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.