Swagbucks

Have you heard about swagbucks? Basically when you use them as a search engine, you earn free stuff! If you refer people to the site, you also earn points toward free stuff. Click this link and register.

Why I hate private label diapers

Lately I have been getting my daughter's pull ups for free or almost free at Rite Aid and Walgreens. They just aren't as good as Huggies Pull Ups. They aren't constructed the same way, and they don't have the same material on the inside. Are Huggies really $3-4 more expensive per pack in the way that they are made? I really don't think so. As a clothing buyer, I can tell you that the pants in my store are made in the same factories as pants for the Gap, Ann Taylor, and other well known stores. My private label pants have the same materials, trims, and workmanship as those other stores. So why can't the private label training pants / diapers be more like Huggies? They would make a killing! Every mother in America hates buying diapers. They are expensive, smelly, and add to landfills. But for Moms like me, that work full time and have 3 children, they are my only option. I need cheap diapers that work!

When I put a private label pull up on my daughter at night, there is a 50/50 chance that it will leak by morning. I'd say with Huggies pull ups, there is about a 10% chance of leaking overnight. The private label pull ups are cut smaller and are less absorbent. If my daughter's pull up leaks, the sheets and blankets get wet, her pj's get wet, and she wakes up crying in the middle of the night. Not good! Then the next day we have cranky mommy and cranky 2 yr old.

My daughter has even asked me to only buy pull ups with the princesses on them. The Huggies pull ups have Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Snow White and other assorted Disney characters. Cinderella is my daughter's favorite. The generic princesses from Walgreen's just aren't the same and she is not fooled!

Today I went to Walgreens where Huggies Pull Ups are on sale for $9.99 a pack. I bought 2 and used 2 internet coupons for $2 off per pack. Not bad at $7.99 per pack, but not free! Yesterday at CVS.com there was an ad for Pampers diapers and pull ups on sale for $8.99, and get $5 in ECB's back. Unfortunately my blogger friends who went and tried this deal did not get the $5 ECBs in the store, and today that page is gone from the CVS web site. Too bad, as that would have been a great deal. I think CVS needs to get their act together.

So goodbye private label diapers! We are done! Now I really need to focus on potty training.....

Dollar Tree / Private Label Sunscreen

Yesterday I went to the Dollar Tree looking for cheap pool and beach toys. They had some great stuff! I got a Little Mermaid swim ring and beach ball, Finding Nemo swim ring and beach ball, a water football for the pool, plastic cups with red, white, and blue stars, pack of 4 diving sticks, a Softsoap pump, and some shaving cream. The diving sticks ended up in the bathtub last night and were a big hit.

They also had quite a bit of private label sunscreen. I didn't buy any of it because I recently got a great deal on brand name sunscreen at Rite Aid and CVS. And I have to wonder, is private label sunscreen as good as Neutrogen, Banana Boat or Coppertone? Will it protect my children from getting a sunburn? I don't think that's a risk I am willing to take. Now probably it is made all in the same factories as the name brand, and it's probably all the same stuff, but what if its not? That's not a chance I want to take with my children's health.

Brusters Ice Cream

Click this link to get some $.99 kid sundaes at Brusters!

My kids love Brusters, but it can get expensive for all 5 of us to go out for ice cream.

Old Navy coupon crazy

Sometime today, Old Navy's website http://www.oldnavyweekly.com/ will reload a bunch of great coupons. Some of them will be $75 off $100 purchase! They have been doing this for the past couple of weeks. You have to click around the site to find the coupons, and the good ones go fast. Some of my mommie blogger friends have been staying up all night to try to be the first ones to get the good coupons. As of 7:27am the site has not been reloaded. Now you would have to offer me more than $75 to stay up all night!

Food Lion Private brand super sale!

My husband writes a private label blog --- you can click on the link on the right and check it out. He recently posted how you can save up to $10 at Food Lion by buying their private label products. Here's his post copied below:

Yesterday, Food Lion (my former employer) began a Private Brand sales promotion called the “Food Lion Private Brand Super Sale.” The sale will run from May 27 through June 23. Shoppers who purchase a minimum of 4 (maximum of 40) Food Lion Brand Products in one shopping visit. (All Food Lion Brand items are eligible except fresh meat, produce and random weight Deli/Bakery items) will receive up to $10 in Food Lion Coupons at checkout. Coupons are redeemable on your next shopping order.

4 Products = $1.00
6 Products = $1.50
8 Products = $2.00
10 Products = $2.50
20 Products = $5.00
40 Products = $10.00

This could be an exciting introduction to Food Lion Brand products for customers that are accustomed to the loyalty card based promotions. Many of which have become staples of the Food Lion promotional mix.

Triple coupons at Harris Teeter!

I love it when I saved more than I spent! Today I saved $44.71 in coupons, and spent $39.47 out of pocket. You can only triple 20 coupons per day. In today's trip I bought mostly cleaning products and paper products. I got free (after coupon) Mentos gum and Dawn diswashing liquid. Most of my other items were between $.25 - $1.99 each after the triple coupons.

Where are you Neutrogena $1.99 sunscreen??

IF you can find $1.99 Neutrogena Sunscreen at your local CVS this week, you can make $6.00. The current promo is buy 2 Neutrogena suncare products, get $10 ECB's. Most of these products are around $10, but there is a smaller size for $1.99 that is producing the ECB's as well. I looked at my CVS yesterday and couldn't find them, but Erika at iheartcvs.com did! see the link to her site at the right. I guess she doesn't shop with 3 kids screaming for candy!

Rite Aid Rocks 5.25.09

I transferred another prescription to Rite Aid today, and got another $25 gift card. I had both of my girls in tow, so we bought
2 Rite aid private label brand pull ups @ 2 for $15.00 (my daughter loved the Dragon Tales print on these) NOTE: these run small, so buy a size up.
2 Banana Boat spray sunscreen, B1G1 free, $10.29
1 extra bubble gum, for Olivia, $.64
1 M&M's mini tube,for Sarah,$1.49
1 York Mint tin, for me! on sale $.99
I used $1.00 off coupon for the sunscreen, from the paper.
total $29.43
less $25.00 gift card
$4.43 OP

Not bad!

In this week's Sunday paper the Rite Aid flyer had 2 coupons for $25 gift cards with transfers, and Target's flyer had a coupon for a $10 gift card with a transfer. This is free money! It is painless (relatively) and FREE!

CVS 5/24/09

I went to CVS today and got some pretty good deals. I hadn't been in awhile, due to being away on business and just being pretty busy at work. I like to go to CVS on my lunch hour, and lately I have been working through lunch. My husband and 2 girls went with me. My husband wanted to check out the new private label pet food. He writes a blog on private label. You can click the link at the right and check it out. Here's what we bought:

Transaction #1:
Coppertone sunscreen $8.99 (we needed this, since we were out!)
Revlon nail polish $3.99, used $1.00 off coupon from paper
Playtex sport tampons, $3.99, used $1.00 off internet coupon
Sponge Bob Bandaids, $2.99, used $.50 off from paper
Clearasil facewash, $3.99
Speedstick ProSkin, $3.99
Used $3 off $15 from emailed CVS coupon
Total: $24.25
Received ECB's:
$2 for bandaids
$2 for coppertone
$3 for Playtex
$3 for Revlon nail polish
$3.99 for Speed stick
Total ECB's = $13.99

Transaction #2:
12 Pack Cottonelle Toilet paper $5.49, used $.50 off coupon from paper
Cascade gel $2.99, used $1 off coupon from mailer
2 Planters Cashews $5.49 B1G1 free, used $1.00 off internet coupon
2 Sobe life water $1.59 B1G1 free, tried to use catalina from Food Lion, but cashier refused it
2 Oreos $4.59 B1G1 free
Always infinity $5.69, used $4 off coupon that was about to expire from paper
1 Hershey Bar $.89 for my daughter

Used $13.99 ECB's from above transaction
Total = $2.48

total #1+#2 = $26.73
Value of all products at regular prices = $82.98

I think I will switch to a new CVS card. On transaction #2, I got NO coupons or anything on my receipt!
From my receipt tape: year to date savings: $988.69, Spring 2009 spending $169.22

I am really trying to buy things my family needs and not stockpile stuff. I have enough toothpaste to last through a nuclear winter!

I was also intrigued by the Neutrogena sunscreen deal, buy 2, get $10 ecb's. They are priced around $10 each, so it's like B1G1free. I also need some vitamins, and they are on sale B1G1 free. I will need Pull Ups by the end of the week, and they are on sale as well. We always need something at our house!

$.31 Scoop Night tonight

http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Spotlight/31CentScoopNight.aspx?cid=3538424&jid=14802245&mc=XX&eid=1804406&cmpid=email_ext_000018_1

$.31 Scoop Night tonight from 5p-10p 4/29/09
From the Baskin Robbins Website:

Join us for 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins®
and help us honor America’s firefighters with a $100,000
donation to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
National Junior Firefighter Program.

Participating stores will reduce prices of small ice cream
scoops to 31 cents*. At some locations, you may also have
an opportunity to make a donation to local fire charities.

I'd say you better get there early! Last time they had a free scoop night I took my family and the line was out the door and around the building.

earn double extra bucks on prescriptions

In the 4/26 CVS circular there is a coupon to get $2 in Extra Bucks for every prescription you get filled at CVS. You can also go to iheartcvs.com and get the coupon there. Normally you get $1 in Extra Bucks for every prescription. This offer is good through June 16, 2009.

Now if they would just come out with a transfer coupon again...

Get money for your old cell phones!

Recently I cam across a web site called ibuyphones.com. I had heard about these sites that will buy back your used cell phones. I switched over to the iphone last summer and had a LG Chocolate sitting in my drawer. I looked up the model number on the website, and they offered me $25 for this cell phone! They will even send you a box if you need one. I printed a shipping label off their website, and I didn't even have to pay postage!

I deleted all my contact info and pictures off of the cell phone, then packed it up and mailed it off. I admit I was a bit skeptical whether or not I would receive any money for it. Then yesterday, about 5 weeks later, I received a check for $25! Awesome! Their website says even if they don't offer you any money for it, you can still send it to them and they will recycle it for you.

How many old cell phones do YOU have in that junk drawer?

Free Earth Day tote today at Walgreens!

http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/onlineoffers/default.html?ec=hn1016rs_getcoupon
Click here for a Walgreen's coupon for a FREE reusable tote, today only, 4/22/09

It also gives a 15% discount off certain items and 20% off Walgreens brand items! I think that Walgreen's brand diapers are on sale this week, and combined with the 20% off coupon would make a great deal!

Free ice cream and iced cofffe today 4.21.09

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/
Free Ben and Jerry's ice cream today! 4/21/09 go here for details.

Also Dunkin Donuts is selling iced coffee for $.50 today, with all proceeds going to Homes for our Troops https://www.dunkindonuts.com/IcedCoffeeDay/?cid=2302067&jid=15179536&mc=XX&eid=771506&cmpid=email_ext_000017 No coupons needed! I noticed that you can follow Duncan Donuts on Facebook and Twitter

tresemme deals at CVS 4.20.09

Well I thought I didn't have any ECB's so I did these 3 transactions starting from scratch:

#1 Edge infused shave gel, $2.89 + tax = $3.10, received $2.89 in ECB's, PLUS a CRT that was $3.00 off any 2 hair products! Bonus!

#2 Tresemme tamer spray (2). and tresemme antifrizz cream, 3/$10 + tax = $10.73. Used 3 $1 off coupons printed online for any Tresemme product, also used $2.89 in ECB's from first transaction. Total OP =$1.41, received $5.00 ECB's from Tresemme (buy $15, get $5 ECB's)

#3 Pure Protein bars (3) which were buy 2, get 1 free; 1 diet coke. Used $5.00 in ECB's from #2, total OP = $.07!

Total OP = $4.58

See iheartcvs.com to print Tresemme coupons! I think that you can print as many as you want, and you can do the Tresemme deal 4 times! I plan to go back for at least one more set of products.

Kmart has joined in as well!

Kmart has a new coupon out that will give you a $10 gift card for any transferred prescription. I personally do not like the Kmart store that is near my work, but hey, for $10 it might be worth a trip!
Here's the link to the coupon http://kmart.shoplocal.com/kmart/Default.aspx?action=printcircularpage&pagenumber=1&imageurl=http://akimages.crossmediaservices.com/dyn_rppi/670.0.80.0/kmart/large/090315_DNK_01_r7_dwBzA.jpg&dates=Sunday,%20Mar%2015th%20-%20Saturday,%20Mar%2021st&storeid=2421306 It ends 4/11, which is this Saturday, so hurry and use it!

Kmart also runs triple coupons occasionally. I have never tried that out, basically because I really just don't like the store near me.

Do you shop Kmart?

Transferring prescriptions to save money

Lately I have been transferring our family's prescriptions around to get $25 gift cards. Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, and occasionally CVS put these offers out. You can find them on their websites, or in the Sunday paper flyers. Most limit these offers to once every 6 months. At Rite Aid if you have more than one prescription, you can get more than one gift card usually.

After you get this $25 gift card, the trick is to use it towards something you really need (like diapers) that is on sale and that you have a coupon match up. Last week I got a $15 off $75 CRT at CVS, and I used my $25 gift card to get up to that $75 level. Another trick with CVS is to use the gift card to purchase items that generate ECB's. That way you can keep getting free stuff! Same idea with Walgreen's register rewards and easy saver rebates (although I hear ESR's are being discontinued). Or use your $25 in grocery items. CVS and Walgreens run great deals on milk, snacks, sodas, soups, cereals, ect.

Some places clearly are annoyed with transferring the prescriptions. It takes more time, they have to call the other pharmacy, ect. I have found it's best to drop it off and tell them that you will be back at a later time to pick it up. It is a bit more trouble for you, but it will be worth $25! And who couldn't use an extra $25 per month!

CVS trip 2.16.09; $44.60 worth of stuff for $3.60

Today I started with zero ECB's. I did 3 transactions back to back as follows:

1. 2 Neutragena Soap - orginal formula @ $2.99 each
Total OP = $6.41
Received $10 in ECB's!

2. 6 ct rolls of Scott paper towels $4.99 (Sun/Mon only),
2 CVS Calcium $6.19 (B1G1 for 1 cent)
2 J&J Red Cross pads with Neosporin @ $4.99 each
Used $1 off Scott towels from last weeks newspaper coupons
$2 off Scott towels from CRT
$3 off 2 J&J first aid products from Smartsource.com
$1 off J&J product from last weeks coupons
Used $10 in ECB's from Trans. #1 above
Total OP = $4.83
Received $6.00 in ECB's for J&J pads

3. 2 CVS cotton rounds 25ct @ $.99 each
1 Revlon emory boards $3.29
Used 2x $1 off any CVS beauty purchase
$1 off any Revlon tool from newspaper
$2 off any Revlon tool from CVS CRT
total OP = $.36
Received $2 ECBS for cotton rounds

Total OP all 3 transactions = $11.60 - $8 ECBs going forward = $3.60
Total value of all products = $44.60 at regular price

In retrospect, I should've bought the cotton rounds in the first transaction, and then used the $2 ECB towards trans #2 but oh well. Then my final total would have been around $1.60. I tend to mess up when doing more than one transaction at a a time.

I might take my $8 of ECBS and go buy pull ups that are on sale for $8.99 this week!

$5 off $20 coupon for Rite Aid this weekend

Today 2/13 and tomorrow 2/14 only you can use this coupon to get $5 off a $20 purchase at Rite Aid. http://content.riteaid.com/ca/customer_appreciation_week2_SCR.pdf

This coupon came in my email this morning, I think because I registered at Riteaid.com. I gotta hand it to Rite Aid, they are really trying! I submitted my Single Check Rebate this week and it was really easy. It is similar to Walgreen's rebate program, in that you can only submit receipts once for the whole month. With Rite Aid, your only option is to receive your rebate in the form of a check. Different from Walgreen's, where you can get a check OR get a gift card. And if you get the gift card at WAGS you get an extra 10% tacked on to it. When I bought pull ups last week at Rite Aid, the cashier explained to me that when I received my rebate check, I could bring it in to any Rite Aid and apply it towards a purchase. That sounded easy enough, and might appeal to someone without a bank account, or someone who didn't want to make another trip to the bank.

So now I just have to figure out what to buy with this coupon! Valentine's Day candy? Maybe some more pull ups? By the way, my 2 year old daughter LOVED the Rite Aid brand pull ups because they had the Dragon Tales characters on them. The Huggies Pull ups have the Disney princesses, and usually those are her favorite. The Rite Aid brand pull ups are similar in quality to the Walgreen's pull ups. It would seem that they were made at the same factory. The only thing that I didn't like was that I inadvertantly ripped a few of them apart when putting them on my daughter. The material is just thinner and is not attached very well on the sides. I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for.....

Rite Aid! I'm in!

This week I transferred 1 prescription to Rite Aid and got a $30 gift card. If you go on Riteaid.com, you can print 2 coupons for $25 gift cards with prescription transfers. http://www.riteaid.com/www.riteaid.com/w-content/images/pharmacy/TransferPrescriptionCpn0209.pdf I got the prescriptions on my lunch hour and it was a bit complicated for the cashier. I also had to fill out forms for each person getting a prescription filled. Painful. But I guess it was worth $30.
Also on the website there is a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase. Now Rite Aid has a rebate promotion similar to Walgreens. https://riteaid.rebateplus.com/default.asp?jse=yes There was a flyer at the front that pictured all of the items in the promotion. Huggies pull ups, rite aid pull ups and Huggies wipes all had rebates available.

This morning I decided to get some free Pull ups at Rite Aid. This is what I got:
Huggies Wipes $7.99
Huggies Pull UPs 12.49
Rite Aid private label brand pull ups $9.99

I used:
$1.50 off Huggies ManQ
$.50 off Huggies Wipes
$5 off $25 Rite Aid coupon

total $24.65 with tax, paid for with Gift Card---- FREE!
And I will get these rebates from Rite Aid:
$2 rebate for Huggies Pull Ups
$1 rebate for the Huggies Wipes
$3 rebate for the Rite Aid pull ups --- ack! I just noticed I have to buy 2 Rite Aid pull ups for this rebate ----maybe I will get another pack.
So I guess the rebate total was $3.

The Rite Aid near my house was very nice. Nicer than my CVS. And the Rite Aid had a better makeup section. The guy who rang me up was very nice, and explained the single check rebate program to me in great detail. I don't think anyone at Walgreen's was ever so nice and knowledgeable! Overall a great trip, and I will be trying to work Rite Aid into my weekly deals.

Revitalift week at CVS!

2/2/09: What I bought:

L'Oreal Revitalift toweletts $5.99

L'Oreal Revitalift Creme cleanser $5.99

Used:

$1 off ManQ

$3 off ManQ

$2.49 ECB (from Excedrin deal)

total OP= $6.18

Received $10 in ECBS for Revitalift!

2/3/09 What I bought:

Earinse $7.99

CVS children's chewable asprin $1.99

1 Diet Coke $1.49

Used:

$10 ECB from above

total OP=$1.58

Received $7.99 + $1.99 in ECBS for Earinse and asprin = $9.98 total ECBS!

Went to another store in search of more Revitalift and found:

1 Revitalift towlettes $5.99

1 Revitalift creme cleanser $5.99

Used:

$1 off ManQ

$1.99 ECB

$7.99 ECB from above

total OP = $1.15

Received $10 inECBS for Revitalift!

$value of all 3 transactions = $35.43

Total OP for all 3 transactions = $8.91 - $10 ECBS to go forward = $1.09 profit!

BTW I transferred some prescriptions to Rite Aid and got a $30 gift card. I will be buying some pull ups there soon. I will use the $5 off $25 coupon for Rite Aid, and the single check rebates on the pull ups and Rite Aid brand pull ups --- and it all will be free!!! Go to Riteaid.com for these coupons or iheartcvs.com for the coupon links. It's free money if you have prescriptions to transfer!

CVS trips 1.31, 2.1, 2.2.09

On Saturday I decided to stock up on drinks for the Pepsi deal. I bought:
2 12 packs of Diet Mt. Dew and 1 12 pck of Diet Pepsi Max @ 3 /$10
2 Lays chips @ 2/$4
1 Venus Embrace Razor $7.99
Used Coupons:
$4 off Venus razor from Vocal point mailer
$3 off and $15 CVS coupon from email
$4 ECB
Total: $11.87
Received $4 in ECBS for Venus Razor + $10 in ECB's for Pepsi products = $14 in ECBS total

My husband said, but I don't like Diet Mt. Dew! So I guess I will be drinking that eventually.

On Sunday I took daughter Olivia with me and we got:
3 12 packs of Diet Coke @ 3/$11
1 8 roll pack of Bounty Basic Paper towels @ $5.99
1 Excedrin 10ct @ $2.49
2 boxes of Ice Cubes Gum @ $1.29 each
I used:
$1 CRT off any Excedrin
$1 ManQ off any Excedrin
$1.19 off any Ice Cubes gum -- actually it said b1g1free
$4 off $20 from CVS email coupon
$4 ECBS (from razor above) + $10 ecbs (from Pepsi deal above)
total op = $1.01!
Received:
$2.49 ECB's for Excedrin

So I told my husband I basically got the Diet Mt Dew, Pepsi Max, and Diet Coke for the price I usually pay for just the diet Coke!

Then I went yesterday on 2/2.
I got:
1 L'oreal Revitalift creme cleanser
1 L'oreal Revitalift towlettes cleansers
I would've gotten 2 of the creme cleansers, but there was only 1 left on the shelf.
I used:
$1 ManQ and $3 ManQ for L'oreal from Sunday's paper
$2.49 ECB's from Sunday's Excedrin deal
Total OP= $6.18
Received $10.00 in ECBS!

Plus I have tried this cleanser and I really like it. I might go to another CVS today and see if I can get 2 more.
Also this store still had SoyJoy's! I think this deal runs through 2/14. I seriously considered buying another box (pay $6, get $6 ecb's) but I didn't since I have like 3 boxes on my desk at work.

New Coupons out at iheartcvs.com

http://delicious.com/er1ca/iheartcvscoupons

Click this link for coupons good through this weekend for CVS! There are $3 off $15, $4 off $20 and $5 off $30, plus some other product-specific coupons.

I am going to buy some Diet Mountain Dew and get in on the PepsiCo deal of Buy $20 worth of Pepsi stuff, get $10 ecbs.
Example:
Buy 6 packs of Diet Pepsi on sale 3/$10 = $20
Use $4 off $20 Coupon
Pay $16 plus tax out of pocket
Get $10 in ECBS
Final cost = $6 for 6 12packs!

Or if you have the Stacy's Pita chips coupons from Sunday's paper, use those towards your $20 purchase for even more savings!

CVS trip 1.26.09 $2.39 out of pocket for $38.97 worth of stuff

What I bought:
Stacy's Pita chips $3.00
Stacy's Pita chips $3.00
Gillette shampoo $4.99
Revlon foundation $13.99
Revlon Foundation $0.00 (B1G1F Monday only)

Used coupons:
$1.50 off pita chips
$1.50 off pita chips - both in yesterday's Sunday Paper
$1.00 off any Revlon color product
$2.00 off any Revlon foundation
$2.00 off Gillette shampoo

Used ecb's
$9.00
$3.00
$3.00

Subtotal=$1.98 + tax = $2.39 out of pocket,

Received $3.00 ECBS for the Gillette Shampoo

I really didn't like using so many ECB's, but I was happy that I got 2 of the Revlon Foundations. Also the Pita chips count toward the Pepsi promotion of buy $20, get $10 ecb's, so I might buy some Tostitos and Diet Mountain Dew. I really don't like Diet Pepsi. I need to spend $14 more, so I could buy 3 Diet Mountain dews and 2 bags of Tostitos for $15.99 , less my $3 ecb = $12.99 OP and get the $10 in ecbs' back.

Hallmark Card Deal at CVS

I ran into CVS last night on the way home and bought 9 Hallmark cards at $.99 each. I paid for these with ECB's and was only $.35 out of pocket. I then got $9 back in ECBS! I really stocked up on birthday and baby shower cards! You should go to CVS on Saturday and buy up to 15 cards, and you will get up to $15 back in ECBS!

Target and CVS deals 1.21.09

Kashi bars at Target are on sale for $2.75!
I had 2 coupons for $2 off a box of the soft baked cereal bars, plus 2 $1 off coupons from Harris Teeter. I love these bars, and they are a good snack to tide you over.

Last night on the way home I stopped into CVS to get more greeting cards. I bought:
$.99 Hallmark Card
$.99 Hallmark Card
$4.00 clearanced jar of Skin Effects moisturizer
I used:
$2.00 off Skin Effects coupon found a few months ago at CVS cash register
$4.00 ECB, which the cashier had to round down to $3.98
Out of pocket = $0.00 !
AND I got $3 in ECB's for the Hallmark cards!

Then I did a separate transaction using my FSA debit card:
$3.79 CVS allergy 5 ct
$3.79 CVS allergy 5ct
$6.99 Advil 40 ct
I used:
$1 peelie found on Advil box
$3.00 of any FSA purchase of $10 from CRT
Total out of pocket= $11.41
Received $7.58 ECBS for the Allergy medicine! These are free after ECB's this week.
I could've used ECB's to reduce out of pocket, but I still have money on my FSA debit card that I need to spend before the end of March.

This store was out of Throat cooler pops and Soyjoys....I guess there are no more!
I may go back again today and get 3 more $.99 cards and get $3 ECBs!

CVS trip 1.20.09; $8.70 OP, received $8 ECBS

No picture today, but this is what I got:
3 Hallmark cards @ $.99 each
1 Hallmark card @ $2.69
1 Herbal esscence shampo $2.99
1 Listerine mulit whitening rinse $6.79

Used coupons:
$1 off shampoo (from Sunday paper)
$1.50 off Listerine (from internet)

Used $2 and $3 Ecb's from Sunday's transaction
Total $8.70 out of pocket

I received:
$3 ECBs for the Hallmark cards
$4 ECBs for Listerine
$1 for Herbal Essences shampoo
total $8 ECBS
Not bad!

I plan on getting more $.99 Hallmark cards maybe tomorrow and just keep rolling that $3 ECB. You can do the Hallmark deal 5 times, so you can get $15 cards for (almost) free! Today I got Valentine's Day cards for my kids and my husband. I have spent $25 per holiday on cards in the Hallmark store in the past! Never again!

$56 worth of stuff for $1.55 at CVS!

Mom rocks!

Today I left the kids at home with Dad and took off for CVS. I must say, this is one of my best transactions! This is what I got:

3 Ragu for $5

1 Skippy peanut butter $1.67

2 St Ives Lotion $2.99 each

2 Tide total care HE @$5.99 each

2 Clariol Natural instincts @$5.99 each

1 box Puffs tissue $.99

3 Boxes of Excedrin @$1.99 ea

1 Cottonelle wipes $5.98

3 J&J buddies soaps @$1.19

I used: $10 off $50 from CRT, $5 off $30 from iheartcvs.com, $12 in ECB's from the SoyJoy deal, $1 off Cottonelle from a CRT receipt, $3 off any 2 lotions from CRT, 3 coupons worth $2 each off Excedrin, $.25 coupon for Puffs, $5 coupon and $2 coupon for Natural instincts, $3 off 3 J&J products - Internet coupon, $1 off 3 jars of Ragu, $.60 off Skippy, 2 x $2 coupons off St Ives, I think that is all the coupons.

I paid $1.55 OP, and received:

$3 ECBS for the Cottonelle, and $2 for the Clairol Instincts. So I actually profited $3.45!

I usually never use the coupons (CRT's) that print out at the bottom of the receipt with the ECB's but I noticed a few good ones that worked in well for this week. I wanted to get up to $50 in order to use the $10 off CRT. Basically I just added up the total on my calculator as I went through the store, and when I got to $56, I checked out! I wanted to get more throat cooler pops, but they were out. They were also out of Soy Joy bars.

free samples

https://smartsource.wufoo.com/forms/x7x0k1/



Go here for a free sample of True Delights Granola bar!



http://www.kidessentials.com/Pages/register.aspx



Go here for a free sample of Kid Essentials!



http://www.smoothieking.com/about/email-newsletter.php



go here for a B1G1 coupon at Smoothie King! I have had these and they are great -- just look up the calories first, because some of them are loaded with fat and calories!



http://seattlesbest.com/media/special/SBC_buy1_get1.pdf



Go here to get a B1G1 coupon reedemable at Borders for Seattle's Best coffee or a pastry!

CVS new coupons out

There are some new coupons out on iheartcvs.com that are good through this Sunday. Click this link http://delicious.com/er1ca/iheartcvscoupons to check them out!

Also there are tons of J&J coupons out where you can get the Buddies soaps for free or close to free. Check out Dealseekingmom.com's post here http://www.dealseekingmom.com/category/cvs-weekly-deals/ and print the coupons.

On Friday I took my daughter to the Dr. for a follow up visit, and of course we stopped by a CVS on the way home.

I used the $3 off $15, along with the $3 off any cvs purchase to get the following yesterday:
2 packs CVS knee highs; these were $1 each, but the tag on the shelf was higher;
3 J&J buddies soaps at $1.19 each; used J&J coupons to get each one for $.19 !
3 12 packs of Diet coke for $11
1 pack of Juicy Fruit gum for $1.19 (for my daughter)

My total out of pocket was $9.62. Before coupons and everything, it was about $17.80 worth of stuff. It was like I really just wanted the Diet cokes and got all the other stuff for (almost) free!

I also got some coupons on my register tape :
$10 off $50
$3 off 2 any hand or body lotions.

Not bad! And I still have $12 in ecb's.

This CVS didn't have ANY Soyjoy bars left --- or any Throat cooler pops. I have visited 5 different CVS's in the past 2 weeks, and ALL of them were out of the Throat cooler pops.

CVS 1/11/09

Well I burned through some ECB's today, but got a good bit of stuff. I spent $4.64 OP, and got $3 ECB's. This is what I got:

2 CVS brand pull ups $12.99

2 packs Playtex insulated cups $7.99, these were B1G1Free

2 pack bundle of granola bars$6.99, get $3 ECB's

and 3 Johnson's Buddies Soaps.

I used 1 $3 off any CVS brand purchase coupon, $2 off 2 Johnson buddies, and $1 off 1 Johnson buddies soap.http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/special-offers-expanded.jsp I also used $9.98 ECBS+$12.00 ECBS from previous transactions. By the way, you can get tons of other coupons fo these buddies soaps, and at some places, like Wal-Mart, they come out free. At my CVS they are $1.19, so I get them for $.19 each. I try to avoid Wal-Mart.

total = $4.64, received $3 ECBS!

I wasn't planning on getting the sippy cups, however I had my 2 year old with me, and she spotted them while I was getting the soaps. They said BPA free on them, which I have heard a little about. Should I throw out all of the old sippy cups? Whats the deal with plastic cups and bottles anyway? Does drinking out of them cause cancer or not? I guess I should do more research here....http://babyproducts.about.com/od/feedingdrinks/tp/BPA_free_baby_bottles.htm;

http://www.chej.org/BPA_Website.htm

Also there was a coupon for the granola bars in the paper this Sunday, but I had left it at home. That's ok, I will probably buy another pack or 2. The limit is 4, and my 10 yr old son likes them. That's his hand in the picture. He went to the store with me as well. He had some Christmas cash with him, and he took advantage of the B1G1 free Altoids.

Private label vs. Luxury brands

Lately I have been buying ALOT more private label products, mostly in part due to my CVS and Walgreen's shopping. And for the most part, these private label products are pretty good. When I get them for free or close to free, they are even better! But to me, private label goods are for basics or staples. My husband is a private label manager for a large company. So we have alot of retail discussions in our house. We also do alot of shopping.

I am a clothing buyer for a national womens chain. Our stores are located in strip centers alongside WalMarts for the most part. So our prices compare to Target, Fashion Bug, Kohls and Goody's (who is going out of business as of this week, by the way). I basically shop for a living. I shop in NYC, Miami, Los Angeles, and Montreal all for work. I do a lot of product development, which means I am always trying to translate higher priced goods into more moderately priced goods for my department. As a result, I find myself wanting these higher priced things for myself! Many of my coworkers have Gucci handbags, Prada shoes, Channel Sunglasses, and Theory pants. I have a few of these designer labels myself. For Christmas, my husband bought me a Marc Jacobs handbag, which I truly love. It is stylish, beautiful, and extremely well made. I can carry this bag forever and it will always be in style. When I carry it, I feel great. I don't get the same feeling when I wear my drugstore sunglasses or my Macy's private label boots.

I guess the good feelings I get from private label goods is from the knowledge that I have saved money. And that has become more important to me lately. I do love going into CVS and getting a great deal. But I do love that Marc Jacobs handbag.......

Everyone makes mistakes!

Well I got to my CVS at lunch time, only to realize that I had left my ECB's back on my desk! I decided to look around anyway and see what deals I could do without any ECB's.

I found some CVS brand women's shave gel on clearance for $1, so I got 4. I thought they were included in the B1G1 50% promo, but they weren't. I guess the clearance CVS brand stuff doesn't count towards that.

They had 2 Listerine Whitening Pens, so I decided to go ahead and do the Johnson & Johnson deal of buy $20 of select J&J products, get $10 ECBS. I had 2 coupons for $3 off from the CVS beauty book found recently at the register--- see picure of these by clicking the link below courtesy of iheartcvs.com:
http://iheartcvs.com/2008/11/look-for-in-store-beauty-coupons.html
Then I used $2 off Listerine Whitening Pen --- click the link below for the coupon:
https://www.listerinewhitening.com/page.jhtml?id=listerinewhitening/include/coupon_signup.inc

I spotted CVS brand cheese crackers on a center isle that had a sign that said, buy these for $1.99, get $1.00 in ECB. I figured with the B1G1 50% promo, that was a great deal! So I got 4 boxes.

So at check out I used a $3 off $15 CVS coupon, and 2x$3 off any CVS brand purchase. The total out of pocket was $13.73, with $10 in ECB's.

But wait! Before leaving the store I noticed that no ECB's printed for the crackers, so I asked the manager. He said since they rang up B1G1 50% off, I couldn't get the ECBs! I told him very nicely that there was a tag right on the shelf and took him over the isle. He took the tag down, even though the dates were valid as a monthly deal. I ended up just returning the 4 boxes and got back $6.08.

So my final total was $13.73 - 6.08 = $7.65, with $10 in ECB's.



I think my next transaction will be for CVS brand pull ups. They are $10.49 a pack or $15.74 for 2 with the B1G1 50% off promo. I could use a $3 off $15, and $3 off any CVS, making them $9.74 for the 2 packs. Stay tuned....

soyjoys

http://www.soyjoy.com/special-offers.aspx#

Click this link to get a $1 off coupon for Soy Joy Bars. They are a deal at CVS for January at buy 1 box of 6 for $6, get $6 ECB's.

Now let me tell you, Soy Joy bars are not something I would pay money for, but for free, they are pretty good. They are 2 points on Weight Watchers, so they make an ok afternoon snack that will tide you over until dinner.

Do you like Soy Joy bars?

$.60 out of pocket at CVS for $23.85 worth of stuff

Today at CVS I got $23.85 worth of stuff for $.60, and I got $12 in ECB's!

Here's what I bought:

Revlon emery boards, on clearance, $.99, used $1 off ManQ (cashier rounded coupon down to $.99)

2 Sally Hansen nail polish, on clearance for $1.25 each, used $3 off 2 Sally Hansen CVS coupon (cashier rounded coupon down to $2.50)

2 SoyJoy boxes @$6 each, used $3 off coupon from Sunday's paper

1 CVS brand paper plates $3.99

1 CVS brand plastic bags $1.39, was b1g1 50% on all CVS brands

2 CVS brand foam pump soap, first was $1.99, second was $.99 (B1G1 50% off)



Used $3 of $15 emailed CVS coupon

$3 off any CVS brand purchase

$3 off any CVS brand Purchase

$6 in ECB's from Monday's Soy Joy purchase

$3 ECB's from Monday's stuff.



Subtotal $.36 + tax = $.60! AND I got $12 in ECBS for the Soy Joy!

1 day pass to BJ's

http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/BJs_coupon.pdf

Click this link to get a 1 day pass to BJ's. They do have some good deals there, when you combine their coupons with other coupons. I always like to get bananas there too. I have let my membership expire recently, but maybe I will use this pass to make another visit!

What I do with all of this stuff

One of my husband's coworkers asked why I buy 2-3 shampoos at a time. His thinking was that one bottle would last him months! Well at my house I have 3 kids who go through alot of shampoo. I do too for that matter :) Plus I keep searching for a less expensive brand that I really like. I figure if it's free, or really cheap, I will try it and see. I used to use Aveda shampoos, conditioners and styling products. Those start around $18 a bottle, I think. No more! The same for makeup --- some of these drugstore brands are really just as good, and so much cheaper!

Now that I have amassed a small stockpile of HBA's in our bathroom linen closet, I am really trying to buy only what we can use / need. That means no more toothpaste! no more contact lens solution! I promise! Unless it is a moneymaker that is :)

CVS 1.05.09, profit $6.98

Hello free stuff! This transaction was almost too easy, as I didn't even plan it out before hitting the store today on my lunch break. My total OP cost for all of this stuff was $11.00. I got back $17.98 in ECB's, so I made $6.98 profit!

I started with a $3 off $15 purchase coupon that was emailed to me from CVS. I also had a $3 off any CVS private label brand product. I had $8 in ECB's from last week's transaction. This is what I bought:

Garnier hairspray, sale $2.99 less $1 coupon from Sunday paper=$1.99, got $2 ecb's back.

Loreal mascara on clearance $2.37, less $2 coupon from paper=$.37.

Loreal eyeliner on clearance $2.05, less $2 coupon=$.05!

Loreal cream face cleanser (I love this product! Beats expensive Estee Lauder any day!)on sale $5.99, less $2.00 coupon from paper=$3.99.

6pk box of Soy Joy, $6, got back $6 ECB's.

2 CVS baby wash, on sale buy one, get one 50% off; paid $4.93 for 2, then I was able to use the $3 coupon for the private label product, = $1.93 for 2 bottles.

2 boxes of Kids Throat cooler pops, $4.99 each, had b1g1 coupon printed from internet, and this generated $4.99 of ecb's for each box! So I paid $4.99OP and got $9.98 in ECBS! Profit of $4.99!

Oh and I bought a bottle of smart water for $1.49 because I wanted it :)

I tried out the CVS baby wash on my 2 girls tonight and it smelled and looked just like the Johnson and Johnson's baby wash. Some of my readers follow my husband's private brand blog, http://myprivatebrand.wordpress.com/ . I am not afraid of trying private label stuff, however if it is BAD, like the Food Lion private label yogurt, I will not try it again. At our house we buy Food Lion brand pretzels and bottled water pretty regularly.

$11.78 OP for $77 worth of stuff at WAGS!

I got mostly grocery items today at WAGS. The original total was around $77, but after coupons, the total was $37.51. I used a $.73 store credit, and a $25 gift card from a transferred prescription. I had a Register Reward for $5 off $20, but they wouldn't let me use it because it had expired on 12/22/08. I know that other stores take expired RR's, but whatever. So my final total was $11.78, and I got a RR for $3 from the cereal. Here is a listing of what I got:

1 Softsoap

4 Kellogs' cereals

3 Motts apple juice

Quaker instant oatmeal

3 Jif peanut butter

1 smuckers jelly

Oreo Cakesters --- my 4yr old talked me into these. At $3.59 they were the most expensive item that I bought!

2 WAGS brand plastic bags

1 coffee filters (we were out!) again the WAGS brand

1 Fructis shampoo (was free after coupons)

4 Progresso soups

Revlon emery boards

Loreal concealer (on clearance) $.59 after coupon

Revlon lip color (on clearance) $.19 after coupon

Revlon blush (on clearance) $.89 after coupon!

2 Ben & Jerrys ice creams (free after coupons)

My kids actually like the Special K with Red berries; and they LOVE Motts apple juice. I tried to give them the WAGS brand apple juice a few weeks ago and they refused to drink it. They told me to NEVER buy that kind again! At 2 and 4 years old, they know what they like!

I was very happy to see so much makeup on clearance. I had been looking for new blush and new concealor, so I will try these out. Sure beats Sephora, where I used to buy all my makeup!

How I could've done better:

In retrospect, I should've bought the cereal first, then used the $3 RR for transaction #2. I always hate to do 2 transactions in the same trip. It feels like cheating.

I always spend less if the kids are at home, but with 3 kids, that is really not feasible, unless I am on my lunch hour at work.

Anyway, I rarely have a perfect transaction. But I think this one was pretty good!

While we were shopping I saw another lady looking for the peanut butter deal. I mentioned to her that for her coupon to be good she had to buy 3. I also told her about the shampoo deal. I thought I even had an extra coupon for her, but I had left it at home.

As I was checking out at the makeup counter, the manager came over and watched the cashier ring everything up. I don't think that he was very happy, but all my coupons matched up. Well except for the $5 expired RR. What he didn't realize is that I never bought anything in WAGS until I started doing this. I have basically shifted my spending from Target to WAGS andCVS.

Correction! No free Ben and Jerrys until THIS Sunday!

Sorry the Ben and Jerry's Free ice cream deal at Walgreen's STARTS this Sunday. I went to Walgreen's today to do this deal, and realized I had been looking at next week's Walgreen's ad.

I did however get a prescription transferred over to WAGS and I got a $25 gift card for the transfer! Go online to Walgreens.com and I think you can still print the coupon.

So now I have my $25 Gift card to use for the deals that start on Sunday. For a list of deals, check out one of my favorite blogs, fromwagstoriches --- the link is to the right!

Free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream at Walgreens!

Until this Sunday, Walgreens is running Ben & Jerry's ice cream at 2/$6. Click this link http://www.bandjpromotions.com/ to get a $3 off coupon emailed to you. It comes really fast to your inbox. You can print the coupon, hit the back button or refresh on your browser, and print another one!

CVS - Happy New Year!

Yesterday, New Year's Day, I went to CVS with my 4 year old daughter. She talked me into a few extra items that I wouldn't have bought, but overall I didn't do too badly.

I started with a few big coupons from various sources:
$3 off $15 via iheartcvs.com
a $25 gift card I received for a new prescription with a coupon via iheartcvs.com
$5 in ECB's from a prior transaction
$8.50 in ECBs: my local store has a card scanner in the front. If you scan your CVS card when you walk in it will print coupons. I got $8.50 in ECB's from my fall spending.

So right off the bat, I had a small windfall to work with. This is what I bought:
Pantene shampoo $3.50
Pantene conditioner $3.50
2 Secret deodarants @ 2/$5
2 Old spice Deodarants @ 2/$5
4 Kraft Easy Mac @$1 each = $4
2 Aussie Shampoos at 2/$7
Pampers Wipes $2.50
2 Colorwonder Crayola coloring books with markers on clearance for $3.25 each (not a planned purchase, but DD wanted them, and they were quite a good deal on clearance)
3 Tide Total Care @ $5.88 each
1 pampers easy ups at $9.99 each
8 Pack of Bounty Basic paper towels $5.88
1 Schick Intuition Razor and razor blade $8.99
1 Gillette shaving cream on clearance $1.30
2 Dawn diswashing bottles @ 2/$1.49
2 CVS brand anticavity rinse:
one was $4.49
second one was half off $$2.24
Cascade packs $6.49 (not a planned purchase! as the gel was much cheaper)
1 playschool baby wipes big pack $7.49

The first total was around $92 and I almost fainted! Then I gave the cashier my coupons and ECB's, which brought the total to $77.07! ACK! still too much! So I handed over my gift card, then the total was $52.07. I got $8 in ECB's back, but still I didn't realize I was going to spend so much.

I didn't add up everything before I went, and I did let my daughter talk me into about $15 more stuff than I had intended to buy.

But I do feel good about this transaction, since most of it was stuff we actually needed. Ok so I didn't need another razor or another deodarant, but I will never pay full price for that stuff again!

BTW I gave out toothpaste to my 3 sister in laws along with their CVS tote bags that I got them for Christmas. They were thrilled. I also gave them packs of Bic Soleil razors. I tried to give my sister some of my stockpile of contact lens solution, but she doesn't use it with her kind of contact lenses. I also made a small bag of toiletries for Linda, who works in the the distribution center of my company. Linda is raising her 3 grandkids, since her daughter and son in law were killed in a car crash about 10 years ago. I gave her toothpaste, razors, femine products, shampoo, a Glade candle, and some other things.