Tidy Tuesday

On this edition of Tidy Tuesday we are going to talk about cleaning up...but not like you think.

Instead of allowing this title to dictate my evening's to-do list tonight, I threw caution to the wind and went on my weekly excursions to CVS & Wags. Therefore this Tidy Tuesday we'll be talking about "cleaning up" at the drugstores.

Ya' know getting things for cheap.

If you haven't popped over to my other blog - Craving Savings - lately, you should because I'm on top of all the deals at CVS, Wags, Food Lion and Kroger.

Although I will admit Kroger has not been impressing me with their sale ads for two weeks running. Hello, Kroger - you really should step up your game.

Ahem.

As I was saying, I've been "cleaning up" at these stores for the past nine months and counting. My savings tally for 2009 so far is $3466.56 $3710.21. That's not counting what I got tonight.

After bragging talking about my great deals some of my friends - IRL and fellow bloggers - decided to take the plunge into the land of Extra Care Bucks. Since then I've heard nothing but great things.

They are ecstatic with the savings and seeing how all those little paper coupons can really add up when you take the time to redeem them.

So instead of cleaning my filthy house for this post, I sacrificed and went on another trip to CVS to show you how easy it is to do.

Tonight I got this AND 4- 12 packs of soda:



For only 98 CENTS. As in 98 pennies...as in not even a dollar...as in less than you would pay for ONE of those Vitamin Waters.

And if I can do it, YOU can do it. Here's the perfect scenario to start you out:

1. Buy 3 Kellogg's cereal for $10 (Sale price is $3/10 for select varieties)

2. Use 3 of the $1 off Kellogg's coupons found HERE.

3. Pay $7 + tax and receive $5 ECB's.

Bada Bing baby! Welcome to the game...the drugstore game.

If you really want to be adventurous and do TWO transactions I would say to start with the Adidas deodorant that is on sale for $3.99.

1. Pay for deodorant and receive $3.00 ECB's. (BTW, there was a $1 coupon for Adidas in the 4/5 inserts that you can use if you have it.)

2. Then use that $3 ECB to pay for part of the cereal.

3. You end up spending $8 out of pocket, but you have 3 boxes of cereal, deodorant AND $5 ECB's to show for it.

How ya' like me now?

Yep, I'm "cleaning up" and you can too!

Now that I've admitted I have an addition to a certain drugstore in my area, and that my house is filthy, feel free to leave me a comment about how great I am. No, really I won't mind. Then head over to Denise and Brandy's place to see what kind of "cleaning up" they are doing for Tidy Tuesday.

Another confession from yours truly...

On Monday when I recapped my holiday weekend for your viewing pleasure I mentioned my midnight trip to CVS. Well...I'm a CVS addict. There I said it. I admit it. CVS is my addiction.

Or rather saving at CVS is my addiction.

When I first stumbled on the world of blogs, it was because I was bored at work and started searching for money saving sites. I found Money Saving Mom almost immediately and learned the CVS way. I've never looked back.

I'm not going to bore you with the details, but if you are interested in playing what is commonly referred to as the "drug store game" then click HERE for all the deets. What I'd like to share with you is what I got on my midnight and early morning visits on Thanksgiving.


I got all this for ONLY .72 - I'm not even kidding. (Actually it was $2.72, but then the cashier had overcharged me so I got a $2 refund.) And I still have $57.48 in Extra Care Bucks to spend. (ECB's are like cash at CVS.)

This is some of my stockpile that I've gathered for pennies by playing this "game".



So what will I do with all this stuff? Obviously a lot of it we use. With everything else my Aunt M and I are putting together goodie bags for about 10 elderly ladies at the home where my Granny lived.

Many of these people don't have family in town or family that can be bothered to visit. So we thought it would be a good idea to share some of what we have with these ladies.

You would be surprised how a little bag of soap or candy can brighten someones day. The fact that someone thought of them means the world to them.

And to me.

What are some ways you are giving back this holiday season?

CVS, Walmart, Krogers

Rather than write a separate post about each of these I will just summarize my extraordinary savings this week in one place. Starting with...

CVS

Transaction #1 (through 10 - LOL!)


I got all of this for free using $2 off CVS skincare q's plus I made 5 ECB's since I "spent" more than $15 in CVS Baby products. It took several transactions to make this happen, but I did it while I was already out running errands for work, so it didn't cost me anything in gas (I use a company vehicle) and they were all simple and short visits.

Transaction #2


2- Maxwell Coffee - 4.99/BOGOF
2- ALL detergent - 6.49/BOGOF
3- CVS Spices - .88/each
1- True North nuts - 2.50
2- Trident - 1.49/BOGOF
1- CVS Baby Powder (pictured under transaction #1)

Used:
1- 4/20 coupon
1- 2/10 CVS product coupon
1- 2 off CVS Skincare
1- .75 off Trident
2- 1.00 off ALL small & mighty
1- 1.00 off True North nuts
1- .75 off Maxwell House

Total = $7.91 (Used 7 ECB's + .91 OOP) Earned 1 ECB (from Trident)

Walmart











I'm not going to list everything out but my total went from $113 (w/ tax) to $38 (w/ tax). The cashier was extremely impressed and a manager had to approve my transaction before I could check out because I used so many coupons.

Some of the best bargains were the Huggies Clean Team wipes. They are $1.64 so with a $3/2 q they were only .14 each! 4 boxes of South Beach drink packets for free and the Scrubbing Bubbles Starter kit for $2.17 AND I sent in the mail in rebate so I will make $2.75 on this! I also got a few free sample size items like Head & Shoulders, single use Well Patches, Schick disposable razors and Aquafresh toothpaste. There were a few items I didn't have q's for so I was pretty happy with everything I got and the savings were unbelievable!

Kroger

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of what I got at Kroger today but I saved a ton because of their Mega Sale Event and lots of coupons! Overall savings with Kroger plus card, coupons and $16 in Catalina's from the Planters peanuts was over $88! I only spent $41 for over $129 worth of groceries! Here are the highlights:

Franks hot sauce = free! (mega sale item + .50 q doubled)
Betty Crocker mini's = .50 (mega sale item + .50 q doubled)
Betty Crocker frosting = 1.00 (mega sale item)
Sargento cheese = 1.00 (mega sale item + 1.00 q)
Edwards pie = .75 (mega sale item + .75 q)
Mini carrots = 1.00
Watermelon = .99 (used $3 off coupon wyb Ball Parks)
Ball Park Franks = 2/$3 (mega sale item + $1.00 q)
Bread = .50 (markdown)
Hoagie Rolls = 1.00 (markdown)

Plus, I got some killer coupons in the mail yesterday that were sent to the employees (my SS works there). I didn't use them today but I will...free 20 oz coke, free flowers, free yogurt, $2 off any shampoo, $2 off any toothpaste, etc. You can see how valuable they will be since they are store coupons AND not brand specific.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom, The Centsible Sawyer and Amy's Life for posting the information about these sales and how to make the most of them!

CVS July 13-19

I did four transactions this week since I was trying to roll my $10 ECB from last week and take advantage of the $3/15 coupon that was only good this week.

Transaction #1



2 Herbal Essence - $2/5
2 Airwick Minis - $4.99
3 Sally Henson nail polish - .99/each

Used:

1- 3/15
1- Salley Henson - $3/2 (adjusted to $2.97)
1- Herbal Essence - $3/2
2- Airwich Minis - $4

Total = $1.73 w/ tax, No ECB's used or earned

Transaction #2



Excedrin back & body - 4.79
Excedrin PM - 5.29
Excedrin extra strength - 10.29

Used:

1- 4/20
1- 2 off Excedrin PM
1- 2 off 100 ct Excedrin
$10 ECB

Total = $2.37
Earned = $10 ECB

Transaction #3

2 Sure deodorants - 2.99/each
2 Speedstick 24/7 - 3.99/each
2 Johnson & Johnson Buddie Soaps - .99/each
1 Gain detergent - 4.99

Used:

1- 3/15
2- 1 off Sure
1- 2/2 Johnson & Johnson coupon (adjusted to $1.98)
$10 ECB

Total = 4.35
Earned = $9 ECB



Transaction #4

6 Salley Henson nail polish - .99/eacb
1 Tums Smoothies - 1.49 (clearance)
1 CVS make up remover towelettes - 2.99
2 CVS Tampons - 1.49/each

1- 3/15
1- 2/10 CVS brand product
2- 3/2 Salley Henson (Adjusted to $2.91 & 3.00 for the other)
1- 1 off Tums smoothies
1- 2 off CVS beauty product

Total: -.26 (adjusted to .01)
Earned: 3.98 ECB's

They royally screwed up my last transaction. I could only use 1 beauty coupon so I only had them ring up 1 make up remover towelettes but she still took off the other coupons??? Not sure what happened there but I was a little upset that I could only use 1 since I've been using it for weeks without incident. I guess CVS is getting stricter with their coupons. IDK.

Kroger P&G Deal

Kroger is running a sale this week where you receive $3 off instantly when you buy 3 P&G specially marked items. Although Pampers wipes weren't in the ad, I found out about this deal through either The Centsible Sawyer or Money Saving Mom. (I'm not sure which, but they both have great information so go visit!)

You can buy three smaller packages of Pamper wipes for $2.61/each, use 3 .50 coupons (my Kroger's doubles to $1.00 off) and then get $3 off at the register. I got 3 packages for .61 each!



These will go to my SD too!

CVS Deals - June 6-12 Part Two

I woke up Friday morning to find a bunch of emailed coupons from CVS, including $5 off $30 and $4 off Playskool Diapers. I didn't think much about it since I still had a $4/20 CRT so I didn't bother printing anything. Then I went out to pick up breakfast for work and ran by the CVS near Hardees intending on only picking up an iTunes gift card for my friends son. (This is where the brainstorming started!)

I grabbed a $15 gc and it dawned on me that I could easily use the $4/20 CRT by picking up the Playtex tampons. So I grabbed those, used a $1 coupon for them and walked out with free tampons, an iTunes card and $3 additional extra card bucks PLUS another $4/20 CRT. (I didn't use any because I had already budgeted the money for the iTunes card.)

While I was there I priced the diapers...low and behold they were on sale 2/$19.99. I didn't have my email coupons with me so I didn't get them while I was there, but I had plans to go into town for dinner and knew I would be making a pit stop.



Here's what I got:

2 - Mega packs of Playskool Diapers - $19.99
2 - Buddies soap bars - $.99/each
1 - CVS cotton balls - $1.69

I used:

1 - $4/20 coupon
2 - $4 off Playskool diapers
1 - $2 off 2 Johnson & Johnson products (adjusted to $1.98)
1 - $2 off CVS beauty product

I spent $2.91 on my debit card and $5 ECB's

I didn't earn any new ECB's but what a great deal! These and the Huggies from the previous week will be a gift for my SD since I will be a grandmother in October.

CVS Deals - June 6-12

After all the trouble I had last time at CVS, I thought it was best to take a break. But I couldn't control my addiction pass by when I needed a card for my friend's birthday. During this visit I spent $2.59 for a card, .99 for CVS panty liners (earning .99 ECB), $2.99 for CVS wipes (earning $1 ECB) and 4 packs of clearance candies for .50/each. This gave me $1.99 in ECB to start me all over again. It had not been enough time for the $5 ECB from the swiffer deal (explained here)to print on my receipt BUT I did get a $4/20 CRT.

So on Sunday I got my paper out, gathered my coupons and made a CVS shopping list in order to take advantage of the $4/20 CRT.



I got:

2 Febreeze aerosols - 2.50/each ($10 ECB)
2 Febreeze sprays - 5.99/each
2 Dawn Dish Detergents - 1/each ($1 ECB)
1 Scott TP - 6.49

I used:

$4/20 CRT
2 $1 off Dawn Detergent
1 $5.99 BOGOF Febreeze coupon (I tried to use two since it was buy one Spray get one Aersol free but the clerk rang the first coupon wrong and then couldn't figure out how to fix it. Since it was only .99 more than it should have been, she left it.)
1 $1 off Febreeze product

I spent $7.17 on my debit card and used $1.99 EBC's

I earned $6 in ECB's + my $5 ECB for the swiffer that finally printed for a total of $11 ECB's + another $4/20 CRT

*******************************

On Tuesday I had to go to the DMV in the city before heading to work so I ran by CVS on the way there and did these two transactions:



Transaction #1

1 Gillette Body Wash - $3.99
3 Olay Body Wash - $5.99
1 CVS Cotton Balls - $1.69

Used:

1-$4/20 CRT
3-$2 off Olay Ribbons Body Wash
1-$1 off Gillette Body Wash
1-$2 off CVS Beauty Product

I spent $1.03 on my debit card and used $10 ECB's

Earned $11 ECB + ANOTHER $4/20 CRT

Since I got another $4/20 CRT I went ahead and did the 2nd transaction while I was there.



Transaction #2

2 Dawn Dish Detergents - $1/each
2 Pert Plus Shampoos - $2.50/each
1 Crest Whitestrips - $19.99

Used:

1 $4/20
2 $1 off Dawn
1 $2 off Pert
1 $3 off Pert
1 $7 off Whitestrips

I spent $10.14 and I did not use any ECB's choosing to save the $10 I had just earned.

Earned $1 ECB

CSV Deals - June 29-July 5

I spent a lot of time deciding on transactions for this week. I wrote my list, got all my coupons together and went to the only CVS in my town. (There are many in the surrounding areas with the closest one being a little over 10 miles away.) Needless to say I wasn't very pleased when I left. I realize that the $4 off $20 coupon says one per customer but the same manager let me use it twice the day before and only when I have a cart full of stuff (4 transactions) does he say no. And when I asked why he left me do it the day before...he said that he didn't want to make a scene. (But I guess today was okay?!?!)

And then after that I didn't even get my ECB's for the swiffer deal...and I was in line for more than 30 minutes. It was closing time so the manager said sorry, call the 800 #. Which I did and they are supposed to have them added to my card by the end of the week.


+ 2 cases of water (not shown)

Transaction #1

1 Gold Emblem Water - $2.99 (Sunday & Monday only)
1 Huggies Wash - $3.49
1 Bic Soleil razor - $6.99
1 Bic Soleil refill - $6.99
1 Clean & Clear lotion - $6.49

I used these coupons:

1- $4/$20 (clerk put it in before mgr came to the register)
1- $2 off Clean & Clear
1- $4 off Bic
1- $2 off Bic

Total after coupons: $2.09 & $16 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $6.00

Transaction #2

1 Kashi bars - $2.50
1 Swiffer wet - $5.99
1 Crest - $1.99
1 CVS Cotton swabs - $3.19
1 Physicians Formula Mascara - $7.99


I used these coupons:

1- $4/$20 (I had a CRT that I used when they refused the printed one)
1- .75 off Crest
1- $2 off CVS Beauty product
1- $2 off Kashi product

Total after coupons: $2.08 & $15 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $10.99

Transaction #3

1 Kashi bars - $2.50
1 Swiffer dry - $5.99
1 OB tampon - $4.49
1 Renuzit - .77
2 Huggies wash - $3.49/each


I used these coupons:

2 - $1 off Huggies
1- $1.50 off OB tampons
1- $2 off Kashi product

Total after coupons: $4.66 & $10.99 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $5.50 I should have received an extra $5 for the swiffer, but it didn't print.

Transaction #4

1 Clairol haircolor - 5.99
1 Renuzit - .77
1 Right Guard Professional - 6.99
2 Softsoap body wash - BOGOF @ 3.99
2 Lifesavers - BOGOF @ 2.19


I used these coupons:

1- $4 off Clairol
1- $1 off Softsoap
1- $1 off Right Guard
1- BOGOF for Lifesavers - $2.19
1- $2 off Kashi product

Total after coupons: $6.90 & $5.50 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $6.00

Then realizing that I didn't get the swiffer EBC's, the clerk tried to refund one and ring the other to get them to print. It didn't work but since he refunded $6.29 and when he rung it up again I paid with ECB's so when it was all said and done I spent all my ECB's; I had started with $16 ECB's and I should have gotten $5 back so I'll count it as $11 ECB's and $9.44 on my debit card. At first, I was mad about that but then I thought about it...look at what I got for about $20. That is a lot of stuff!! And I couldn't have gotten half of that with $20 anywhere else.

CVS Deals June 23-28 ~Part Two~

I couldn't help myself from making a second trip to CVS for the weekly deals last week.



Transaction #1

1 Bounty Papertowel - $5.49
2 Colgate Toothpastes - $2.99/each
3 CVS cotton swabs - $3.19/each

I used these coupons:

1- $4/$20
3- 2.00 off CVS Beauty
2- 1.50 off Colgate

Total after coupons: 1.26 & $6.98 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $10.00

Transaction #2

2 Bounty Papertowels - $5.49/each
2 All - $6.49/BOGOF
2 Maxwell House Coffee - $4.99/BOGOF


I used these coupons:

1- $4/$20
1- .75 off Maxwell House
1- 1.00 off All

Total after coupons: $16.83 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $10

I used up some of my EBC's but at the end of the day I still had $16 and I only spent $1.26 on my debit card so I was pleased. I wasn't as excited as before because I had a really hard time getting my ECB's to go through for some reason and it wasn't because the purchase was too small. The manager eventually had to void everything and start from scratch. It was a pain to stand there so long, but I wasn't upset. (Now Sunday's trip was a whole different issue...more on that later.)

CVS Deals June 23-29

I owe so much to so many for bringing CVS to my life! Mainly I need to thank Money Saving Mom and The "Cent"sible Sawyer for showing me the light. Now onto my latest deal:



Here's what I got:

2 Listerine Smart Rinse - $3.49/each
2 Colgate Toothpaste - $2.49/each**
1 8 pk Bounty Paper Towels - $5.49

I used these coupons:

1- .25 off Bounty (from insert)
2- 1.00 off Listerine (PRINTABLE)
2- 1.50 off Colgate (from All You)


Total after coupons: .47 & $12 EBC's OOP

ECB's Earned = $10.98


**They rang for $2.99 BUT the sign said $2.49 so the manager did a price adjustment. This is not the first time that something has rang higher...be sure to look!

If I would have given it a bit more thought then I could have added a filler and used a $4/20 coupon, but S was waiting on me and I was in a bit of a rush and I was really focusing on rolling my $10 ECB (which I did) so I was thinking after coupon price instead of total. It seems I'm always thinking of different scenarios once I leave...

Want to see more CVS savings? Visit the "Cents"ible Sawyer's CVS Superstars! or Money Saving Mom

$5 CVS Challenge - June 15-21

Last night I sat down with my ads, coupons and blog list so that I could make my shopping list for CVS. I went at lunch today and ended up having to make a few adjustments because they were sold out of the Smart Rinse Listerine (I'm loving this stuff...must get some more before the ECB's end) and Oral B toothbrushes. I thought they were sold out of the CVS bandages too, but they had a huge container full in front of the register. Make sure you look really well for the products you want or even ask a clerk.



Here's what I got:

2 CVS Bandaids - 1.99/each
1 Brut Deodorant - 3.39
1 Adidias Deodorant - 4.99
1 500ct Q-tips (w/ free travel size attached!) - 3.19
1 Greeting card for my sis - 1.99
1 Tylenol 24 ct Rapid Release - 4.49

I used these coupons:

$4/$20 from email for signing up for email alerts
$2.00 off CVS beauty product - found HERE (print at 50%)
$1.50 off any pain reliever - Store coupon that printed last week
$2.00 off any Tylenol product - found HERE
Free Adidias deodorant coupon - $4.99 value (expired 6/15/08 but I they took it anyway)
$1.00 off any Brut product - from All You

Total after coupons: $7.05 OOP

ECB's Earned = $10.98 = $3.93 PROFIT

I only had a $10 ECB certificate so I paid with my debit card, but I was still playing it out in my mind after leaving and if I would have grabbed two more band aids then it would have only cost me $1-2 OOP b/c I could have used my ECB's and I would have received $3.98 more in ECB's...oh well, there is always next time.

Now I have $20.98 in ECB's to spend!! And lots of goodies to boot! I ♥ CVS!

Visit The New Frugal Mom for more $5 Challengers. Want to see more CVS savings? Visit the "Cents"ible Sawyer's CVS Superstars!

Food Lion - 90% Savings

While I was running errands for work today, I decided to drop by Food Lion to see if they carried Cascadian Farms since I have several coupons that I would like to use and my local Krogers and Walmart does not have this brand. I didn't have any luck finding Cascadian Farms, but I did find some other GREAT bargains! I got $29.47 of groceries for only $3.57.



Here's how:

4 boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats (On sale for $2.50, minus $2.00 coupon = .50 each)
1 box of Curves Cereal (On sale for .99, minus $1.10 coupon = .11 overage)
2 packages of lunch meat (On sale for $2.50, minus $2.99 coupon = .49 overage each)
2 bottles of Sweet Baby Ray BBQ sauce (BOGOF for $2.18, minus $1.00 coupon = .59 each)
1 bottle of FL brand steak sauce (On sale for $1.00 or 10/$10)

Total after MVP but before coupons =$19.65
After coupons = $3.57!!

Here's two of the coupons I used:

Land O'Frost - enter this sweeps and you can print a coupon for FREE Taste Escapes lunchmeat (no coupon limit!)

Honey Bunches of Oats Look for link in the bottom right corner.

And remember to click on my sidebar widget for even more coupon savings! You can find other great deals at Money Saving Mom and Freebies 4 Mom...

CSV Deals 6/8-6/14

One of the best CSV deals I've saw in the last couple of months, at least for my house is Buy $20 Worth of Select General Mills Cereal at 3/$10 or Folgers Coffee at $10, Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1)

*Best Deal*
Buy 6 Fiber One Cereal or boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios
Use $3/$15 CVS coupon - Money Saving Mom has all the details HERE
Use 6 $1/1 coupons from my sidebar widget or Cheerios coupons HERE
Spend $11 plus tax
Get $10 ECBs back!
$1 for six boxes of cereal or bars after coupons and ECBs!

I'm making my list and getting my coupons together today and planning to go tomorrow since the end of my week will be very busy.

Need to see the other great deals offered this week and some buying scenarios to save you lots of moolah, go see Money Saving Mom and tell her I said Hi!

Don't forget there are lots of printable coupons on my sidebar widget!

Saturday Shopping (Walmart & Kroger)

So yesterday I started my shopping day at the local Farmer's market, which to be honest lacks a lot of variety but I did pick up some fresh chives and some focaccia bread that smells heavenly. I'm using the chives for this ranch dressing recipe courtesy of Pioneer Woman.
After a very long and hot morning at our car wash fundraising event, I went to Walmart all pumped up with my coupons and to be completely honest, I've been so excited to go and use my Cascadian Farms coupons that it never occurred me that my Walmart didn't carry this brand. They don't. And then I found they don't carry the chocolate cluster Honey Bunches of Oats. I almost cried in the middle of the aisle. I had already envisioned myself being the envy of every shopper in my line and the thorn in my cashiers side, but alas I had to make do with a few other goodies instead.
free Kraft dressing coupon
$1 off Kotex item for free liners
$1 off Frizz-ease for a free travel size mousse
$3 off Live Active cereal making it free
Free cat treats coupon

Along with several other coupons I brought my total from $52.07 to $31. I was still happy and the lady behind me was still envious and the cashier...well, she was a very nice older lady who didn't care at all that I had a stack of coupons.

Then I went to Krogers and saved over $57 between my plus card and coupons. I also get an employee discount because my ss (stepson) works there and this month it is 15% off any Kroger brand item instead of the normal 10%. My best deals were 4 cases of Kroger water for $2.99 each (minus 15%), a dozen eggs for $1 (minus 15%), free Meow Mix, free liter of Aquafina water and 2 16 oz bags of Kraft cheese for $4. In total I spent $115 and I have enough groceries to last for at least two weeks (probably more considering everything that's going on during that time frame) and I should only have to buy lettuce and milk.