My CVS Trip

Shelf Total (before markdowns, sales, coupons, or tax): $20.16

I redeemed $8 in CVS ExtraBucks.

Final Total (after markdowns, sales, coupons, before tax): $0.00

Total Savings: $20.16 (100%) I only paid $0.70 in tax!

I earned $5 in CVS ExtraBucks to use on future transactions from my purchases and my Green Bag Tag.

A little of this and a little of that…..

I want to start of and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  Here is a picture of just three things that we have to be thankful for this year.

Natalie (4&1/2), Megan (2), Michael (3 months)

 

I wanted to share a few tips and some info that will hopefully help you as you shop with the upcoming holiday deals.

I first want to share a tip from Katie a friend, who I have known since Kindergarten.  I haven’t been “playing the drugstore game” since Michael was born, but she found a great deal that I wanted to share.

...at CVS they have SOME shades of L'oreal make up on clearance for 75% off! I've been to 2 CVS's and gotten some! Plus, there were coupons for $5 off 2 and $1 off 1 in the paper. So I just bought $30 worth of make up for $3! Yay! !

I checked the coupon database and it looks like the coupons Katie is referring to are from the 11/14 RedPlum Insert.  The $5/2 is for any L'Oreal cosmetic face product and the $1/1 is for any L’Oreal facial cleanser.  If you can find these they are not only great for “grown-ups” but to use as stocking stuffers for any teenagers.

My second tip is just a coupon tip in general.  Did you know that just because a manufacturer coupon says “Do Not Double” it may still double at the register? If you look at the barcode on the coupon look at the first number.  The coupon will double if the first number is a “5”, if the number is a “9” it will not double.  I know from experience that this is the case with both MARTIN’S and Kroger.  (Just don’t forget that MARTIN’S only doubles one “like” coupon per customer per day.)

The final thing that I wanted to share with you is about Groupon.  I had read about Groupon for a while and finally took the plunge this fall and bought my first one.  It is awesome!  If you don’t know what I am talking about here is the “Ann version”.  Groupon is a coupon that is available to a group usually for one day only that allows you to purchase a coupon to a retailer for a discount.  They are usually valid for 6 months after your purchase.

I bought a Groupon recently for $40 to The Body Shop for only $20.  I am planning on going there and buying a few gifts and maybe a little treat for me as well.  Saturday there was a Groupon for a new doughnut shop near our house – Daylight Donuts.  I was able to buy a $10 Groupon for $5.  I took the girls there this morning for a special treat and we got a dozen doughnuts for only $0.51 with my $10 Groupon.  (So, in reality I paid $5.51.)   The doughnuts are made fresh at the shop and tasted sooooooo good!

Here is a picture of what we came home with.  Can you guess which two I let each of the girls pick out?

If you are interested in Groupon check out the link.  I will let you know that if you click on that link, sign-up and buy a Groupon within 72 hours I do get referral credit.  If you feel uncomfortable with the solicitation you can just go to groupon.com.  By the way, you can sign-up for Groupon in your area if you live outside of Richmond.  There are both local merchants (like the doughnut shop) and national retailers (like The Body Shop) who participate.

 

Happy Shopping and Happy Thanksgiving!

~Ann

Two newspapers for $0.20

I wanted to share a way that I use some of the extra care bucks (ECBs)  and register rewards (RR) that I earn at CVS or at Walgreens.  I use them to buy my extra Sunday papers.  I know some people will say that there are better ways to use my ECBs or RR.  I am sure that there can be, but this is how I see the positive and negative side of the issue. 

Positive –

• I am going to buy extra newspapers already and this limits the necessary amount I have to pay out of pocket in order to purchase the newspapers. 
• I don’t get stuck with a high dollar amount of RR that I need to spend.  Sometimes when that happens I end up buying things that I really didn’t want or need (like candy).  At least this way I am buying something that I was going to buy regardless. 
• If I use my ECBs at CVS the amount I spend accumulates every quarter into additional ECBs.  This amount is a percentage based on your total spending for that quarter.  The $4 or $6 I spend (if I don’t have ECBs) every week adds up and at least I earn something.  I earn more than just using my debit card or cash at the gas station up the street that won’t accept my American Express.

Negative –

• I could save the $4RR and instead “roll” it into another deal and generate additional RR.  Although this is a great way to keep “growing” my money, the sales don’t always pop up one after another and allow me to find deals back to back. 
• The RR program has some restrictions.  One if that you won’t generate additional RR if you buy a product from the same manufacturer with a RR from that manufacturer.  (ex. I usually won’t get the RR for Dove Conditioner if I use the RR I earned from buying Dove Shampoo.)  The RR are usually only good for 14 days from the day generated. ECB’s are usually good for 30 days. 

So, this is how I see it -

1. The best way is to actually “roll” your ECBs or RR with items that you can use.
2. If you can’t “roll” the ECBs or RR it is best to buy something that you need or were planning to buy.
3. Nothing is worse than realizing that the great deal you got from earning ECBs or RR isn’t that great because you allowed them to expire.

How about you do you buy extra newspapers on Sundays?  Do you have unique ways that you spend your ECBs or RR?

Shopping this week - CVS

I was able to "roll" my $5 in ECBs into a decent deal this week at CVS. If you purchased $25 in participating Proctor & Gamble products you got $10 in ECBs. The great thing about this deal (and most deals like this) is that the $25 mark is before coupons. I was able to use manufacturer coupons in addition to my ECBs and get a decent deal. (Between the cherry table,the Tide, and the Dawn there sure is a lot of orange in that picture.)

Here's what I got:

(4) Tide 32 loads - $5 each
(1) Dawn dish detergent - 0.75

Shelf Price (before tax): $37.95
Final Price (before tax): $15.75
Total Savings: $22.20 (58%)

Some of the cheap & free items this week

It has been a crazy week and I have a rather full pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, so I haven't really shopped much this week. These are a few of the deals that I got that I could easily pull out or haven't been put away.

Cheap & Free things I got at Ukrop's this week:

• Suave Shampoo & Conditioner - FREE (on sale 2/$1 and I had a coupon for $1 off 2)


• Nature Valley Nut Clusters - I actually got more than the ones in the pictures, but we have eaten some of them already. They were on sale with a spot coupon (a Ukrop's in-store coupon) 3/$5 (or $1.66 each) then I had manufacturer coupons for $1 off a bag so I got them for 0.66 a bag. I know that is not free, but it is cheap and a decent snack.


• Ritz Crackerfuls - 0.10 each (4 boxes) - I had a coupon for a free crackerful when you bought a box of Ritz crackers. Ukrop's had Ritz crackers on sale 2/$4 (which I thought was a good price) and I got free snack crackers for the girls.

Free & Cheaps at Walgreens & CVS:

CVS:

• Schick ST3 Disposable Razors - on sale for 6.99 with $4 ECB back. I had a $3 manufacturer coupon and rolled an ECB I already had for $3.98 so I just had to pay the tax and I got FREE razors.

Walgreens:

• They were running a register rewards (RR) deal with the Glade candles. You could buy either 2 of the 2oz Fragrance Collection candles or 2 of the glass candle holders (or mix & match) 2/$4 and earn a $1 RR. I had several different coupons that I used. I had a $3 off 1 glade fragrance, a $3 off 2 glade fragrance, and a coupon for a free glade 2oz candle.


• When I found the 2oz candles the cashier showed me the Glade candle tins sitting with them. They were on sale for $2.50 and inside the tin was a coupon for $1.50 off (that they let me use when I was buying the item) so I got them for $1 each. I also had coupons (go figure) for a FREE Glade candle refill when you bought a Glade candle tin - that means I got 4 tins (with a candle in each one) and 4 Glade candle refills for $4 plus tax!


• FREE Glade Sense & Spray. They were on sale for $5.99 with a $2 RR and I had a $4 coupon off.