in savings! Also on my receipt my YTD savings... $747.47.

Anyone need some air freshener?

Rollin' Rewards, Saved By Wags

Ever since the Target incident I've been more than a little apprehensive about coupon shopping. I keep thinking the cashiers are all going to think I'm doing something against the rules, or my coupons won't work, or all the deal items will be gone. I almost considered giving up on couponing *gasp*!

The thing is, I really enjoy looking for the deals and then figuring out how to make the most of my money and coupons. It keeps me busy, makes me happy, and saves my family a ton of money.

Shopping last night reminded me how much I love couponing and has restored a little of the confidence I lost after the Target fiasco.

Thanks again Lauren (Cosmetics at Walgreen's on Old 94 and Muegge in St. Charles) for being such a friendly and knowledgeable cashier and helping me get through all my crazy shopping orders! You helped me get back my passion for couponing and I'd love to help you get started!

Click here for a detailed list of my transactions and the coupons used or just browse the summary below!

Trip # 1 - 8 transactions (at two stores): total spent $2.75, total savings $107.56! Items not shown because we ate them (LOL): 1 large bag M&Ms and 1 chocolate covered Peep.

Trip # 2 - 5 transactions: total spent $2.15, total savings $60.13!

Side Trip: On my way home from work yesterday I stopped by CVS to see if they had any of my rain check items in and they finally did have the toothbrushes I wanted! So I snagged those up and paid $2.14 for all 4 (saved $16.86), used part of my ECBs to buy the bunnies, AND somehow walked out with $4 new ECBs!!!

I Buy In Bulk, Therefore I Post In Bulk

Since I am a little behind in sharing my recent trips, I thought it would be a good idea to post in bulk.

I finally got my Target shopping done last weekend... on the last day my coupons were good through, despite being told I couldn't use my coupons one day and then being accused of coupon fraud the next day. Third (and fourth) time's the charm, right?

Target: Trip # 1 - I purchased the items shown below in addition to 4 Degree mens and 2 Secret travel size deodorant that I gave to my mother and two baby socks I gave to my coworker... for $0.02! (Not a typo, two cents.)

Trip # 2 - My total was $61.53, I used $20 GC from the STLPost subscription promotion for a total OOP of $41.35 and my total savings was $66.73. (Not shown: 4 Sobe Lifewater that I drank already.)

Walgreens: Transaction # 1 - Gillette Razor Paid $5.36 and received a $4 RR. Transaction # 2 - 6 light bulbs and 2 plates (cant find receipt), spent approx $3 using the $4 RR for the balance.

CVS: Transaction # 1 just before midnight - purchased the diapers and pringles, used $5 CVS coupon, $9 in ECB, & two $3 pampers coupons - paid $23.69, saved $33.61 and received $10 ECB. Transaction #2 just after midnight - purchased 4 Airwick, 1 candy egg, and 1 newspaper, used $10 ECB,  two $2 and two $4 airwick coupons - paid $2.42, saved $49.29, and received $10, $1 (GBT), and $0.74 ECB (used the $1.74 to buy hubby some candy that he ate so its not shown).

The Airwick deal is still going on this week, if you can find them in the stores. (If not, make sure you get a rain check and I always like to keep a copy of the ad with my rain checks for clarity.) Print four of the $4 Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit coupons (you will need two computers) from coupons.com, then purchase four of them for $8 and get a $10 ECB for a $2 money maker deal!

Cleaning Up With Sweet Deals

For those of you not familiar with CVS Extra Care Bucks, one of the perks of shopping there and using the card is that every quarter you earn 2% of your spending back! Over the weekend I got my email notification that my $3.50 ECB was ready, and to top it off I got a $5 off $25 purchase coupon. Woohoo!

I decided since the $5 coupon expired today I better force myself to stop on the way home despite my throbbing toe. For everything you see below, and a few pieces of candy my husband devoured when I got home, I spent a total of $2.65, received $9 more in ECB and my total savings... $78.24!

 

Here is what I got and the corresponding coupons:

Transaction #1
I used my $3.50 winter spending ECB and paid $0.41 cash.

	Price	Coupons	ECB Rec'd
2 Right Guard Total 5 Body Wash	$3.88 x 2	B1G1 Free	$3

Transaction #2
I used $5 off $25 coupon, $3 ECB from #1, $5 beauty club spending ECB, and $5 ECB from a couple weeks ago, and spent $2.24 cash.

	Price	Coupons	ECB Rec'd
3 Softsoap Refills	3 for $9	(3) -$0.50	$3
1 Alcohol Swabs	$1.79	Gift (Diabetes Club)
1 Dawn Dish Soap	$0.99	-$0.50
2 Travel Size Herbal Essences	$0.99 x 2	(2) -$1
1 Travel Size Pantene	$1.29
4 Pringles	3 for $4	(2) -$1 on 2
3 Reeses Eggs	2 for $1
4 Snickers Eggs	2 for $1	(2) -$1 on 2
4 Oral-B Power Toothbrush*	$5.99 x 4	(2) -$3 & (2) B1G1 Free	$6
* I had a rain check from the sale about a month ago with a $3 ECB deal (limit of 2) and used my (now expired) coupons from February

Sticking It To The Budget

Last week and so far this week have been pretty good for deal hunting and I think I've done pretty darn good keeping it within budget. In fact I might even have leftover budget! Sorry husband, that does not mean you can buy Duke Nukem or whatever other video game you are drooling over today.

Thursday's score at CVS:
1 Facial Buff, 4 Purex 3-in-1, 2 Gain Dish Liquid, 2 Coke 2L, and 3 Coke 12pk (not shown). I spent $9.47 after coupons and ECB's, and received $5 ECB for next time. Apparently I saved $50.07, and $25.58 of that was coupons/ECB!


I also scored a $6 Physician's Formula coupon from the kiosk!

After that, I ran to Walgreen's to grab 4 Irish Spring deodorant that was free after coupons and RR for my brother-in-law-in-law, then I used the RR to buy 3 Kraft Deluxe that was on sale, and a bunch of Easter Candy. I think I spent $9. Why, oh why, does the candy have such a hold on me?

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Saturday's Shopping Trip: Target deals for last week weren't very thrilling, but I had a small list and huge stack of expiring soon coupons so I just wandered around the store with husband in tow.

We got 2 Mountain Dew 12pks, 2 Tostitos Chips, 1 Dip, 1 Sierra Mist 2L, 1 Jug Apple Cider (clearance!), 2 TGIF Appetizers, 2 Up&Up ibuprofen, 2 Up&Up dryer sheets, 2 Dentyne Pure 3pks, 1 Shout Wipes Travel Size, 2 Scrubbing Bubbles cleaners, and 1 Clorox 2. This time I handed over my coupons one by one and made sure each one scanned.

Our total was $31.94 and the receipt says we saved $31.78, and since their receipts are completely illogically organized... lets just go with that - nearly 50% savings!

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After we got home from Target I wanted to go back to CVS and exchange my highly overpriced, ill-thought-out purchase of Coke 12pks from earlier this week. I put together a quick list from the new ad and grabbed some coupons for some Midnight Shopping!

When I arrived and scanned my card I was pleasantly surprised with a $5 ECB from the magic coupon kiosk for my winter beauty spending, woohoo!

First I bought the Renu contact solution with a $5 coupon from coupons.com, and paid $8.58 on my FSA card and got $3 ECB. Since I plan ahead for contact supplies on my FSA card I don't count this as an out-of-pocket expense.

I'm proud of my next purchase because I mostly figured this deal out all by myself! I bought 12 Cottonelle Fresh Wipes on sale 3 for $4 and used 6 $1 off 2 printable coupons (or here for Firefox users). These are part of an ECB deal when you spend $15 on various household products you get a $5 ECB. I get confused sometimes and didn't think of using the $5 ECB I got from the kiosk! My total spent was $5.37, I saved $39.68, and got a $5 ECB.

If you don't have extra ECB to use, you can still print 6 of the coupons (you will need access to 3 computers) and get them for $0.83 each after coupons or $0.42 each after coupons and ECB!

My final transaction was for 2 Ritz Crackers, 2 Wheat Thins, 7 Coke 2L, 1 Dawn dish soap, 1 24pk Nestle Pure Life water, and 1 Physicians Formula eye shadow. I used the rest of my ECB's from the previous week, plus the $5 ECB from the last transaction, the $6 off Physicians Formula coupon I got Thursday, and a $5 off $25 coupon I got in my email. I didn't have enough to also use the $5 ECB from the kiosk so I just held onto it. I'm always shopping at CVS so it wont go to waste. My total spent was $3.09 and total savings of $42.28 plus I got a $5 ECB.

Grand total for CVS ended up being $8.46, saved $81.96, and walked out with $10 ECB.

Three Stores, and a Headache... Part 1

For the two of you out there who actually pay attention to this blog... here is an update on this post.

I set out after work last night with my mind on my money, and my money on my mind... and lots of coupons.

Insert rant #1: The night's chaos began at CVS. In true CVS style every single store in the Saint Louis metro area vastly underestimated the number of people who were going to buy the toothbrushes on sale this week - and they had none. I mean for real, you know the sale is coming, you know there is a coupon in the paper STOCK UP ON THIS CRAP! If I were a store manager I would make it a priority to scan the freaking coupon/deal blogs and actually pay attention to the upcoming sales and try to make sure I have more than 3 of something that is going to be a hot item. Doesn't take a genius... or perhaps it does.

Ok, now onto the fun part... here is what I bought. Guess how much I paid, go on guess. You'll never guess! Come on, come on... GUESS!

If you guessed $5 you are WAY wrong. You are the weakest couponer, goodbye. Wait for it...... waaaaaait for it.... I paid a whole whopping $0.02.... but here's the best part (you're going to love it) - I got $6.58 ECBs back!

I already had $9 worth of ECBs in my wallet, which is how I got this amazing deal... but you can get in on the money making action too. If you look in your Sunday paper from 2/27 in the P&G insert you will find a $0.75 off Crest coupon, or if you were one of the lucky ones to get the Facebook P&G coupon booklet there are $1 off coupons. Here is an example of how to roll your rewards using multiple transactions to maximize your savings/profit (you will need multiples of some coupons, here I assume you are using the $0.75 Crest coupon):

#1
Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health (several varieties on sale) - $3.29
Use $0.75 off Crest 4oz or larger from the Feb 27 P&G insert
Pay $2.54.......Get $3.29 ECB (limit 2)

#2
Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health (several varieties on sale) - $3.29
Buy 1 Dawn 9.5-10.3oz - $0.94
Use $0.75 off Crest 4oz or larger from the Feb 27 P&G insert
Use $0.25 off Dawn dish liquid also from Feb 27 P&G insert
Use $3.29 ECB from #1
Pay $0 (possibly tax).......Get $3.29 ECB (limit 2)

#3
Buy 1 Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush (if you can find it) - $6
Buy 1 Dawn 9.5-10.3oz - $0.94
Use $3 off Oral-B power toothbrush from Feb 27 P&G insert
Use $0.25 off Dawn dish liquid also from Feb 27 P&G insert
Use $3.29 ECB from #2
Pay $0 (possibly tax).......Get $3 ECB (limit 2)


#4
Buy 1 Oral-B Cross Action power toothbrush (if you can find it) - $6
Use $3 off Oral-B power toothbrush from Feb 27 P&G insert
Use $3 ECB from #3
Pay $0 (possibly tax).......Get $3 ECB (limit 2)

For around $3.00 out of pocket, you'll get 2 toothbrushes, 2 toothpaste, 2 dish soap and $3 more to spend now... or later - on whatever else you might need or want to treat yourself to!

Too Much Napping = Shopping Lists Done!

Not only did I sleep in today, I also took a two hour nap... and when you combine that with far too much caffeine and tornado sirens at 11 pm you get a wired crazy coupon lady who is determined to cash in on the deals with coupons expiring today (Monday Feb 28).

I now have lists and coupons organized for CVS, Walgreens, and Target! Here's the plan - I'll let you know how it goes!

• CVS: Buy 2 toothpaste, 4 power toothbrushes, and 1 dish soap. Spend $0 cash... starting with $9 ECB and leaving with $10.29 in ECB.

• WALGREENS: Buy 6 motrin, 1 always, 5 baby shampoo, 5 vicks drops, 4 puffs tissues, 4 gillette razors, 11 hydrogen peroxide, 7 gal water, 2 welch's juice. Spend less than $8.

• TARGET: Buy 4 olay facial cleanser, 4 olay body wash, 2 3pk dentyne, 2 bleach, 2 dryer sheets, 4 cleaning prod, and swiffer items of unknown price. Before swiffer Im hoping to spend less than $20. I would use my leftover gift cards to pay but I promised them to hubby for new shirts and such.

And my mother, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law think I'm crazy for buying four newspapers every week! I think they are crazy for NOT buying four papers every week.

Come on, Ride the Train

After a rather disappointing dinner out I was ready to get my shopping on!

First stop on our magical journey... Target.

As you can see, not much to be said for this one. We went for the TP sale on my favorite brand and ended up getting a few other things. No coupons, but we found a fun table cloth on clearance and I did use my red card and saved 5%! Spent $33.78, Saved $3.15. ALL ABOARD!

Next Stop - Walgreen's

I did two transactions, boring in comparison to my last big 25 transaction trip (25TT), but I still scored some awesome deals.

Transaction #1
I bought 1 Garnier Herbashine and 2 Garnier Nutriesse Hair Color, each on sale for $5 and a Crunch Heart for filler item. I used two $2 off and one $3 off coupons along with my $6 Register Reward from the 25TT; Paid $2.54, Saved $23.97, Received $5 Register Reward

Transaction #2

2 Wonka Lolipops Bags 4 Hershey Drops 3 Crunch Hearts 4 Skittles 6 Snickers Peanut Butter 2 Butterfinger Snackerz

3 Aluminum Foil 4 Progresso Soup 1 Mens Multi Vitamin 1 Ginko Biloba 2 7-Day Daily Pack Vitamin Trial Packs

The cashier announced my total of $1.36, and while being completely oblivious to the line behind me, I admit I couldnt help myself and I jumped up and down a little, giggled, and clapped for myself. The lady behind me steps forward and said "Oh wow, how did you do that?". I was still in a coupon happy land daze and I looked at her and said "COUPONS! and Register Rewards, did you see all that stuff I got?" and then I babbled something about checking the ads for the Register Rewards deals and that I buy four papers every week. She seemed extremely impressed, and I was elated to spend so little. I used the rest of my 25TT Register Rewards ($8 and $6), the $5 Register Reward I just got, and a bunch of coupons for a total savings of $72.20.

Final Stop - CVS
On the way to CVS it suddenly dawn on me that I only had 15 minutes to get there and get my Curel lotion before the sale ended. Oh no!

I rushed in the door, scanned my card at the magic coupon kiosk... but no $3 coupon like the ad promised! I ran to the lotion isle, grabbed my bottle (on sale for $8.99) and two other smaller bottles I thought were marked $1, ran to the counter and started checking out. While I was checking out I tried to ask the lady why I didnt get my $3 coupon, she was totally clueless and eventually after showing her the ad she agreed to just take the $3 off. The small bottles I thought were $1 rang up as $6.79, but I opened my big mouth saying I thought they were $1 so we had to go check the isle, and it was $1 off, not for $1, nice thing was while there the second time around I found a peelie for $2 off the highly overpriced smaller bottle, SCORE! So after my $3 off, and the $5 Extra Care Bucks from my last trip my total was $6.21, saved $10. Not bad for two bottles of Curel. Oh and I also got there in time to get the $3 Extra Care Bucks for spending $10 on Curel. Woohoo!

The Art of a Deal

Early this morning husband and I went to CVS to score some Coke products before the sale ends tonight. We spent a total of $40.65, "saved" $73.80, and I have $5 in Extra Care Bucks (ECB) left to spend another day. I thought since most of the time I only share how much I spent and saved on my shopping trips, today I would tell you how I saved what I saved.

I started with buying a bottle of Complete Multi-Purpose contact solution using my FSA card, so no direct out of pocket expense, and I received a $3 ECB.

My next purchase didn't work out quite like I expected since they were out of the Ragu, so I improvised and bought a lot of peanut butter... anyone know where I can find a ton of peanut butter recipes?

Items Purchased	Sale Price	Coupons Used	ECB Received
8 Skippy Peanut Butter 1 Ragu Pasta Sauce	$13.33 $1.67	3 x $0.50 -	$5.00
2 M&M Bags	$5.00	$1.50	$1.00
2 Reese's Mini Cups King Size	$1.98	B1G1 Free	-
5 Coke 12 packs	$15.00	$3 ECB	$5.00

I also applied a $5 off $30 purchase coupon I received in my email for a total spent of $26.06. This total would have been $2.50 less if they had more Ragu in stock so I could use my Ragu coupons.

Next Purchase

Items Purchased	Sale Price	Coupons Used	ECB Received
5 Coke 12 packs	$15.00	$5, $5, & $1 ECB	$5.00

Total Paid: $4.17

Final Purchase

Items Purchased	Sale Price	Coupons Used	ECB Received
5 Coke 12 packs	$15.00	$5 ECB	$5.00

Total Paid: $10.42

Consolidation Nation

Before I fall asleep at my computer, I wanted to share the rest of my shopping adventures of the weekend so you get the consolidated boring version. Yay!

Walgreens
1 Thermacare Single
2 Pantene
3 Maalox
4 Gax X Prevention
2 Butterfinger Heart Candy
4 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
4 Kit Kat
5 Vicks Cough Drops
4 Dove Visible Care Body Wash
1 Listerine Zero 1L
2 Doritos
4 Newspapers

Total Spent $19.34
Total Savings $87.40 ($62.46 coupons\register rewards)
Remaining Register Rewards $0.00

CVS
7 Coke Brand 12-pack
4 Xtra 28-load Laundry Detergent
16 Vitamin Water

Total Spent $21.90
Total Savings $52.97 ($30 coupons\extra care bucks)
Remaining Extra Care Bucks $5