Wow.

Are you guys still out there?! :) I know it has been ages, but believe me, I've had good reason. I know you're all waiting for pictures of the house, and I hope to have those up on Facebook by Sunday night. So much has been happening in my life recently that it seems a little crazy to try to compress it into a blog entry! It's not that I haven't wanted to be blogging - it's that there's TOO much to talk about and I've been overwhelmed about where to begin.

So.

I'm going to start small.

First thing I wanted to mention: I don't know if any of you are still into the CVS thing (I know you're trying, Kathy! Whoo hoo!), but I have a good idea for you if you want to get into the the extra-care bucks thing but didn't want to cough up initial dough. For the month of October, CVS is offering 5 ECB for $15 purchase of assorted Starbucks products. I don't know about all of you, but there are TONS of people on my Christmas list who are coffee/Starbucks fanatics. This is a great way to get some shopping done early, and then have 5 left to spend at the store. With those 5 ECB, you could pick up some cute fall decorations that are on clearance right now or you could roll it over to buy something else that will give ECB.


Second thing I wanted to mention: One of my all-time favorite blogs, 4 Reluctant Entertainers, is doing another giveaway. I'm mentioning her here because she will put my name in twice in the drawing and she gives away the most amazing gift baskets! I have entered quite a few of her giveaways but haven't one yet. However, this one is a fall giveaway and since I am a fall fanatic (ask my husband), I would LOOOOOVE to win it! If you've never checked out her website, well...you're crazy. It's awesome. So go! Hurry! :)

That's all for now. Valspar's "Churchhill Hotel Maple" is calling my name (we're going to paint the living room tonight! Gooood times.....)

CVS: Real-Life Example

Okay - I had a great day at CVS yesterday, and you can, too!

This is what I got:

• 3 rolls of CVS paper towels ($.99 each; Buy 2 CVS products, Get One Free in May)
• 1 Chapstick 100% Natural chapstick ($2.99; gave 1 ECB back)
• 1 Adidas deoderant ($4.99; gave 4.99 ECB back)
• 1 Colgate 360 toothbrush ($3.99; gave 3.99 ECB back)
• 1 Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)
• 1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)

Here's what I used:

• $1.50/1 Aquafresh Premium toothpaste coupon
• $1.00/1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening coupon
• $1.00/1 Colgate 360 toothbrush coupon
• $3/$15 CVS purchase coupon (see post below)
• $12.98 in Extra Care Bucks

Here's what I paid:

• $.45

Here's what I was given:

• 15.96 in ECB

Here's what I'll soon get:

• $4.99 check (mailed to me) from the makers of the Adidas deoderant (I had a coupon for a free deoderant from the newspaper a couple of weeks ago)

Today's newspaper's SmartSource insert has two coupons you can use on the toothpaste deals. Go to CVS and pick up one Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste and one Extreme Clean toothpaste. You will spend $3.48 for the two tubes, and you will receive $6 to spend at the store next week!

This could be the start of something really beautiful.

;)

How to Make $18 in Less Than 20 Minutes

Every so often , CVS will release coupons that take a total off of your purchase price. For those of you who have said you're interested in what I do at CVS (basically getting all of my toiletries for free or next-to-nothing!), let me suggest that you take advantage of this offer. You can print out as many $3/$15 purchase coupons as you want if you follow the directions here. Yes, it does take a little bit of effort, but it truly is as though CVS is putting money in your pocket. I printed out six, and so for the next six times I travel to CVS, I can "spend" $12 (with ECB, of course!) and get three dollars to use on something else in the store - kleenex, eggs, candy, toothpaste, you name it! A little time in front of the computer equals $18 I didn't have to spend out of my own pocket. If you have any questions about how to access it, feel free to ask me! I will say that I followed Crystal's directions exactly and I was able to access it.



Speaking of CVS, here is an example of some of my purchases recently:


This purchase cost me absolutely nothing. Usually that doesn't happen, because of taxes, but that day it did. YAY! I had a coupon for the body wash and the dish detergent. The three beauty products cost $6 but gave $5 in return. The body wash also gave $4.99 back. It was a while ago, so I don't remember a lot of the details. April was a great month for body wash and beauty supplies.



I made this purchase on Monday:


I got three gift bags (with their own tissue paper!), four bottles of dish detergent, and two bottles of CVS Pharmacy-brand Tylenol.

• The gift bags cost $4.50 for three (but gave $5 ECB back)
• I had a coupon for the dish detergent ($1/2), and they were BOGO free
• The Tylenols were $3.99 each but gave $3.99 in ECB back.
  

I used my $3/$15 coupon, the last of my ECB (I usually roll them over but had used them on some more expensive, non-ECB returning items, like sunscreen for Chris and Jergen's Natural Glow face moisturizer for me, so I was down to only $10.98 in ECB). I had to pay $3.25 OOP this time, but I received $12.98 in ECB back.



So, next time I shop, I can get $15.98 worth of items absolutely free, using my ECB and my $3/$15 purchase.



Let me encourage you to travel over to Crystal's blog today and check out the monthly deals for May at CVS. Notice all of the items that are "free" at CVS AND have a coupon from a newspaper that would apply to them, too. That's how you can make the most out of your CVS purchasing - for instance, when you buy an item that costs $3.99 and gives $3.99 in ECB back, using a $1 coupon lets you get that item for free plus another dollar item, such as a box of kleenex.



And if it eases your mind a little, my paper printed today that CVS's profits were up this year by several million dollars! So get out there and shop! :)

It's Frugal Friday Time!

I am linking to Biblical Womanhood today because after all of my CVS posts this week, I have a few thoughts about how to make frugal gifts from your CVS purchases. Aren't I fancy? ;)

Graduation baskets:
For a high-school graduate like me who was going to college in the middle of the Ohio cornfields (yeah Cedarville!), without a car, this was such a blessing! My aunt's gift to me was a big plastic shower caddy (which I'm sure you could get at Wal-Mart or the dollar store for $3 or less) filled with all sorts of bath supplies! She loaded mine with shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a pretty washcloth, razors, shaving gel, lotion, and more. If you're like me and have a stockpile of toiletries, pick yourself up a caddy and maybe some nice lotion, and you have an easy gift that most graduates will really appreciate once they get to college and realize they're broke!

Wedding shower gifts:
A close family friend from my church did the cutest thing at one of my bridal showers. She composed a little story about Chris and I, and inserted words from everyday household products to "fit" with the story. I have the story filed away, but to give you an example of how she might have done it: "I hope you will "Snuggle" [dryer sheets] close together often." Or, "I know you will bring each other lots of "Joy" [dishwashing detergent] in the years to come!" I'm sure you could creatively think of your own story, or get ideas from the internet. It was SO cute - as she read, her daughters brought each of the items to me.

This would require a little more purchasing, but you could certainly supplement it with your CVS buys - candles, air fresheners, dishwashing detergent, etc. There are many little household items you can pick up at CVS, and just like my graduation basket, this was such a blessing to me when we moved to a new state after we got married and we were trying to save all the cash we could. I still have some of those items, almost two years later!



A little creativity goes a long way - and these gifts will be remembered for their thoughtfulness long after the party is over!

Remember that post back in February where I had spent a little over $30 at CVS? I said that it would be worth it to spend a little extra now, but since I was getting 41 ECB, I would make that stretch as far as I could? To encourage you to shop at CVS, here is a list of everything I have gotten since February 8:

• 4 Colgate toothpastes
• 2 Gillette Fusion razors (men)
• 2 boxes pantiliners
• Excedrin
• gum
• 2 3-packs Irish Springs soap
• Purell hand sanitizer
• 8 rolls paper towels
• 2 packages Mach 3 disposable razors (men)
• 2 bottles Crest mouthwash
• 2 packages cotton swabs
• 5 bottles of Vitamin C
• cough drops
• 2 boxes tissues
• gummy bears
• 2 Lypsyl lip glosses
• 2 Oral-B toothbrushes
• Venus Embrace razor (women)
• Maybelline lip gloss
• Listerine mouth wash
• 2 L'Oreal curling mousse bottles
• Pledge duster kit

The total amount of cash that has left my wallet is only $11.87. Plus, I still have $30 in ECB to spend, plus $2.50 on a CVS card (after today).

It really, truly works! And my total would probably be lower if I was even half-way decent at math in my head at the register ;).

It's that time again!

I had to share what I'd been getting at CVS lately:


This was from two weeks ago:

• All of the Vitamin C bottles are part of the March deal: pay 2.99, get 2.99 ECB (free for someone who's already paying with ECB)
• The razor was 9.99, minus my $4/off coupon, giving 6 ECB back (also free for me)
• The toothpastes were also 2.99 and giving 2.99 ECB, but I also had a coupon for $1/2, so they were free "with overage" as some people say.

So, I used $5 worth of coupons, paid with 22 ECB, and got 23.94 back in ECB! My oop expenses were $.93 (to cover tax, i guess?)

This was from last week:

• The L'Oreal mousse for my hair (I'm basically out, so this was awesome!) was B1G1 Free (4.99 for 2)
• The Maybelline Superstay Lip Gloss (which I am now in love with, by the way) was $8.99 but gave 8.99 ECB back (again, free for me)
• Listerine Mouthwash (technically "for kids" but Chris uses mouthwash daily, and this just has a "minty" taste, so I bought it) was 2.99, giving 2.99 back (free)
• Lypsyl was a March deal (pay 2.99 get 2.99 ECB back)
• The Pledge duster set had a rebate attached, so it will be free for me once I get my rebate check back (side note: I always cut out rebates from coupon books. If I can get the product completely free - minus the cost of a stamp - I usually will try it. It takes a while, but they do always send you a check - and once I even got some coupons included, too! This Pledge duster is great and I actually had fun (haha).

I used the $3/$15 "Beauty" coupon from Money Saving Mom. I gave them $21.93 in ECB and will receive $4.59 in the mail from my rebate, plus I immediately got 14.97 ECB back. Technically, I bought a toothbrush with this transaction that I thought would give me ECB back. It didn't, so I'm going to return it today (I will get 2.50 back for it on a CVS card). So, you could say my total was 17.34 in ECB, plus 2.12 oop, and 14.97 plus 2.50 plus 4.59 as money I am getting back. Is this confusing? It makes sense to me! :)

I think that if I could be a personal shopper at CVS, I would make it my full-time job. lol ;)

Well, it's been a lovely - and easy! - week at CVS so far! Here are two pictures to get you started....I'm not finished yet because I'm still waiting for them to re-stock some items.

Tuesday's shopping:

2 Crest Pro-Health ($3.49 each; 3.49 ECB back - so, FREE! I found them at the end of the toothpaste aisle in a special display)

2 Mach 3 disposable razors ($7.99 each; giving 5.00 ECB back. This week's paper had a coupon for $3 off - so they're free, too! We definitely don't need these for Chris, but my brother works with a lot of homeless men in Springfield, Ohio, so we're giving these to him - along with a lot of other CVS free finds! - on our next trip to Cedarville. I LOVE the fact that my addiction to bargain shopping can actually be a blessing to other people! Isn't that awesome?! haha)

Bounty paper towels - $4.99 w/$1 coupon from this week's paper. No ECB back but it's okay because we really needed these!

I had that $19.99 ECB from a while back, so I used that, and then I paid $1.02 (my store won't accept ECB for the remainder if all that's left is taxes, apparently). I left with $16.98 in ECB to spend.

Wednesday:

I went to a different store today because we had to drop one of our cars off at the garage. This store is also out of the Vitamin C deal and the Venus razor deal, but I was able to find toothpaste, toothbrushes, and lip balm here!

2 Cross-Action toothbrushes ($4.99 each; 4.99 ECB back - I had a $2/2 for these, which is sweet)

1 tube Colgate toothpaste ($2.99; 2.99 ECB back - I also had a $1/1 coupon for this)

Lypsyl beeswax lip balm ($2.99; 2.99 ECB back - no coupon for this, but still free)

All three of these items are found in the red March 2008 booklet in the very front of the store when you walk in!

I paid $11.00 in ECB, yet still had to pay $1.96 OOP, which is a little frustrating. I didn't have any small amounts of ECB left, which is why I just paid the $1.96 in cash. Walked away from that with $15.96 in ECB! I have a new total of $45 ECB to spend at CVS. Music to my ears!


If you want to learn the basics about CVS shopping, check out Money Saving Mom. It's kinda sad, but even Chris now types that site in first for me if he happens to be on the computer right before me! It's the first site I visit anytime I'm on the internet. :) If you have any questions about this week, feel free to ask me or check out her site!


Okay, so this last picture isn't from CVS, but I had to share. Our local library has a little magazine/book exchange. They have magazines up front (donated by readers) that you can purchase for 25 cents. I love it because I can usually can get an up-to-date magazine wicked cheap. Well, today I saw this book - "Martha Stewart's Favorite Cookie Recipes." Anytime I see those five words in conjunction, I stop and look. :) It was only a quarter, and the book's listed price is $8.95. I did what any intelligent woman would do, and snatched that baby up!

Go out and get some great CVS deals this week, girls! I'm here to help if you need me!

Okay CVS people.....here is a post just for you!

Last Friday, I went to CVS and got the following:

1 Garnier hair masque treatment
2 bags dark chocolate m&ms (SO addicting)
2 bottles (?) hand soap
1 shea butter body wash
2 deodorants
1 box kleenex
1 Venus Embrace razor
1 package peanut butter crackers
1 bottle Purell w/aloe sanitizer
1 Precision Xtra blood glucose monitor



I used a $9.99 coupon for the monitor, a $1 coupon for the sanitizer, a $1 for the body wash, and a $1 for the deodorants. I also had a $10/$50 purchase that had printed on the bottom of my CVS receipt. I stupidly forgot to use the $6 ECB I had remaining. Oh well.



My total OOP (out-of-pocket) was $32.81. Granted, that sounds like a lot, and it is. But before Christmas, money was a little tighter, and I purposely used up all my CVS bucks. Now I've spent a lot up front, but that transaction gave me 41 ECBs to use! For the next several months, my OOP should be less than $1 every time. (Those of you who know me, I'm not becoming diabetic - the monitor was on sale for $19.99 last week and gave $19.99 ECB back. Coupled with the coupons I had, I got it for free, got $19.99 back, and I'm going to donate it to someone at church. See how fun this is? :)

Fast forward to this past Monday, when I went to CVS again. Now here comes the fun part, where you can join in if you've kept your coupons from the Sunday paper! (P.S. ALWAYS do that ;). The paper had a $4 off coupon for the Gillette razor and a $1 coupon off of the Colgate toothpaste. Go to CVS and buy:



1 razor ($9.99)
1 toothpaste ($1.88)


This equals $11.87 + tax.
Then hand them your $4 coupon and your $1 coupon.
Your new total will be $6.87 + tax.
You pay that, and you'll receive a $6 ECB from the razor and a $1 ECB from the toothpaste. Basically, you broke even....and now you have $7 to start playing the game.....


My husband loves these razors (they're battery-powered), and because CVS has promotions on them all the time, we currently have 4 in our home - and I've basically gotten all of them for free.









So, I got my razor and toothpaste for 83 cents. (The downside to the ECB is that you have to use the exact amount listed on the ECB. So if you have an ECB for $2, and buy $1.15 worth of gum, CVS won't accept the $2 ECB. You'd THINK they would, since they just gained 85 cents, but I guess they figure you'll overspend. To keep my sanity (and because I'm horrible at quick math in a register line), I usually just let myself spend some change if its under $1.) All together, I now have $48 in ECB to use.



So, what are you waiting for? GO PLAY THE GAME!!!

*For more info, check out Crystal at moneysavingmom.com. CVS info is listed on her sidebar.

Enter my life:

The scene opens onto a tiny, cute little living room. It is 9:00 on a Tuesday night. DH is watching some kind of sporting event. Wife is meticulously placing pharmacy/household goods into a stackable position on the floor.

DH glances over at wife, face puzzled: "What in the world are you doing?"

Wife does not look up from her task: "Organizing my purchases for my CVS photo."

DH, still completely confused: "What?"

Wife: "I always post what I get at CVS, because people like to see what other people can get for so cheap."

Incredulous DH: "You're kidding."

Wife: "Nope."

DH: "You don't take a photo of your receipt and put it on the internet, too, do you?"

Wife laughs and shakes her head at what her darling husband can never understand........




So:
4 Reese's Whipps
Excedrin Migraine
Colgate toothpaste
2 bags of trash bags
2 boxes of storage bags
2 bottles of dish detergent
2 boxes of 100-cal Reese snackers
4 Christmas plates (.09 each!)
Bag of Christmas bows (.49)
Christmas tree skirt (.49)

Plus DH was with me and he purchased beef jerky, a map of our area, and some candy.

We paid 19.81 oop, using $5/30, a $4/20, and a $3/15, plus lots of manufacturers's coupons. Subtracting what DH bought, I actually paid $8.81 (although the cashier rang in a mysterious $4 item that I did not pay for and didn't realize until I got home - tragedy!). So technically, I paid $4.81 for the above things and got $10 ECB back for them.

The end. :)

Super Savings WEEK

I am linking this to Crystal's Super Savings Saturday, but really this was just a great week at CVS. On Monday (minus a Twix that my husband consumed before a photo was taken):

....for 43 cents!
On Tuesday (CVS is right on my way home from work, if I want it to be):




...for 17 cents!
On Wednesday:




...a little bit more - 4.52....I definitely COULD have used ECB but I just wanted to be able to save them.
And on Saturday:



....for 1.19! Suffice it to say, CVS has stocked our medicine shelf with enough tissues to last a winter (or two :).

The glass Christmas tree isn't from CVS (50 cents from Goodwill!) but it's holding the Reeses candy that I purchased. This wasn't a great week for gaining ECB (I only got 7 back, I think), but it was a great week for free batteries, kleenex, baby care products, and for getting some things I really was out of (like mascara and hair gel) for very cheap. I love this store!