A Day in the Life of Katy Coupons

Get up to 30 Swagbucks using the new toolbar!

2009-09-04T13:36:00.002-05:00

Hey, friends,

You know I love Swagbucks. You've seen the swag I've gotten from them, just for doing my usual searches. Maybe you've even signed up through me.

But did you know they are giving away a Swagbuck a day for the rest of the month if you download their new toolbar??

Seriously, that's up to 30 Swagbucks in addition to the ones you get for regular searching this month!! Come on, sign up (by clicking HERE) and then get the new toolbar. By the end of the month, you'll have enough to get a $5 Amazon gift card and be well on your way to another one.

Happy Swagbucks to all!

Free stuff and cheap drinks

2009-08-02T13:18:00.003-05:00

Another boatload of free school supplies this week at CVS! I didn't get every single item, though, since I only had to reach a total of $30 to use my $5/$30 CVS coupon. (It came by email this week, how fortuitous!)

Here's how I used the freebies to get really cheap drinks:

4 12-packs of Pepsi products, $12, get $4 ECB with purchase of 4
1 pack of CVS pens, $0.99, get $0.99 ECB
1 pack of CVS pencils, $0.99, get $0.99 ECB
2 CVS compasses, $1.50 each, get $1.50 ECB each
2 CVS notebooks, $0.99 each, get $0.99 ECB each
1 pair of CVS scissors, $2.99, get $2.99 ECB
1 pack of CVS glue sticks, $0.99, get $0.99 ECB
1 Blink Tears eye drops, $7.99, get $7.99 ECB

Coupons used:

$5 off $30 purchase
$1.50 off Blink Tears (internet printable mfr. coupon)

Total = $30.93. After coupons, I paid with $17.83 ECBs (my entire stash), paid the remaining $6.60 plus $2.08 tax, then I got back $22.93 in ECBs. So essentially I paid $3.58 for all this. That comes to 7 cents per soda can!

Now I call that a sweet deal. : )

Oh, and don't forget to check the bottom of your receipt for your free item coupon. The item this month is batteries, hooray! Perhaps they'll do a free item each month through the fall like they did last year. I hope so!

Swag from Swagbucks

2009-07-31T11:55:00.003-05:00

What you see above was free.

FREE!

All because I signed up with Swagbucks and do my daily web searching through them instead of Google. I've only been an active member for about 4 months, and I've already gotten $45 worth of Amazon gift certificates, which I used to get these kitchen items (with free shipping because I spent over $25).

I also use my Amazon credits to get MP3s for $0.99 each. There's just SO MUCH you can get for free, all for simply searching the web!

Sign up now (using this link: http://www.swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=418618) and get 3 Swagbucks to start your own pile. Do some searching in the morning and in the evening and watch that pile grow. Refer some friends and your pile will grow even faster!

Happy searching!

Joined Swagbucks yet?

2009-07-23T08:20:00.002-05:00

Warning: The following is a SHAMELESS plug!

You may have heard about it: Swagbucks. It's where all the cool kids search.

Seriously, though, it's a search engine just like Google. In fact, it utilizes Google and Ask.com for its searches. Do a comparison search using Google and Swagbucks, and you'll see that all the same entries come up, just in a different order. (The order depends on how much money Google can squeeze out of each "advertiser"...The more money you cough up, the higher your website will be in the list.)

I love Swagbucks, because every day I earn at least 2 or 3 Swagbucks for doing the searches I would do anyway! Over the last few months, I earned enough Swagbucks to get eight $5 Amazon gift certificates, which I just used to order some kitchen stuff with FREE shipping. Just for doing my normal, everyday searches, I get a free cookie scoop, cooling rack, and mini loaf pans! LOVE IT!

Here's where it gets good: For every friend you refer (who signs up using your special link), you earn Swagbucks every time THEY do, up to 100! This is Swagbucks' way of getting the word out and challenging the monopoly of Google. Hey, I'm cool with that.

So are you ready to sign up now? Use this link: http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=418618 so that I get a bit of credit for being so convincing. : )

Once you sign up, be sure to install the search bar, so that you'll remember to use it instead of Google. Then start referring your friends, and rack up those bucks!

Happy Swagbucks to all!

Week #2 of free school supplies at CVS

2009-07-12T14:00:00.002-05:00

And the free school supplies keep a-comin'...

Unfortunately, my CVS didn't stock up on the scissors and pens, so by the time I got there at 11:30 this morning they were almost all gone! Since mine is a 24-hour store, some women came in at midnight last night to get the deals, according to the cashier. Unbelievable! I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

*Disclaimer: Although I don't have children and thus don't need school supplies, I get them to donate in the fall when my church has a collection for the inner city school children. *

Okay, here's how I did today:

4 12-packs of Pepsi products, $12, get $2 ECB
newspaper, $1
3 packs of pens, $0.99 each, get $0.99 ECB each
2 notebooks, $0.99 each, get $0.99 ECB each
2 glue, $0.99 each, get $0.99 ECB each
2 rulers, $0.99 each, get $0.99 ECB each
scissors, $2.99, get $2.99 ECB
Gillette Fusion razor, $7.99, get $4 ECB

Total came to $32.89. I used a $5 off $30 CVS coupon, a $2 off $10 in CVS brand products coupon, and a $4 Fusion Mfr. coupon to bring the total down to $21.89. I paid with $21.89 in ECBs (all I had!) and then put the remaining $0.33 tax on a gift card. I got back $17.90 in ECBs. That made my total loss for this trip only $4.32, which a FANTASTIC deal considering I stocked up on sodas for Lance!

Next week there will be even more free-after-ECB school supplies, so be on the lookout for some $/$$ CVS brand coupons at the scanner machine!

Finally some deals worth sharing!

2009-07-05T13:02:00.002-05:00

The CVS "deals" have been terrible lately. It's been a month since I even felt like going in there! But this week's ad has some good stuff. Apparently they're jumping into school supplies already. Odd!

The tape and pencils are free-after-ECB on Sunday and Monday only, with a limit of three items each. The pantiliners are free-after-ECB all week, limit one. The Dawn regular dish liquid is on sale 2 for $2, and you get back $1 ECB, so by using two $0.50 Mfr. coupons, you get them both free. And last but not least, select Post cereals are on sale 3 for $10, and get back $5 ECB with the purchase of 3. I had three $2 Mfr. coupons for Trail Mix Crunch (click here and print several by using your back button), so I paid $4 and got back the $5 ECB. Money-maker!

The cherry on the savings sundae was a $4 off $20 purchase coupon I got by email a few days ago. I threw in some Dentek flossers, which were $1.99 a pack after the instant $1 "clip-free" coupon, and I used $1 Mfr. coupon off each pack to make them only $0.99. (That's a great deal for flossers!) Total came to $24.31 before tax. I used the $4/$20 coupon, $9 in Mfr. coupons, and $10.99 in ECBs to get the total down to $0.32 plus tax. I put the $1.13 balance on a gift card, and then walked out with $14.43 in new ECBs. That's a profit of $2.31!

I just noticed that the ECB I got for the pantiliners is $0.99, even though I only PAID $0.89 for them. Gee, I love when they make mistakes like that. : )

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Velveeta deal at Kroger

2009-06-10T15:39:00.003-05:00

While cruising through Kroger the other day, I noticed a new "catalina" deal on Velveeta Shells & Cheese.

A little white tag under the item said "Buy 2, get $1 off your next order". The Kraft Deluxe macaroni and cheese said the same thing. I was happy to see that, by buying two at $1.62 each and using a $1.50/2 Mfr. coupon, I would pay $1.74 out of pocket and then get back $1 (in the form of a coupon), essentially making each box only $0.37!

This deal lasts through the first week of July, so print some coupons here, go buy the macaroni two boxes at a time, and keep rolling the deal! (Remember: you can print two copies of the coupon per computer by hitting your browser's back button.)

Dinner

2009-06-01T19:38:00.001-05:00

It's fun to go outside and just pick what you need for a meal!

The carrots are still at "baby" size, even though they've been in the ground for a good 70 days, but I decided to eat a few anyway. The three snap peas were the only ones not pecked by the birds (grrr). And the zucchini is my very first one of the season!

I ate most of this raw, but then decided to saute the last bit of the zucchini. It tastes SO much better cooked!

Even though it's late in the season, I decided to try some new things from seed. Today I planted some Minnesota midget melons (cantaloupe), New Zealand spinach, broccoli, soy beans, and swiss chard. I also planted another set of carrots. I want to keep those going all summer long if I can, just 8 at a time.

That's it for me. Hope everyone has a good week!

Free Chocolate Friday!

2009-05-29T08:04:00.003-05:00

Click HERE to sign up for a free Mars chocolate bar today and every Friday morning until the end of the promotion! Each household can get up to four candy bars (over four weeks), so go back every Friday morning to sign up for another coupon. But hurry...They go FAST!

Mmm...Chocolate tastes better when it's free...

What's a girl to do with so much time?

2009-05-25T11:38:00.005-05:00

Why, make granola, of course!

When perusing a financial blog last week, I ran across a link to a granola recipe that was posted on The New York Times' website. I decided to give it a try today. Here's the recipe for those interested:
Ingredients
-6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
-2 cups mixed nuts of choice
-1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
-1 tsp cinnamon
-dash of salt
-1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup to taste
-1 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together all ingredients but raisins. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. When browned, remove from pan and add raisins. Store in refrigerator, will keep for weeks.

Boy, did this stuff smells good when baking! After serving up the granola on some vanilla yogurt for our breakfast, I decided to try making homemade granola bars for our breakfasts this week. Here's the recipe (which I tweaked):

Ingredients
-3 cups granola
-1/4 cup honey
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup butter

Combine butter, honey, and brown sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Pour over granola while stirring. When combined, press into a 8x8 pan lined with wax paper. Cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, then cut into 8 bars. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

CVS freebies for today

2009-05-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Three weeks later, and there are finally some CVS deals worth blogging about! Thank goodness my CVS takes expired ECBs...Otherwise, I would have been in a tough spot with deals being so scarce.

Here's how things went today:

Bought:

Playtex Gentle Glide, $3.99, get $3 ECB
2 x Band-aids, $2.99, get $2 ECB (limit 2)
Colgate Total Advanced, $2.99, get $2 ECB
Revlon nail color, $3.99, get $3 ECB
Clearasil daily cleanser, $3.99, get $3.99 ECB (FREE!)

Subtotal = $20.94

Coupons used:

$4 off $20 purchase CVS Q (from scanner machine)
$1 Playtex Mfr. Q (came with a sample in the mail)
2 x $1 Band-aid Mfr. Q (from inserts)
$1 Colgate Mfr. Q (from insert)
$1 Revlon Mfr. Q (from insert)
$1 Clearasil Mfr. Q (from insert)

Total after coupons = $0.46. Tax was $0.60. I put the total of $1.06 on a CVS gift card, and then got back $15.99 in ECBs. That's a profit of $4.45 for today!

For those who may not know, it's easy to find which Sunday insert a particular coupon came in by searching the database here: http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/coupon.php. Looking for the Colgate coupon? Search for "Colgate Total" and see what comes up. Even printable coupons are added to the database regularly, so always check for coupons before making your CVS or Kroger trips!

Back in the game!

2009-05-03T14:21:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted much about CVS over the past few weeks due the lack of truly good deals. I made a trip here and there, but nothing worth mentioning. Until today, that is!

Here's today's swag:

Transaction:

3 boxes of Kellogg's cereal, 3/$10, get $5 ECB
2 Adidas deodorants, $3.99 each, get $3 ECB each
1 Colgate Max Fresh, $2.99, get $2 ECB
1 Zantrex energy drink, $4.99, get $4.99 ECB

Subtotal = $25.96

Coupons used:

$5 off $25 purchase CVS coupon (from email)
3 x $1 Kellogg's Mfr. coupons (click here and here to print your own)
2 x $1 Adidas Mfr. coupons (from 4/05/09 Red Plum insert)
$1 Colgate Max Mrf. coupon (from 4/26/09 SmartSource insert)

Subtotal after coupons = $14.96. I paid with $15 worth of ECBs (adjusted down to $14.96) and put the remaining $0.77 of tax on a CVS gift card. I got back a total of $17.99 in ECBs, which makes today's transaction a decent money-maker!

Wow, I love getting paid to take my favorite cereal. : )

And if that wasn't great enough, I was pleasantly surprised to get a $4/$20 CVS coupon at the scanner today...on BOTH our cards! This might be a universal thing, so all you ExtraCare customers out there should run to the nearest scanner machine! Because after all, great deals begin with a great $/$$ CVS coupon.

Now I'm off to do some planting. In the rain. : )

Garden update

2009-04-30T17:11:00.003-05:00

Wow. I've been absent for longer than I thought! But here's an update on the garden:

Carrots

Green bean on the left, 3 snap peas on the right, second crop of carrots in front of peas
Zucchini

Spinach in top square, Kale in bottom

As you can see, we divided the bed into square feet with string. That helps me with spacing the plants out. The zucchini will get really big, so it gets its own 3'x2' section.

I have some more pictures of baby lettuce and such, but I can only upload so many at a time.

More updates to follow!

Happy Friday!

Frugal vs. Cheap

2009-04-10T09:15:00.003-05:00

Today I was reading a post on http://www.thesimpledollar.com/, and liked what Trent had to say about the difference between being frugal and being just plain cheap:

"A cheapskate always chases the bottom line, regardless of quality of the experience. A spendthrift just takes the first offer that comes along and insists that this is the best way of doing things. On the other hand, a frugal person doesn’t just accept the first offer that comes along. They try to find ways to get that same experience and quality and value for a lower price - or find the best bang for the buck in their lives."

When I think of a cheapskate, the face of one particular person comes to mind. Lance and I laugh about the behavior of this guy, because he can be such a MISER! He is the only person we know who has ever had an electric bill in the single digits. And, boy, was he proud of that...He went without heat all winter (choosing to sleep with hot water bottles instead) just to prove he could.

Sure, I search for ways of "trimming the fat" in my own life, but I won't completely sacrifice the comfort and quality of my life to save a few bucks. Personally, I like heat in the winter. To save money, we simply installed a programmable thermostat, which only heats the house when we're there and turns it down when we're asleep. I actually consider this a luxury item (because I never have to adjust it), but it also saves us a lot of money.

My goals as the homemaker of our little family are to provide an inviting home, good food, and good company to my husband. I find that I can accomplish all of these goals on a much smaller budget than most of our friends, while our quality of life doesn't seem all that different from theirs. This is extremely satisfying to me. And while I may never have an electric bill in the single digits, I use my God-given talents to help us live on less while still having a life of relative abundance. We have everything we need to be happy and fulfilled. That's just enough.

Update: Getting our Finances in Line in 2009

2009-04-08T17:07:00.003-05:00

Now that we're through the first quarter of 2009, it's time for a little update:

We finally closed on the mortgage refinance (after a number of irritating set-backs on the part of the two banks involved), so that will help our budget in a big way from here on. That extra $200 of interest we DON'T have to pay now goes into savings!

We are sticking to a stricter monthly budget without really noticing much difference in our standard of living. It has been a nice surprise! Lance has been going out to lunch less and less, but he doesn't complain, which makes things easier on me. That was my biggest concern when we talked about cutting unnecessary expenditures like lunches out...I wasn't sure he'd be on board. But he has been, and that's such a relief!

We paid off Lance's school loan a few months back, and now that monthly payment has been rolled into other debts (my school loan and the home equity line, specifically). We're still on track to have everything but the mortgage paid off by December. And we're still prepaying the mortgage, which should be paid off in 2024.

We're stashing extra funds in our HSBC online savings account, and by the end of the year we should have about six months' worth of living expenses saved up! Having that big emergency fund will take a LOAD off my mind, since by that point we may be expecting. (Who knows?) Best to be prepared!

We added a new goal to the list: Start a Roth IRA by the end of the year. This goal is intentionally loose, since we aren't sure how much we'll have available to invest. I'm hoping to have $5000, but that depends on various factors (like whether Lance will have to take another pay cut, whether we both still even HAVE jobs, etc.). Regardless, we want to diversify our investments and have been flirting with the idea of a Roth IRA for a while. Time to take the plunge!

Our progress towards our financial goals is made even more gratifying because of how well we've done in spite of our recent circumstances. Lance had to take a 10% decrease in pay about a month ago. His company is very small, and business has been suffering. It's just a fact of life these days. But we're blessed that we both still have jobs and make very decent wages. The 10% decrease hasn't hurt us much. We're just that much more determined to stick to a budget and do what we can with what we've been given.

They say you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. But I say you don't appreciate what you have until what you DON'T NEED is gone. Because of our stricter budget, I've forced myself to make more of our meals at home, and I've been *gasp* enjoying it! I never realized how much joy I could find in my own kitchen. Sometimes I spend hours in there just baking away. And to think I might have never realized my own potential as a cook had it not been for our change in circumstances. We're still living the good life and eating good food (maybe even better?), so it seems that what we no longer have wasn't really needed anyway.

God is good.

Garden update

2009-04-04T11:50:00.003-05:00

It’s exciting to see my baby transplants doing SO WELL in the raised bed! So far I’ve transplanted kale, spinach, and snap peas. I direct-sowed some chives and carrots, which are starting to come up. I have a few more plants in containers that are ready to go into the dirt just as soon as we’re past the threat of frost (around April 15th).

And speaking of…We’re in for some freezing temperatures this coming week (down to 30!), so I’ll have to bring in the tiny tomatoes, cilantro, and pepper containers for a few nights. They are all warm-weather plants, so it’s risky to leave them out when it’s so cold. I’m probably being overly protective (which defeats the point of winter-sowing), but I just can’t risk losing my little babies!

Here's a little glimpse of some of them:

Snap peas:

Kale:

Cilantro:

Spinach:

FREE seeds!

2009-04-01T12:34:00.002-05:00

Want some free tomato seeds? Click HERE to go to Campbell's website, and then click on "Get Yours Now" on the right hand side of the page. Enter the code information from a can of Campbell's soup, and the seeds are yours!

When you're done with that, click HERE to get more information from MoneySavingMom about how to get a free multi-pack of basil seeds.

I bet those summer tomatoes and homemade pesto taste a lot sweeter when you know you grew them for free.

: )

Seedlings

2009-03-22T14:56:00.003-05:00

Look at my itty bitty babies!

From the top there's spinach, shasta daisy, and hollyhocks. The other seeds are germinating, they just aren't tall enough to take pictures of yet. I can't wait to transplant in a few weeks!

Crescent rolls

2009-03-21T10:10:00.003-05:00

I got on a baking kick this past week.

First it was banana nut bread made from an old Alabama cookbook. Scrumptious!

Then I decided to make some garlic bread sticks to go with our spaghetti dinner. I've never made these before and didn't have a recipe in mind, so I used the one in the West Bend bread maker pamphlet.

Here's their basic "dinner roll" recipe:

3/4 cup warm water
3 cups bread flour
2 Tb milk
3 1/2 Tb sugar
1 tsp salt
3 Tb butter
1 1/2 tsp bread maker yeast (from jar)

I put the stuff in and set it to dough cycle. When the dough was ready, I split it in halves, one for the garlic bread sticks and the other for some kind of dinner rolls.

The sticks I made first, rolling them into little snakes and setting them on a cookie sheet to rise. When they had risen for about an hour, I brushed them with a mix of olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. I baked them at 350 for about 12 minutes. They turned out wonderful, and tasted almost like Olive Garden bread sticks!

While the sticks were rising, I got to work on the rest of the dough. Since we were having company the next night and I was going to serve roast and vegetables, I decided to try making some crescent rolls to go with them.

I split the dough into two balls, then rolled each flat with my handy marble rolling pin (LOVE IT!). Once they were about 1/8 inch thick, I cut each circle into 6 pie-shaped wedges. Then I rolled each wedge like a typical crescent roll, and wet the point to make it lie down.

Here's a picture of the baby crescents ready to go:

I put them in the fridge immediately, and pulled them out the next day after work to rise. After an hour, I put them on the pizza stone, brushed them with melted butter, and popped them in the oven to bake at 350 for about 17 minutes. They plumped up so nicely! When they came out, I brushed them with more melted butter.

That night, we four ate the WHOLE DOZEN of them! I guess they were a hit. Too bad I didn't have one left to take a picture of, though. : )

I'll definitely be using this recipe again. I like that it didn't require a lot of butter, which made the rolls a lot less fatty than their Pillsbury counterparts. Now, I won't say these rolls are HEALTHFUL by any stretch, but they are a good alternative and cost less to boot.

Have a good weekend everyone!

My latest obsession

2009-03-15T15:28:00.006-05:00

I like dirt. I like growing stuff in dirt. I like eating stuff that I've grown. So my latest obsession has been the raised vegetable bed. Look it has dirt in it finally!

I'm using a method called "winter-sowing" to plant seeds pre-season. (You can read about it by clicking here...) Typically, Nashville weather doesn't allow for direct sowing until mid-April, due to frequent late frosts. But with winter-sowing, it doesn't even matter what the weather is like. Once the seeds sprout, get a few sets of leaves, and harden off, I'll transplant them into the bed.

I hope this method works, since seeds are SO cheap!

I ran out of take-out containers with lids, so I had to start using old planters. The only issue with this is how to secure the plastic wrap on top. I didn't have any rubber bands big enough around. But I got a great idea, and it worked like a charm.

Do you notice anything odd about these planters?

Perhaps they feel PRETTIER than the other planters? HA HA!!

Hello, again

2009-03-08T13:02:00.003-05:00

Sorry to have been absent for so long! I've been CVSing as usual for the past few weeks, only I've been trying to spend ECBs, so I haven't had anything to brag about. Today I spent some more, but I thought I'd post about it anyway, just for kicks.

Here's what I got today:

2 boxes of Garnier Nutrisse hair color, on sale for $5 each, get $5 ECB when you spend $10
Secret Flawless deodorant, $3.99, get $1 ECB
Crest ProHealth, $2.99, get $2 ECB
Vaseline Men's lotion, $3.69, get $2 ECB
3 General Mills products, 3/$10, get $5 ECB on 3

Subtotal came to $30.69. I used a $5/$30 CVS coupon (from the scanner), and manufacturer coupons on every product. The total came down to $16.19, and I paid with $15.97 ECBs. I paid the remaining $0.22 plus $0.78 tax in cash. I got back $15 in ECBs. That means I paid less than $2 total for all this! (Spent $15.97 ECBs and $1 cash, got back $15 ECBs) Well worth it for the hair color alone.

It's humbling to actually admit to everyone that I color my hair. But I'll have you know I AM a natural blonde, it's just not a "pretty blonde." Some call it dish-water blonde, yuck!

I'm looking forward to trying the caramel flavor Fiber One bars. Lance and I really like the peanut butter bars, and often have them for breakfast. They're rather filling, and they taste like a dessert. I'm hoping we'll like the caramel ones just as much.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Finally used up some ECBs!

2009-02-23T21:33:00.004-06:00

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm so happy I finally made a dent in my ECB stash! I actually used up $19 worth of them, can you believe it?? And really, $19 for all THIS is a great deal in my book.
The Gamer razor, CVS antacids, and energy drink were all free. The Stayfree were money-makers ($3.99 each, used BOGO free MQ, $1 MQ, and $2 CVS Q, then got back $4 ECBs). The Post Trail Mix cereals were on sale BOGO free, and I used a $2 MQ for each, making them about $0.40 each. The 12-packs were $2.25 each after ECBs. (Since I got the last two 7ups they had, the manager kindly offered to substitute another brand to get the deal!) The Ziplocs were $1.75 each after sale and MQ. And I got the pistachios and ClearCare just because we like them and they were on sale.

Oops, I just realized the best part got left out of the picture...Another huge box of Valentine's chocolates! I was just $2 shy of being able to use a high-dollar ECB, so Lance ran to the candy clearance and got the perfect "filler." : )

I was still about $0.22 short, but I decided to have the cashier just adjust the ECB down. Turns out, he didn't have to! Apparently the register will take up to a 22 cent deficit without beeping! That 22 cents went towards tax. Sweeeeeeet.

I know it's crazy, seeing as how I try so hard to MAKE money on my CVS trips, but I am truly glad to have whittled down the stash for now. It's so hard to keep rolling all those ECBs every month. I'm happy with spending them on things we use for a really good price. And really, when all is said and done, only $1.18 in cash was spent on all this stuff. Pretty good.

America's binge/purge

2009-02-23T17:12:00.002-06:00

I will admit that I rarely watch the news. Lately it's been too depressing. But one thing I noticed as I listened to the news for about ten minutes tonight is that this "economic crisis" is bringing about some much-needed introspection.

Our country saw much prosperity over the last decade or two. We were living high on the hog and spending more than we had. Our deficit was growing exponentially, but no one seemed to care...We had it all!

And then that first domino fell.

What started out as a rumor of recession has finally hit America. Hard. So many people are affected, and it's heart-breaking to hear their stories. A few bad choices by some are causing strife for many.

But there's a silver lining, albeit tiny: People are starting to take a good hard look at the way money is spent in our country. State governments are looking for creative ways to cut overhead costs in order to save jobs. (Turning off the light bulbs in vending machines in state buildings could save $1 million over the year!) Companies are getting creative as well. The Tennessean newspaper is asking each employee to take one week of unpaid leave this year, which will save the jobs of several people.

It's rough. For all of us. But I feel some hope that because of all this our country will reevaluate its spending and come out on the other side much stronger, healthier, and wiser. We've been gorging ourselves for long enough. It's finally time to start that diet we've been talking about.

I can't stay away. Not when there's discount candy to be had.

2009-02-16T19:40:00.003-06:00

"My" CVS only had their Valentine's Day candy for half off. Hmph. Well, I guess I can't complain...I still got it free.

Here's how today's transaction went:

Two $2.99 Colgate Total, get $2.99 ECB each
Two $3.50 clearanced Mylanta, get $3 ECB each
Two $4.99 J&J First aid 5-ct boxes, get $3 ECB each
$2.49 (!!!!) box of small envelopes
$4.99 box of chocolates
$0.88 Pixie Stix filler

Sub-total = $31.32. Used these coupons:

$5 off $30 purchase (thank you, machine!)
Two $1 Colgate MQ
Two $2 Mylanta MQ (printed from Mylanta website)
Two $2 J&J MQ (peelies)

Sub-total = $16.32. Paid with a $6 ECB, a $9.98 ECB, and put $1.30 on my gift card. Got back $17.98 in ECBs, making a profit of $0.70. ($17.98 ECBs earned - $15.98 ECBs spent - $1.30 cash spent) Not bad!

Lance had requested the envelopes. Can you believe they were $2.49?? Crazy! But, hey...It's something we needed. And I have to spend my ECBs on something eventually. It's still rough to pay so much for simple envelopes.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!

Finally some decent profit at CVS!

2009-02-15T13:52:00.002-06:00

(I say that with such entitlement, ha.)

But in all seriousness, I had been a bit discouraged as of late. The deals were few and the stock sparse these past few weeks. And the Gamer Fusion razor? Fugetaboutit. Nary a one to be found.

But I managed to still make a good run today, ending up with a profit of $8.34 when all was said and done. Per usual, I relied on my trusty $10/$50 purchase coupon and my diabetes monitor filler.

Here's the rundown:

$0.73 worth of Valentine candy, 90% off (most to give away)
Two $2.99 Colgate Total Advanced, get $2.99 ECB each
Two $2.99 Herbal Essences, get $2 ECB
$4.99 Gillette shampoo (for Daddy, since Lance obviously can't use it!)
$7.99 Earinse, get $7.99 ECB
Two $3.99 Stayfree pads, get $2 ECB each
$19.99 One Touch Mini (for donation to missions)

Sub-total came to $53.64. Used these coupons:

$10 off $50 purchase
$19.99 off One Touch Mini
Two $1 off Colgate Total Advance from recent insert
$3 off 2 Herbal Essences from recent PG insert
$2 off Gillette Shampoo from recent PG insert
BOGO free Stayfree coupon from recent insert
$1 off Stayfree printable Mfr. coupon

That brought the sub-total down to $11.66, and I paid with a $7.58 ECB and a $3.99 ECB. Sub-total = $0.09! Of course, tax was outrageous ($2.97, ouch). I paid the remaining $3.06 using a CVS gift card. I walked out with $22.97 more in ECBs, thus I made a profit of $8.34 ($22.97 ECBs earned minus $11.57 ECBs spent minus $3.06 cash spent).

CVS, I heart you. : )

Nothing says love...

2009-02-14T16:12:00.004-06:00

...like sitting patiently in the car while your wife makes a "quick stop" at Walgreens. : )

My husband is very sweet. And patient. Because, as we all know, a "quick stop" is rarely quick.

Here's what I snagged though:

After I get back the EasySaver rebates on the Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles, contact solution, and vent freshener, I will have only spent a few cents out of pocket, all of which is tax.

I read on a forum that the vent freshener is a raincheck EasySaver item from last month. I will get a full Wags EasySaver rebate on it ($4.99) and then send it off for a full manufacturer's rebate. When that comes in, I will have made almost $5 on this transaction!

So far I've been happy with the EasySaver program. I mostly just get the free items each month and keep rolling the amount on my gift card. It has been growing, too, due to the coupons used on free items. Eventually I'll spend it on something, but until then I'm happy to collect the freebies and save the overage for a rainy day.

Pretty baby boy

2009-02-13T22:07:00.001-06:00

The last squirt

2009-02-12T11:27:00.005-06:00

There is something extremely satisfying about squeezing that last bit of toothpaste from a completely spent tube.

Perhaps it's the sweet memory of having gotten the tube for free at CVS. I have to admit that that makes me smile.

But I think it's more the thought that I have gone the extra mile and squeezed every last molecule of toothpaste out of that tube, whereas anyone else would have thrown it away days ago. This may seem extreme to others, almost militant.

Why make that extra effort? Because I am the product of a family with strong memories of the Great Depression and the Irish potato famine. Frugality runs deep. Our motto has always been: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Today's society is obsessed with excess and disposability. But I stand grounded in my thrifty upbringing. I will continue to squeeze on flat toothpaste tubes to the day I die. And I will be happy. : )

The best granite cleaner

2009-02-09T11:42:00.002-06:00

Before beginning our kitchen renovations last summer, I had made up my mind to get new countertops made of composite quartz. I had done my research, picked out my color, and was ready to go.

That is, until I was told that the color I had fallen in love with was not going to be available for a long time. Ack! Not a fun surprise when you're knee-deep in construction dust.

Our countertop guy asked if I had ever considered granite. I admitted to him that I was turned off by the upkeep I'd heard about, but he shared with me his own experiences with granite and assured me that the once-a-year sealing process was a piece of cake.

Well, all it took was one trip to the slab warehouse, and I was SOLD! All that beautiful, glittering granite just mesmorized me. I picked out two slabs of my very own that day. Gorgeous chocolate brown, flecked with charcoal, pink, and iridescent pearl. So lovely!

When it was installed, I was in heaven. I caressed the smooth, shiny surfaces and whispered sweet promises of loving care. Then I realized I didn't KNOW anything about daily granite care! Yikes!

Google to the rescue. I researched the dos and don'ts of cleaning granite. I learned that the pH of the cleaner is very important for maintaining the seal, thus ammonia- and vinegar-based was not an option. (Alas, poor Windex had to be banished from the kitchen!)

The solution? Rubbing alcohol! Something I had never considered before. I grabbed an old empty Windex bottle, rinsed it out well, and added to it 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol, then filled it almost to the top with tap water. I added about five drops of dishwashing liquid, then capped it and swirled it together. Behold, a cheap and nontoxic granite cleaner!

I have used this cleaner on a daily basis for about nine months. I liberally squirt the counters and the glass top of the stove, and wipe down with a microfiber cloth. The alcohol sterilized the counter, the dishwashing liquid helps break down any stubborn food particles, and the microfiber cloth buffs the counter to a beautiful sheen. It's wonderful! I save a lot of money this way, and my countertops are happy as can be.

Happy Monday to everyone!

If only a picture could capture an aroma...

2009-02-07T11:11:00.008-06:00

I guess you'll have to use your imagination.

I had a huge bag of mini carrots to use up, so I decided to try my hand at apple carrot muffins. (You can see the original recipe by clicking here.)

As most cooks do, I tweaked the recipe to my tastes. I used only 1/3 cup of white sugar and used 1/3 cup of honey. I separated the eggs and whipped the whites to make the batter fluffier. (Because I've seen many of these muffin recipes come out too dense.) And lastly I added raisins.

The recipe says it makes 12 muffins, but even after filling the cups all the way I still had enough for probably two more! So I put the remaining batter into a cute pink heart-shaped ramekin to bake separately. I thought it would make a nice breakfast for My Valentine. : )

Well, as you can see, the muffins rose beautifully. And boy did they make the house smell amazing! I could hardly wait to bite into one. The taste was just sweet enough, but not too sweet. Just perfect for a breakfast treat.

What a great way to start the morning!

Tonight's haul

2009-01-30T19:15:00.003-06:00

Making money at CVS is fun. : )

Tonight I got some good stuff that we need, want, and can use eventually. And I made $4.35, hooray!

Since I'm feeling under-the-weather, I'm not going to write everything out, but here's the jist: I got $50.39 worth of stuff, used a $10/$50 coupon along with a combination of other CVS and Mfr. coupons, paid with $20 in ECBs, paid cash for the remaining $2.61, and walked out with another $26.96.

I made money on the Maalox/Benefiber because of the deal they ran this week: Buy $20 or more of Maalox/Benefiber/Gas-X, get $10 ECBs back. I had a $2 Mfr. coupon for each of the three bottles, PLUS I was lucky enough to get a couple of good CVS coupons at the scanner: $3 off any Benefiber product, and $5 off any 2 Maalox products. My lucky week! And we just happen to be on our last bottle of Maalox. (We've been eating a lot of chili lately.) *urp*

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had FINALLY restocked the NutraTrim gum. I don't know if it works or not, but I don't mind the taste of it, so it replaces my usual afternoon gum. If it works, that's a bonus. : )

You may notice the Pixie Sticks. I am not ashamed of my love for these tasty delights. I even took the time - in front of about six amused strangers - to go through the bags and try to get the ones with the most blues. It's just my thing.

Happy Friday, everyone!

A CVS tip

2009-01-26T15:31:00.004-06:00

We CVSers have a common dilemma: how to best utilize our ECBs when paying for purchases. Since they come in all different values, depending on what we've bought in the past, it can be a challenge to figure out which combination of ECBs to pay with. We don't want to end up with a large balance to pay, but we also don't want to lose anything to manual reduction.

For example: I may have in my hand several ECBs in the amounts of $3, $5, and $10. After my purchase is rung up and my coupons deducted, my pre-tax total might come to, say, $9.05. My choices are to a) use the $3 and $5, and pay the remaining $1.05 plus tax (too much!); or b) use the $10 and have the cashier reduce it to $9.05 (a loss of $0.95, ouch!). Neither is a great option.

Some people add on another cheap item to get the total closer to the higher ECB amount. I've done this many times. (After all, the candy bars are right there at the register, ha ha!) In fact, it has become a crutch for me, so that over time I completely forgot that I didn't HAVE to add a filler at all. I've been known to have a total of $9.95 and scramble for a filler item!

Well, last night my total came to $2.99. Instead of grabbing a filler, I remembered that I could pay with a $3 ECB and forfeit that penny. Come to find out, when the cashier scanned the ECB, it didn't require a manual reduction at all, and allowed a negative balance of one penny! Now I'm curious about exactly how negative the register will allow the total to be...Inquiring minds want to know...

Maybe others already know this. But me, I just learned something new. Hooray!

Because one can never have too many Dews or diabetes monitors

2009-01-25T21:41:00.006-06:00

Crazy? Probably. But if I've learned ANYTHING while playing The Drugstore Game, it's to use those diabetes monitor coupons to my advantage.

You see, the 1/4/09 RedPlum insert had a coupon for up to $30 off an UltraSmart monitor. This week those monitors are on sale for $29.99, so the coupon makes them completely free. But here's where I get excited: if I buy another $20.01 worth of merchandise (which is easy), I can use one of my gazillion CVS coupons for $10 off a $50 purchase! Woohoo!!

I won't give all the details for these two transactions I did tonight, since most of these items have been highlighted on other blogs. And besides that, it's not all that interesting that I bought onion powder and bottled water.

Suffice it to say that I got all of this for free in the end. I should have made $4, but the cashier messed up one of my $2 coupons and instead CHARGED me the $2. I didn't catch it until later. This is the second time this very thing has happened to me, so you'd think I'd pay closer attention. Oh, well. I still made out like a bandit.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Bear update

2009-01-25T17:21:00.001-06:00

Bear has had yet another extensive surgery. He is currently recovering and seems to be in good spirits.

He does miss his arm, though.

A good day

2009-01-24T21:36:00.002-06:00

Today was one of those days that, at the end, you look back and say, "You know, this has been a really nice day."

I got up at a decent time, made us some cinnamon toast for breakfast, and had mine with some good coffee as I watched Grey's Anatomy. After showering, I tried french-braiding my hair and it actually turned out okay for once! I was so proud that I had to run downstairs and show Lance, who (God love him) gave the appropriate amount of praise and appreciation.

I then got to work cutting coupons and making my list for Kroger. I headed out to Kroger and got almost everything on my list in under an hour, surprisingly. Got a LOT of great deals, too, which alway makes me happy. I came home and made us some spicy tuna salad for lunch, and we ate together while chatting and laughing.

After lunch, we went down to my favorite thrift store to find some deals. Lance didn't find anything, but I got four nice button-up shirts for work (just what I needed!) and a denim jacket. I even found a really simple but elegant wreath made of straw and pine cones for just $2.00! That will be perfect on our back door next Christmas.

We decided mid-afternoon to go down to Cool Springs to run a long-overdue errand (having our rings polished and dipped at Jared) and to go see a movie while there. We wanted to see Benjamin Button, but it was sold out, so we saw Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was actually a pretty good movie, though not one I would have normally seen in the theater. I'm glad we ended up going to see it, because we need to support good, clean movies like that.

We had planned on eating at Chili's afterward with a gift card (I like frugal dates!), but it was such a long wait that we decided to just get some Whoppers instead. Fine with me! And you know what my wonderfully sweet hubbin stopped to get me as a final treat to end the night?...A Frosty! He didn't even mind the extra stop. Now that's true love.

When I go back to work Monday and get the usual small-talk question of "Did you have a good weekend?" I won't even have to hesitate. You bet I did!

Hooray for the Mega Sale!

2009-01-24T12:20:00.005-06:00

Well, the weather warmed up yesterday (to 60 degrees!), and that's just what my poor soul needed. Apparently I've got the winter blues. And you know what helps the blues?...Getting stellar deals!

I LOVE when Kroger runs their Mega Sale, because I can combine paper coupons (often doubled) with some virtual coupons (via Shortcuts and now Cellfire) and really rack up the savings. Today's run was so great that I just have to share!

Below is a list of what I got, the sale price, the Mega Sale discount (which is $0.50 off each item since the deal is buy ten specified items, get $5 off your total), and the coupons I used. I decided to list everything together, in case anyone wants to see the final price paid so that they can decide whether to run out and get some. It's all about the bottom line, you know. :)

Sierra Mist 12-pack $3.00 - $0.50 = $2.50
3 boxes of Fiber One bars $2.69 each - $0.50 each - $0.50 Cellfire Q off one - $0.75 Shortcuts Q off one - $0.50 (doubled to $1) MQ off each box = $2.32 for all three boxes, or $0.77 per box (these are great for breakfasts!)
Orville Red. Naturals popcorn $2.19 - $0.50 - $1 MQ = $0.69 (yummy work snack!)
Krafts Singles $1.99 - $0.50 = $1.50 (we love our grilled cheese)
3 Snapples $1 each - $0.50 each - $0.75 MQ off each = profit of $0.75 for all three!
2 Hormel Chili $1 each - $0.50 each - $0.55/2 MQ = $0.45 for two cans or $0.22 each
French's Mustard $1.79 - $0.50 - $0.50 (doubled to $1) MQ = $0.29
2 Pace Salsa $1.99 each - $0.50 each - $0.40/2 MQ (doubled to $0.80) = $2.18 for two or $1.09 each
Rotel $0.87 - $0.50 - $0.30 MQ (doubled to $0.60) = profit of $0.23!
2 Chex mix $2.19 each - $0.50 each - $0.60 Cellfire Q off one - $0.60 Shortcuts Q off the other -$0.50 MQ each (doubled to $1) = $0.18 or $0.09 each (cheap snack!)
2 Green Giant Steamers $1.59 each - $0.50 each -$0.50 Shortcuts Q off each - $0.50 (doubled to $1) MQ off each = profit of $0.82 for two bags!
2 bags of Lays $2.38 each - $0.50 each = $1.88 per bag
3 Beefaroni $1 each - $0.35/3 (doubled to $0.70) = $0.77 a can (cheap lunch)
Fritos $2.75 (to get the Pepsi/Frito Lay deal when combined with my CVS purchases)
2 lbs of mini carrots $2.50
bananas $0.40
apples $1.05
3 lbs of ground beef $5.45

All this for $27.01 before tax! I was giddy! If I had had some more Rotel coupons, I would have gotten more, since I like to put it in my chili and spaghetti sometimes. And I wish I had had more Snapple coupons. Oh, well. I can't complain, because I got some great deals!

Deep freeze

2009-01-22T13:15:00.002-06:00

I feel so restless these days.

I don't know what to expect of the future, which can be scary, but I also don't know what I WANT for my future, which is just plain frustrating. I'm the girl with The Plan, so why am I suddenly drawing a blank?

This lack of vision is disrupting my sleep patterns. I have Restless Brain Syndrome.

And the worst part is the numbness down deep. Like my soul is holding its breath, waiting for something.

I need spring...

Mama's little helper

2009-01-18T21:04:00.003-06:00

Baxter helps his mama with the staging by holding down the backdrop...

How does this keep happening?

2009-01-18T14:12:00.008-06:00

I mean, seriously...How am I unable to burn any ECBs? This is madness, I tell you!

I fully expected to blow some ECBs on sodas at today's after-church CVS run. But I didn't anticipate the fact that they actually had four boxes of throat coolers in stock, and that changed my whole transaction.

Somehow I ended up MAKING money AGAIN! (But what a wonderful problem to have, huh?)

<----Check this out! (And yes, I am a big fan of symmetry.)

Here's what I ended up with, after 2 transactions:

7 12-packs of Pepsi products, $3 each, buy $20 worth, get $10 ECBs
8 Reese's whips, 2/$1 (DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS CANDY DEAL!)
1 KitKat, $0.50
4 Children's Throat Coolers, $4.99 each, get $4.99 ECBs each
1 Excedrin Migraine 24-ct, $1.99
1 Excedrin Express Gels 20-ct, $1.99
3 American Greetings cards, $0.99 each, buy 3, get $3 ECBs
2 CVS allergy medicine, $3.79 each, get $3.79 ECBs each
1 CVS hand soap, $1.99
1 newspaper, $1.75

I used these coupons:

$10/$50
4 Reese's whips Mfr. coupons for $1 off two (from last week's inserts)
2 Throat Coolers BOGOF Mfr. coupons printed from the website
1 Excedrin Migraine coupon for $2 off
1 Excedrin Express gels coupon for $2 off
1 CVS coupon for $3 off any CVS brand

I used $31.86 ECBs, and paid the remaining $2.52 with my gift card. (I messed up a bit, but that's okay.) I got back a total of $40.54 in ECBs, thus making a profit of $6.16!

Again, I failed miserably at burning ECBs. My stash has grown...again. How on EARTH am I going to roll $122 worth?? I will eventually have to actually buy something, I do realize that. And then I'll start all over again, building up my stash.

What fun!

Debt: Good or bad?

2009-01-16T10:32:00.003-06:00

Our Wednesday night class has been discussing money over the past few weeks. Lately we've been talking about debt, and debating whether or not debt is a good thing or a bad thing.

We all know what Dave Ramsey would say. And a lot of people agree with him. One such person blogs regularly about all things financial, and has stated that she and her family are going to save up enough money to pay cash for their first house.

That's a lofty goal, and I have to admit that it is awe-inspiring, especially since she is on track to accomplish it. But when I really started to think about the logistics of the plan and crunched some numbers, I found that it may not be as beneficial as most would think. Trying to avoid debt may COST more.

As long as you're renting property, you aren't getting ANYTHING back for the money you spend in rent each month. No equity at all. And the money you're setting aside for that house purchase?...Unless it's in a CD or savings account that is earning a fantastic rate (which is rare right now), it's either barely keeping up with inflation or it's depreciating.

With mortgage rates so low right now, it's a great time to purchase a home, even with no money down! The key is the extra principle payments. Let's say someone were to buy a $200,000 home with no money down and an interest rate of 5.0% (assuming a 30-year term). That's a monthly payment of about $1074. And let's say they put an extra $2000 per month towards principle. They would pay off the house in 6.5 years! The total paid (including interest over the life of the loan) would be about $234,000.

If that same person were to pay about $800 a month in rent and lay aside $2274 a month to save for the house, they would have enough to buy the $200,000 house in about 7.5 years. The total they will have paid by that time (including rent) would be $272,000. More money, more time spent in a rental.

Is it really worth it to wait, just so you won't have any debt? Wouldn't taking on a large debt like a mortgage be a good thing, since you would pay less over the long-run?

The same goes for college loans. I was able to get several good scholarships for school, but I certainly didn't have the money to pay for the remainder. Would it have been worth it for me to work for a few years to save that money and then go to school?

Well, it would have taken a while to save up enough, since I wanted to attend a private university. I would have gotten a late start on my career, since I would be several years behind my peers. Being an older graduate might have subjected me to age discrimination when applying for starting positions.

But since I took out a loan, I was able to graduate on schedule and get a better-paying job right out of school. I was better equipped to pay for my education AFTER getting the degree than beforehand. I feel I made the right decision.

I guess it comes down to a personal feeling about debt. To me, debt is a tool. It can be risky, but if I use it correctly and wisely, it can be a great help and actually SAVE money over the long run. So I guess I would say debt is a good thing.

Sorry, Dave. : )

CVS FAQ

2009-01-14T13:03:00.002-06:00

I get a lot of questions when it comes up that I spend a lot of time at CVS. I figured I'd share my answers here, for anyone wondering the same things...

Q: Why buy things at CVS if you can get a good deal at Wal-Mart or Costco?

A: Because Wal-Mart and Costco won't give me those things for FREE. Sure, you can always get a good deal at a Big Box store, but my definition of a "good deal" has changed somewhat over the past few months. To me, paying for something is not a good deal. Getting something for free but paying TAX is just BARELY a good deal. A truly good deal is getting something for less than free, and I'm only able to do that consistently at CVS because of their great ExtraCare rewards program.

Q: What are these "ECBs" you prattle on about?

A: Hey, I don't prattle! Okay, maybe a bit. : ) ECB stands for ExtraCare Buck. CVS's rewards program hinges on these ExtraCare Bucks (also called Extra Bucks). When you buy an item that is free-after-ECBs, that mean that you pay cash for the item and then at the bottom of your receipt prints a certificate for exactly that amount (minus tax). You're able to turn around and spend that certificate (ECB) like cash. It's like being able to spend your money TWICE! And a great thing about an ECB is that it reduces your taxable total, unlike Walgreens' Register Rewards.

Q: Why do you buy things at CVS that you don't really need? Isn't that wasteful?

A: I buy things that I don't need only if I can give them away to someone AND if they will help me with my transactions in one of the following ways:

the item is free-after-ECBs, and I have a coupon for it, which turns it into a "money-maker"
the item is free-after-ECBs, and I need some items to get my total up high enough to use a coupon for $ off a $$ purchase
my ECBs are going to expire and I need to buy something to "roll them" (meaning, I now have another month to find something I want to spend them on)

Sometimes I can accomplish all three in one transaction! But I will never simply throw away a product that I get for free. If I can't use it, I will find it a loving home. : )

Q: Doesn't it cost you a lot of time and effort to plan and clip coupons?

A: Absolutely. It's a time commitment, to be sure. But the difference for me is that it is more a HOBBY than a tedious commitment. Lance can attest that I am the happiest when I'm deep in "deal-planning mode." If it ever becomes too tedious, I will scale back my efforts, but for now this is FUN! And besides that, I haven't had to step foot in Wal-Mart in MONTHS! So worth it.

Q: What happens when you've stocked up on everything you need?

A: I don't know yet, but I'm getting very close to that point! I have a feeling I'll continue to "do the deals" and give away the extras I don't need. After all, I don't want to let my huge stash of ECBs expire...

Q: What if I don't WANT the items I can get for free at CVS? I'm picky about my toothpaste...

A: You can't be a brand snob and play the Drugstore Game very efficiently. Now, there's nothing wrong with knowing exactly which brands you like (in fact, that can be a money- and time-saver in itself!), but to fully take advantage of the ExtraCare program, you have to be willing to try new products. Lots of new products. Some may be duds (vanilla toothpaste? BUST!), but one might be your next "favorite," who knows? I'm lucky that Lance is open to trying new toothpastes, bar soaps, laundry detergents, etc. That's why I can pull this off. We may be switching toothpaste flavors every other month, but we'll never have to pay for it!

You may try what my friend Denise does: Utilize the program when it fits YOUR needs, and don't buy products you know you won't like. She doesn't rack up quite the stash of ECBs that I do, but she buys what she knows she will use, gets a great price, and she's content. And she doesn't have to find a place to store all the diabetes monitors. Ha ha!

Even during a slow week...

2009-01-13T19:03:00.005-06:00

...I can manage to find some deals at CVS!

This week is about as slow as it gets. Not even ONE free-after-ECBs item! But thankfully my store had a few of the monthly freebies in stock to help me round out my transaction today.

And I'm thankful for the fact that my store also takes expired CVS coupons, meaning I could use an old $5/$25 coupon that came in an email around the beginning of the year. I had printed it but never used it.

I essentially went in to "blow" some of my huge stash of soon-to-expire ECBs on some things we could use, like milk and Cheez-Its. Somehow I ended up using enough coupons to get everything free! (So much for blowing ECBs, huh?)

Here's how it went:

Cheez-Its twin pack, $6.00, get $3.00 ECBs
Purity milk, $3.19
NasoGel, $7.99, get $7.99 ECBs
Nutra Trim gum, $3.99, get $3.99 ECBs
3 J&J First Aid kits, $0.99 each
CVS body wash, $2.99

Coupons used:

$5 off $25 purchase
$2 off NasoGel (printed from website)
$3 off J&J First Aid products (adjusted to $2.97)
$3 off any CVS brand product

I paid with $13.98 ECBs and put the remaining $0.18 plus $0.71 tax on my gift card. I walked out with another $14.98 in ECBs, making my total for today a profit of 11 cents!

And I plan on submitting the NasoGel for a $3 Manufacturer's rebate (which came in the packaging), so that's $3 back in my pocket.

What a great way to start out the week!

A little CVS pick-me-up

2009-01-10T09:25:00.007-06:00

Thursday was a rough day at work. I needed a little something to cheer me up. So I thought I'd stop in at my favorite CVS and get some coupons from the scanner machine, which always excites me. (You never know what you're gonna get!)

While there, I thought I might as well see if any of the hot items were in stock. I figured the shelves would be empty by this late in the week, but would you believe that they had all but ONE of the products I needed for my scenario? Amazing!

Here's what I ended up with:

4 packs of Stayfree maxi pads, on sale for $4.50 each, part of Johnson & Johnson deal
1 box of Band-aids, $3, brought my J&J total over $20 to get $10 ECBs back
3 boxes of Bayer, on sale for $5 each, buy $15 worth, get $5 ECBs back
Garnier Fructis shampoo, $2.99, get $2 ECBs back
NutraTrim, $3.99, get $3.99 ECBs back (monthly freebie)
Jack Link's jerky twin pack, $9.99, get $2 ECBs back
CVS brand mixed nuts, $4.59

Coupons used:

Yet another $10/$50 CVS Q
Two $2/2 Stayfree Mfr. Qs
Two $2/1 Stayfree CVS Qs
Two BOGO free Stayfree Mfr. Qs
Three $1/1 Bayer Mfr. Qs
$1 Garnier Mfr. Q
$3 off any CVS brand Q

I paid with $22.48 of my ECBs, plus used the $1 ECB that printed at the scanner for my "Fall Spending" reward. That brought my total down to a whopping $0.08! I put that plus the $1.36 in tax (GRRRR!!) on my gift card. I got back $22.99 in ECBs. So essentially I walked out having paid nothing (thanks to the gift card!) and with $0.51 more in ECBs than I came with. Not bad!

To make things even sweeter, I will submit the receipt for a Bayer rebate (half back, not full price), and get back $6!

I was happy to be able to give Lance more jerky (since he has already polished off almost all of the jerky I bought Sunday) and get my mom a can of nuts as a thank you for always sharing her coupon inserts. The Bayer will be donated to church, the Dora Band-aids will go to my 3 year old niece, and the Stayfree will have me stocked up for at least four years, ha ha!

So my Thursday ended up being pretty good after all. All's well that ends well, right? : )

Goals for getting our "Finances in Line in 2009"

2009-01-08T11:00:00.004-06:00

MoneySavingMom is hosting a discussion about financial goals for this year (click here to view), and I couldn't help but want to join in!

As my family members know, I've always been the type to budget. My budget is my financial blueprint. It's my boundaries and goals wrapped up in a simple spreadsheet.

I'm a firm believer in boundaries, especially when it comes to money. If I had no boundaries, I would spend with abandon and get nowhere fast! My financial boundaries are not stringent by any means, but at least they give me an idea of how much I'm able to spend and how much to lay aside.

I bought my little starter home (on my own) in 2003. Using a budget and careful planning, I was able to buy a new refrigerator, dishwasher, clothes washer, love seat, and privacy fence without paying a cent of interest. I utilized store credit with 12-months-no-interest programs. I was able to buy a new desktop computer and digital camera in the same way. All this on a very limited salary!

Then I got married. ; )

I've heard that finances are one of the biggest sources of contention in marriages today, and I BELIEVE IT! Lance and I have struggled to reconcile our differences for the last 4 years. It has not been easy. But we're finally working together, and we're excited about the financial freedom in our future!

Our main goal for 2009 is to completely pay off all our debts, with the exception of our mortgage. This covers: my school loan, Lance's school loan, the home equity line (on which we put the majority of our renovation costs from last summer), our Best Buy credit card balance (new stove bought last summer), and Lance's business debt.

Our secondary goal is to put as much into savings as possible. With our focus being on paying off debts, it doesn't make sense to be socking away a large amount into savings while paying interest on remaining balances. But if we pay off the debts earlier than expected, we'll direct the "snowball" of payments towards savings.

We've already taken a major step towards realizing our goals by starting the process of refinancing our mortgage. When the rate hit 4.75%, which is almost 2 whole points lower than our current APR, I jumped at the opportunity! We'll be able to save about $200 a month in interest while still paying extra towards principle every month in order to reach our long-term goal of paying off the mortgage by 2023!

It's also helpful that I started a new job last month with a 12% jump in salary. During this time of economic distress, it's such a blessing to not only have a job, but to have been offered a new job with a higher salary. I'm thanking God for His goodness! And I'm asking for His guidance in being a good steward this year with what He's given us. That's what it all comes down to...being a good steward and GIVING of what we've been given.

2009 should be a very good year.

Sunday CVS Swag

2009-01-04T14:20:00.004-06:00

Here's my Sunday CVS rundown for this week:

Fructis Shampoo, $2.99, get $2 ECB
Ziplock twin packs, $5.99 each, get $2 ECB for each
Nasogel, $7.99, get $7.99 ECB
Jack Link's Jerky twin pack, $9.99, get $2 ECB
EPT 2-pack, $15, get $10 ECB with purchase of $20 in Johnson products
Tylenol Sinus, $6 (to finish out the Johnson's purchase total)

Coupons used:

$1 off Fructis
$1 off two Ziploc products
$2 off Nasogel (printed from website)
$4 off EPT
$1 off Tylenol Sinus
$10 off a $50 purchase (CVS coupon)

I paid with $34.46 ECBs, and the total came down to just $0.49! Tax was $0.77, because they have to charge the full amount of tax on food products by law. The total of $1.26 went on my CVS gift card (Thanks, Mom!), and I got back $25.99 in ECBs, plus a bonus $0.50 for my "Fall Spending" (2% back). That just goes to show how LITTLE I paid out of pocket during the fall, ha ha!

So, my bottom line for today: I PAID $9.23. That's a bit unusual for me to not EARN money with my purchases, but I had promised Lance some Jack Link's jerky, and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to boost my total up to $50, so I could use yet another $10/$50 coupon. I think I've used about ten of these so far, and they just keep coming!

If I had skipped the jerky and Ziploc bags, I could have ended up making about a dollar on the rest. And if I had had one of the BOGO free Ziploc coupons (they didn't print them in the Nashville inserts), I would have spent much less. Oh, well. Sometimes you just gotta spend money to get stuff you want, huh?

Just FYI: The EPT tests are for the FUTURE! Just getting my ducks in a row...

; )

The bottomless toilet paper stash (pardon the pun)

2009-01-02T10:25:00.006-06:00

Apparently, my garage has magic powers of regeneration.

Remember that huge stash of Cottonelle I got for really cheap back in September? (Okay, I know you don't, so go here if you want a refresher, ha ha!) Well, as I was searching for room in the upstairs closet to stuff yet another free 4-pack from Kroger, I got curious about how much of that stash in the garage we've actually used to date.

NONE.

I could have SWORN that I opened at least ONE of those huge packs of double rolls over the last 3 months! Apparently not. Either that, or I have discovered the secret portal to the Land of Endless Toilet Paper.

I wonder how long this will continue. I previously thought we had enough TP to last us a year, but seeing as how we've gone over three months without using any of those rolls, perhaps we're looking at TWO years! As long as Cottonelle keeps putting $0.50 coupons in the papers and Kroger keeps selling 4-packs for $0.99, we'll be set for life!

How did I ever live without coupons?

Caregivers Mail-in Rebate Form

2008-12-22T13:44:00.005-06:00

When searching for a coupon the other day, I came across this website:

http://www.caregiversmarketplace.com/FrameSetup.asp

I immediately thought of Sherry and all the products she buys for Stephen. I sent her the link, and she says she has enough receipts to submit and get $50 back!

As a disclaimer, I don't know much about this rebate system, but I thought I'd post the link in case others (my very welcome visitors) would like to try it out. It appears that anyone with a child under 5 is eligible for rebates on certain Huggies diapers and skin products.

Hope this helps someone!

Today was better than Thanksgiving!

2008-12-21T14:22:00.006-06:00

Oh, CVS...You've given me such a wonderful early Christmas present...

I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I hit the CVS 2-Day sale after lunch and made a killing. Well, $26.03 to be exact, and that's not including the $9 in rebates I'll apply for.

I dragged Lance along as an accomplice. We loaded up our baskets with the carefully chosen free-after-rebate items, and used each of our cards to maximize the savings. The only item that was completely missing was the Arm & Hammer Essentials cleaner. And they only had one box of Benefiber, but luckily they had a few bottles of Complete left to fill the void in my transactions.

Everything went off without a hitch! I walked out with $107.71 worth of merchandise, having only paid $2.80 in cash, and ended up with $28.83 MORE in ExtraCare Bucks than I came in with! AAAAAAND I'll be submitting the rebate form for one Excedrin and one Zantac, which is another $8.98 back in my pocket!

Can you tell I'm stoked?

But do you know what REALLY excited me? When the receipts printed out, and they were both over six feet long! I used to joke to Lance that one day my receipt would be longer than me, and today it really happened. Twice. Ha ha!

Back and ready for action

2008-12-14T16:31:00.009-06:00

Though it looks like I may have picked up a cold from my niece and nephew this weekend while in Pigeon Forge, I was nonetheless ready to hit CVS as SOON as we got into town. Oh, yes, the deals are good this week, especially for getting one's total up to $50 in order to use a $10/$50 purchase coupon.

I have made not one, but TWO trips to CVS in the 3 hours we've been back. The first trip was not as successful as I hoped. I ended up paying way too much, because I got hurried and a) forgot to give the cashier one of my $2 coupons, and b) bought two unnecessary items, thinking I needed them to get my total over $50. I hate when I mess up! So I'll be taking the two extra items back and then I think I'll be breaking even.

The second trip, however, was more of a success. I decided to try a different CVS to see if they had the money-making contact solution in stock. They did! AND they had the 12-pack of Rolaids softchews I've been searching for. Hooray!

Here's how the second trip went:

Complete contact solution, $8.99, get $8.99 ECBs
Earinse, $9.99, get $9.99 ECBs
SleepMD, $7.99, get $7.99 ECBs
Rolaids Softchews 12-pack, $2.89 each, get $2 ECBs for each
Colgate Total Advanced, $2.99, get $2 ECBs

Coupons used:

$2 Mfr. Q for Complete
two $1 Mfr. Q for Rolaids Softchews
$1 CVS Q for Colgate Total
$0.75 Mfr. Q for any Colgate toothpaste
$5 off a $30 CVS purchase (came in an email)

Total before coupons = $35.74. Total after coupons = $24.99. Used $24.76 ECBs from my Thanksgiving stash, and paid cash for the remaining $0.23 plus $0.46 tax. Earned a total of $32.97 ECBs, making a profit of $7.52!

If I had been thinking clearly, I could have easily thrown some other items on and been able to use the $10/$50 coupon. I could have made a few more bucks that way. But I won't worry too much about it, I guess. The fact that I can actually earn money by shopping is so amazing that it's hard to be too upset about not making MORE. I'm happy with what I've got.

And now, the question of the day: Does anyone actually USE saline ear rinse??

Thank you, Walgreens!

2008-12-12T11:15:00.002-06:00

I had to go to Walgreens to return something (grrrr), so I figured I'd try to utilize the holiday rewards for this week (get $5 Register Reward for a $25 purchase). I wasn't interested in the deal previously, but then I read on MoneySavingMom about the L'Oreal raincheck. Since buying that would put about $15 towards the $25 total, I knew I could throw some extra things on there as filler and get the Register Reward.

I picked the following fillers: 2 4-packs of Scotch tape, 5-lb. bag of sugar, and a bottle of Arm & Hammer detergent. The tape was free after EasySaver rebate, and I had a $1 coupon off of two (money-maker!). The other two products were on sale with the ad coupon, plus I had Mfr. coupons.

After coupons and tax, my total came to $18.38. I will get a full rebate on the L'Oreal and Scotch tape, plus get the extra 10% for putting the balance on my gift card, so I'll get back a total of $18.69! That's a profit of $0.31 PLUS the $5 Register Reward that printed out!

Yeah, that rocks. I love free stuff.

Silent night

2008-12-11T20:27:00.004-06:00

We got a surprising amount of snow this evening. It's so pretty and peaceful. I figured this was a good time to try using my camera for a night shot. I only recently read (on someone's blog, of course!) about how to accomplish this. It takes a very slow shutter speed, a 2 second delay, and a tripod (a tiny one, set on top of the grill). The shot turned out nice. It really captures the way the snow and clouds reflect a pinkish light.

So pretty.

Blogosphere + coupons + Kroger = STEALS!

2008-12-10T16:11:00.003-06:00

Look what I got for under $6 (including tax) at Kroger today:
The only things I really PAID for were the croutons (our absolute favorite brand) and the cookie dough. And of course I had coupons for both of those. : )

The total came to right around $5.50 for the three transactions, of which $1.50 was tax. I did three transactions, because each of the Fleischmann's yeast packets gave a $0.50 Catalina, which I turned around and used to buy another package and a can of chili (on sale for $1 each). I only had to pay $0.18 for each yeast and chili transaction. If I had known that it would have worked so well, I would have taken more Fleischmann's coupons!

I got a tip from another blog about the freebies to be had. I know that reading other peoples' blogs seems like a waste of time, but it's worth it to find these kinds of deals. If I remembered where I heard about these deals, I would post the link and give that person the credit, but I honestly don't recall! I'll have to pay more attention from now on.

Well, it sounds like the bread machine is done making the dough for my rolls, so I best get to the kitchen.

Ta ta!

The scientist in the kitchen

2008-12-07T16:50:00.003-06:00

I must admit to approaching my kitchen counter as I do the lab bench: I have a detailed plan to follow and a hypothesis in mind. And just like in the lab, things don't always turn out how you want them to do.

Saturday's experiment was chicken pot pie. (How can I call myself a Southern woman without knowing how to make this, the very epitome of comfort food?) I had a yummy-sounding recipe (http://www.lifeasmom.com/2008/08/recipe-swap-whats-dish-that-you-deliver.html), all the ingredients, but no pie plate. I decided to try breaking the recipe up into individual pies. I scrounged up the best containers I could find: four heart-shaped ramekins from Valentine's Day. I knew they looked kind of small, but I figured it didn't matter, because they were all I had.

With my ramekins ready, I went to work making the crusts. (Wow, what a time-consuming step! Next time I will try using a food processor like others do.) With the crusts finally rolled out and chilling in the fridge, I started chopping vegetables for the filling. When I cut into the onion I had just bought from Kroger that morning, it was completely rotten inside! I was so disgusted and frustrated. There goes one ingredient. (Thank goodness I had minced onion and onion powder to substitute.)

It seemed to take forever, but I finally got the filling ready to go. I got the crusts out, and began laying them in the ramekins...and recognized a rookie mistake: I had made the crusts all the same size instead of making some large enough to cover the bottom AND sides! Rats. I did the best I could to stretch them, but finally had to give up and move along. So I poured in the filling, and noticed that I would have a lot of unused filling if I didn't top them off as high as possible. With the ramekins almost overflowing (and that's with filling left over!), I topped them with more crust, pricked the tops, and put them in the oven on a baking sheet.

Forty minutes later, I pulled out some nicely browned pot pies...which sat in a pool of filling. Oh, well. As messy as they were, they actually tasted pretty good, if I do say so myself. Lance was happy. And the portion was just right. I still think I'll check the thrift stores for some larger (10 ounce) round ramekins for next time I give this a whirl.

That said, I'd say this experiment was successful. I filled our bellies with some good comfort food and learned some lessons. The scientist in me is pleased.

Now THAT'S what I call Customer Service!

2008-12-03T16:52:00.002-06:00

I just want to brag on CVS a little bit...

As I explained before, my bottom line on Thanksgiving was affected by the Maybelline Mineral Powder foundation ECB not printing like it should. Well, I went online and left a message for CVS Customer Service, explaining what happened and politely asking for advice on rectifying the situation.

In two days, I received an email from a representative saying that they have now credited my ExtraCare account with $9, which will print out next time I make a purchase! (Since the product was only $8.99, I guess I just made a penny, ha ha!)

I just love CVS. Eight months ago, I didn't even acknowledge its existence, but now I'm a loyal customer. Who needs Wal-mart, anyway?

Thanksgiving at CVS

2008-11-29T10:06:00.006-06:00

CVS started their Black Friday deals on Thursday, meaning technically at midnight Wed. night for our 24-hour store. I was so tempted to gather my coupons and head over at midnight (or a little before) to grab all the great deals to be had, but I convinced myself that THAT would push me into the realm of Crazy-Obsessive Coupon Queen. And besides, I thought to myself, I'm sure no one else is going to grab all the freebies before I get there early Thursday morning!

I was so, so wrong.

It was quiet enough when I pulled into the CVS parking lot at around 7:10 am Thursday. I was pleased to see only a couple of cars. This should be a piece of cake! I got inside and grabbed a shopping cart. I started my rounds, knowing exactly which aisles to head for. And a lady with a cart stopped me. "You're here for the deals?" she asked. I smiled and nodded. "Well, just so you know, they're already out of the razors and iPod headphones. People bought them all last night."

WHAT???

I was fuming through the rest of my shopping. Why on earth didn't I come in last night? I could have gotten the items I REALLY wanted! Later, I ran into one of my favorite cashiers, who told me she had been at CVS at midnight and witnessed the frenzy of the coupon queens. They started crowding the aisles at 11 pm, grabbing items off the shelf before others could, and freaking out over coupons they dropped. Then they all flooded the check-out lines once the sale officially started. Maybe I DIDN'T want to be in the middle of all that.

Well, regardless, I still got some great products (most less than free) and walked out with more ECBs than I came in with. Not too bad! Here's how it went...

Transaction #1:

Johnson's Soft Lotion, $5.69, get $5.69 ECB, used $1 MQ
Colgate Total toothpaste, $2.99, get $2.99 ECB, used $1.50 MQ
Garnier 25-ct towelettes, $5.99, get $5.99 ECB, used $1 MQ
Covergirl Smoothers makeup, $7.99, get $7.99 ECB, used $1 MQ
Covergirl pressed powder, $5.99, get $5.99 ECB, used $1 MQ
Gatorade G2, $1.49, get $1.49 ECB
Used a CVS coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase (came in an email)

Total before coupons = $30.14, total after coupons = $19.64. Paid with $18.99 in ECBs, and the remaining $0.65 plus $0.55 tax went on my gift card. Got back a total of $30.14 in ECBs, meaning I made $9.95 from this transaction.

Transaction #2:

2 Aussie conditioners, $2.99 each, get $2.99 ECB for each, used (2) $1 MQs
Playtex tampons, $3.99, get $3 ECB, used $1 MQ
Colgate Total, $2.99, get $2.99 ECB, used $1 MQ and $1 CVS Q (from scanner)
L'Oreal lip gloss, $6.99, get $6.99 ECB
Retro air popper machine, $19.99, get $10 ECB
Maybelline mineral makeup, $8.99, get $8.99 ECB (which didn't print)
2 King sized Hershey bars, $1, get $1 ECB for first one (fillers)
Used a CVS coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase (from scanner)

Total before coupons = $50.93, total after coupons = $35.43. Paid with $35.45 in ECBs (adjusted down to $35.43 by the cashier), and the $0.42 in tax went on my gift card. Got back a total of $29.96 in ECBs, meaning I paid $5.89 for this transaction. I will contact customer service about the $8.99 ECB that didn't print, or else return the item. Then I will be making a profit of $3.10 on this transaction.

Transaction #3:

Crest Spinbrush, $5.99, get $2 ECB, used $2 MQ
L'Oreal lip gloss, $6.99, get $6.99 ECB
Sally Hansen nail polish, $3.79, get $3.79 ECB
Universal Remote, $6.99, get $6.99
5-hour energy shots 2-pack, $3.99, get $3.99 ECB
Breeze II glucose monitor, $30, used $30 MQ
Used another CVS Q for $10 off a $50 purchase

Total before coupons = $57.75, total after coupons = $15.75. Paid with $15.69 in ECBs, and the remaining $0.06 plus $2.97 tax went on my gift card. Got back a total of $23.76 in ECBs, meaning I made $5.04 from this transaction.

So right now, while missing the $8.99 ECB for the Maybelline, I've still made a PROFIT of $9.10 by buying all this stuff. I should have ended up with a profit of $18.09. Believe me, I'll get it taken care of. : )

I gave away almost half of these items at Thanksgiving, which was fun. I felt like Santa Claus! As for the rest, I'm happy to have an air popper, which is something I've always wanted, and the Aussie conditioner is one of my favorites. Yes, I have another glucose monitor, but Uncle Steve says that the Cuba missionaries could use them, so I'll hopefully be able to ship those out very soon.

The shopping trip took maybe an hour, so I was home in plenty of time to start making up some waffle batter, real whipped cream, butter-pecan syrup, biscuits, sausage, bacon, and gravy for a family Thanksgiving breakfast. Mom brought some ham and fruit salad, and Claire brought eggs to scramble. We had quite a feast! I ate so much that I wasn't even hungry until we got to Huntsville for the big family dinner gathering at 5 pm.

All in all, the day went very well, from start to finish. A great Thanksgiving.

Where there's a will...

2008-11-23T14:34:00.008-06:00

It seems that I am slowly becoming one of those crazed coupon queens.

Yes, I made a Sunday afternoon CVS run. I had to! The Complete contact solution was a $2 money-maker, and I KNEW they wouldn't stock the shelf with enough bottles to last until tomorrow morning!

When I arrived, I immediately headed for the eye care aisle. And was disappointed to see that the Complete section was already COMPLETELY EMPTY. There went that $8.99 towards my $50 total.

I briefly considered turning on my heels in a huff and leaving without making a purchase at all. But then I remembered that my sweet husband made the effort to drive me to CVS. (I have a near-migraine, which may otherwise incapacitate me, but it ain't keeping me from some sweet deals.) I knew he wouldn't be happy if we just left with nothing.

So I decided to try to work a new scenario to get my total up to $50 without going too much in the hole. (As in, having to pay money. Ha!) I got some other things I planned on, picked up a pet bed for Baxter (which I DIDN'T plan on, since they have been out of stock for weeks), and was trying to think of something else to get as "filler". It was then that I had an idea, and headed back to the eye care aisle.

I knew that the spot for Complete was empty, but on a hunch I reached my hand back behind some neighboring products. I smiled, and pulled out a lone box of Complete. Lance looked surprised, but I wasn't. Someone had apparently hidden the last box with the intent to return for it later. Won't they be shocked to see that I outsmarted them?

So here's the transaction I ended up with:

3 3-packs of Dial bar soaps, on sale for $1.99 each, get back $1 ECB each
2 CVS tissues, on sale for $0.99 each
1 12 oz. bottle of Complete, on sale for $8.99, get $8.99 ECB
2 4-packs of rechargeable Energizer batteries, on sale for $10 each; buy $20 worth, get $10 ECB
1 Maybelline Mineral liquid makeup, on sale for $8.99, get $8.99 ECB
Pet bed, on sale for $5.99

Total before coupons = $51.92

Coupons used:

CVS coupon for $10 off $50 purchase
3 Mfr. coupons for $0.30 off Dial soap
CVS coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of CVS brand tissues
Printable Mfr. coupon for $2 off Complete
2 Mfr. coupons for $1 off any Energizer batteries

Total after coupons = $36.02

Paid with $35.97 ECBs (My entire stash! I was glad to be able to use that large $15.99 one from last week...), and that left only 5 CENTS plus tax! Lance scrounged up the $0.51 cents, and we walked out with $30.98 in ECBs, plus an extra $5 ECB printed on the receipt, because I took a survey earlier this month. That means I spent only $0.50 on this transaction!

I'm having more fun shopping lately, because I have a specific plan for the extra freebies I'm able to pick up. In fact, it's making me try even harder to get more! I can't wait to hand over the big box of stuff I've collected...I dare say that it will mean more to me on that day than to the recipient. : )

And just in case this post wasn't long enough...Here's Baxter already enjoying his new bed under Daddy's desk (one of his favorite places to be):

Behold, a great wonder!

2008-11-20T20:15:00.004-06:00

See this?

This is what we CVSers would call a miracle. It's a free-after-ECB item...which was still available MID-WEEK!

I amuse myself sometimes with images of crazed coupon queens flooding the stores at 12:01 am Sunday morning, elbowing each other out of the way to grab the freebies off the shelf. But whatever the case may be, the reality is that if you wait until Monday to visit CVS, that freebie shelf will be empty. You snooze, you lose.

But not this week.

I ambled into my store after church on Wednesday night, husband in tow (I had to bribe him with promises of pistachios, which I knew to be on sale), prepared with my list and coupons, and just thought I'd swing by the L'Oreal area to see if they had any Age Perfect left. Imagine my shock when I saw TWO (!!!) packages sitting on the shelf. My jaw went slack, and I stood there for several seconds, just staring. How is this possible?

As elated as I was when placing the item in my basket, I knew that this would totally throw off my planned transaction. And it did. I could have worked a MUCH better deal than I did, and I could have actually used one of the eight $10/$50 CVS coupons I have amassed! Oh, well. Can't win 'em every time.

It still worked out to be a fantastic money-maker. It cost $15.99. I used a $1 Manufacturer coupon, a $2 off any L'Oreal product CVS coupon, and a $3 off any $15 face care CVS coupon. (Did I luck out at the coupon scanner or WHAT?) I got an ExtraCare Buck for $15.99 towards my next purchase. That, my friends, is a gain of $6!

Now my only problem is figuring out how to spend that $15.99 ECB. Good grief!

Kroger and Publix deals

2008-11-19T15:30:00.002-06:00

Hi, all!

I finally went grocery shopping to get real food. As in, things other than evaporated milk and ice cream. We can't really subsist on those, sadly enough.

Believe it or not, at Kroger I used absolutely no paper coupons. *gasp* The only thing I used was a Shortcuts coupon for $0.45 off of Kroger cheese. The bag of shredded pizza cheese I got was on sale for $1.67, so I got it for $1.22. Not bad.

Where I REALLY racked up the savings was on the Manager's Specials in the meat department. I got some nice looking pork chops and an expensive cut of angus steak, both for about $3.40/lb. For less than $10, I have at least four meals-worth of good meat (meals for two). That's about $1.25 per individual meal, so I consider that a good deal. I plan on splitting up the cuts into dinner portions (for two), adding some marinade to the baggies, and popping them into the freezer. That way, when I pull out a dinner portion to thaw in the fridge, the meat will soak up the marinade as it thaws. Saves some time and effort.

I made a run to Publix while I was out (I'm thankful that they are within a few hundred feet of each other), and caught some great deals. Celery for $0.89, Jimmy Dean sausage rolls for $1.50 (sale price $2.50 minus $1 Mfr. coupon from Publix flyer), Uncle Ben's wild rice for $0.46 a box (sale price $0.80 minus $1/3 coupon from insert), and the best deal of all...Green Giant low-salt canned vegetables for -$.15 each (sale price $0.45 minus doubled $0.30 coupon = less than free)!

Since I got a $5/$35 Publix coupon in the mail this week, I tacked on some other things, like Dr. Peppers (on sale for $3 each) and got my total up to just over $35. Why is it that I can easily drop $60 at Publix on any other day, but when I have a $5/$35 coupon I struggle to spend enough?

God bless Publix and their $/$$ coupons! Whoever says Publix is too expensive just isn't paying enough attention. I've found that Publix produce is of much better quality than Kroger, and they always price their lettuce heads at least 20 cents lower than Kroger (today I got Green Leaf lettuce at Publix for $1.99, instead of $2.29 at Kroger). And you can't beat their BOGO deals, coupled with coupons. You can always find something to get for free or almost-free. Why, Publix is where I got Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes for less than free a few months ago!

Anyway, it was a good grocery run. I spent about $58 between both places, but considering that included about 3 or 4 months-worth of sodas and enough meat to last a month, I'm happy.

Now I'm off to portion up the meat! (It's odd that this stuff makes me so happy...)

Fall

2008-11-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

I love our backyard this time of year...

Warm puppy

2008-11-10T21:31:00.002-06:00

Baxter crawled under the heated blanket I keep on my feet:

Kroger Mega Event

2008-11-07T21:53:00.006-06:00

And what a Mega Event it was!

Have you ever seen a register tape this long with coupons? Yes, that whole section is ONLY coupons! The cashier wasn't thrilled.

The whole lot (at sale prices) came to $63.07 before coupons and taxes. After coupons, the total was $23.22, plus another $4.96 in tax. (Why, oh, why do I get taxed for the pre-coupon total?)

Sure, my bottom line wasn't as amazing as a lot of other folks', but I added in a few impulse buys, like marshmallows. : )

Here's what I got for free:

3 huge bottles of spring water
4 cans Carnation Evaporated milk (holiday baking!)
4 small bottles of Tylenol PM
3 10-packs disposable razors
3 small lint brushes
1 4-pack of Cottonelle

For cheap:

2 cans of Progresso soup, $0.30 each
2 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes, $0.28 each
3 cans Beefaroni, $0.77 each (Yes, I still eat this stuff!)
big tub Breyers ice cream, $1.50

I got a lot of things (about $11 worth, to be exact) to make some white chicken chili tomorrow to take to Lance's boss's harvest party. $11 seems like a lot to me, but I guess a big crockpot of soup feeds at least ten, so $1 a meal isn't too bad. These days I think of everything in terms of cost-per-meal. It's a sickness.

*Just a side note: I LOVE http://www.shortcuts.com/! It's a wonderful way to get extra savings. I loaded a $0.50 Cottonelle Q, a $0.35 Betty Crocker potato Q, and a $0.50/2 Progresso soups Q, and THEN used manufacturer's coupons for each! The $0.25 Cottonelle Mfr. coupon (doubled) made the toilet paper free!

*Another side note: With all the free Cottonelle I keep getting at Kroger, it seems I'll never have to dip into that truck load I bought at CVS a few months ago...Ha ha!

Raised bed, Part Two

2008-11-04T08:24:00.007-06:00

Hooray, the bed is finished! On Saturday morning, Lance secured the rest of the side braces and put boards across the middle for stability. Cedar is really light and flexible, so we didn't want the heaviness of the dirt to make the sides bow out. It's not going anywhere now!

As you can see, I put down pieces of cardboard along the inside. It's sitting on top of the expensive landscaping fabric. You can never be too careful when it comes to keeping Bermuda grass at bay. Once that stuff gets in, you might as well give up.

With the leftover cardboard (which all came from big boxes during renovation), I folded up pieces and laid them around the perimeter of the bed, even in between the bed and the fence. I then went around and laid a good 4 inch deep layer of mulch on top of that. I'm serious about my grass control!

You may notice a little red bush at the end of the bed on the right. That's my blueberry bush, which has been in a pot for a couple of years now. I'm hoping it will do better in the ground. I'll have to amend the pH of the soil some, but hopefully it'll be happier there.

Well, Dad is going to help us get good compost to fill the bed with in a few weeks, so stay tuned for more!

Diabetes monitor count = 4

2008-11-03T20:23:00.002-06:00

Being a non-diabetic, I never thought I'd buy so many diabetes monitors. It's starting to get ridiculous.

Today's CVS Transaction:

Bayer Contour monitor, $30
Nova Max monitor, $9.99, get $9.99 ECBs
10 Ice Cubes gum; Buy 10 specified items, get $5 ECBs
Crest Pro-Health toothpaste, $3.49, get $3.49 ECBs

Coupons used:

$30 Bayer Contour Mfr. Q from recent insert
5 $1/2 Ice Cubes gum Mfr. Q from recent insert
$1 Crest Mfr. Q from mid-October P&G insert
$10/$50 CVS Q

Paid with $3.57 ECBs, put remaining $3.79 on gift card ($3.37 was tax, ugh!), got back a total of $14.99 in ECBs. That's a profit of $7.63 for the night! ($14.99 ECBs earned minus $3.57 ECBs used minus $3.79 on gift card.)

Know what bothers me? When people try to say they earned a lot more than they really did, because they don't "count" the ECBs they used to pay. Grrrr. Yeah, I COULD say that I earned $14.99 tonight, but that would be a little misleading, wouldn't it?

I bet those same people lied about being subscribers in order to get that last $3/$15 CVS coupon. I wasn't willing to stoop that low just to save a few bucks.

Climbing down from my soapbox now. : )

Oh, and PS: Don't worry...I will find a good home for these diabetes monitors!

Mwa-ha-haaaaa!

2008-10-31T19:32:00.005-05:00

Happy Howl-oween!

(At least that's what it is over here tonight. Baxter barks at every single kid that DARES to darken our doorstep.)

I stopped in CVS on the way home from work, because last night was "stock night", and I thought I just might be able to find the items I need on the shelves. I was right!

Oh, and "need" is a relative term.

I got:

Bayer Contour diabetes monitor, on sale for $30
2 3-pack WellPatch, $5.99 each, get $5.99 ECBs back for each
2 4-packs of Bic Comfort 3 disposable razors, $5.89 each, get $4 ECBs back for each
5 SoyJoy bars, on sale for $1 each, get $4 ECB per 4
2 bags of CVS brand peppermints, $0.99 each

TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS AND TAX = $60.74

Coupons used:

CVS coupon for $10 off $50 purchase
$30 off Bayer Contour from Sunday's insert
2 $1 off WellPatch from a past insert
2 $2 off Bic Comfort 3 razors
$3 off purchase of 5 SoyJoy bars (printed from SoyJoy website)
CVS coupon for $1 off 2 CVS brand candies (from coupon machine)

TOTAL AFTER COUPONS = $10.74, plus tax

Paid with $9.96 ECBs, and put the remaining balance of $4.39 on my gift card. ($3.61 of that was TAX!)

Got back $23.98 in ECBs to spend next time, meaning I just made $9.63 by buying this stuff. ($23.98 ECBs earned minus $9.96 ECBs used minus $4.39 cash paid)

Woohoo! Happy early birthday to me!

Raised bed

2008-10-30T09:07:00.004-05:00

Here's a shot of the big L-shaped bed once Lance was almost finished building it out on the driveway. It's made of 1x6 cedar boards, 10 feet long on the outside, 8 feet long on the inside, and 2 feet deep. It will hold up to 18 inches of soil.

We didn't have a formal building plan, just a sketch of what I wanted it to look like. Lance took that and decided what supports to use and such. (That's why I married an engineer!)

Here's the bed once installed in the corner of the corner of the picket fence. It's flipped over, with 6 inches of the galvanized brackets in the ground for support. I started folding up carboard and placing it around the edges to keep the bermuda grass at bay. I'll go back and cover all the carboard layers with mulch on Saturday. More pictures coming!

Job interview went extremely well!

2008-10-29T18:55:00.000-05:00

Just wanted folks to know that I had a job interview with Sarah Cannon Research Institute (yes, the "How-DEEEEEEEE!" Sarah Cannon) today. Everything went really extremely well, and I fully expect to get a phone call any day to start salary negotiations! At this point, I'd take the job even if they offer me what I'm making now. I'm ready for a change.

Mom and Dad also had good news today: they closed on the flip house, and the money is in the bank! They didn't make as much as they expected, but they both learned a lot of valuable lessons.

Cheap chicken dinner

2008-10-21T20:08:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to mention how CHEAP our dinner tonight was! Publix has chicken leg quarters on sale this week for $0.59/pound. I bought ten pounds yesterday, put five in the freezer and five in the crock pot this morning with some onion and about a cup of water. It turned out really good and moist! Total cost = about $0.75 for the portion we ate tonight

As a side, I cooked up some pasta that I found in the pantry and used up the last of some Velveeta I cooked with a few weeks ago to make quick mac-and-cheese. Total cost = about $0.75

As a HEALTHY side, I made up some frozen Green Giant broccoli, which is on sale this week at Publix for $1. I had a Mfr. coupon, so I got it for just $0.50.

Total cost of the dinner for two = $2.00! Oh, and let's not forget the dessert: Free Brach's pumpkin candy. : )

Now, I'm off to debone and shred the leftovers chicken to use in a casserole and white chicken chili. More cheap dinners in my future!

Does toothpaste have an expiration date?

2008-10-21T19:44:00.004-05:00

I hope not, because we seem to be amassing more than we can use in YEARS!

(And that's after giving Mom and Dad several tubes. The deal: They supply the Sunday coupons, I supply the toothpaste. Win/win!)

Tonight I HAD to make a CVS run, because I had a very valuable coupon that expired today: $3 off Excedrin Express Gels. Know why it was so valuable? Because the Express Gels are on sale this week for $1.99! To sweeten the deal even more, I had a manufacturer's coupon for another $2 off! So, today only, I could buy some Excedrin and make $3. Too good to pass up.

I had to buy a "filler" item, otherwise my total would have been negative, so I grabbed a bag of pecans, which I can use for holiday baking. The transaction went as follows:

Excedrin Express Gels, $1.99, used $3 CVS coupon and $2 Mfr. coupon
Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste, $2.99, get $2 ECBs back, used $1 Mfr. coupon
Pecan Halves, on sale for $3.50

I paid with $2.29 ECBs, put the remaining $0.46 on my new gift card (thanks, Pharmacy!), and walked out of there with another $2 in ECBs. That means I spent a whopping $0.75 on a bag of pecans. Sweet!

Another successful CVS run.

I'll buy anything, take 2

2008-10-20T10:24:00.003-05:00

Yes, I bought another bottle of Just for Men hair color. How could I not? It is a money-maker this week! I've already sent in the mail-in-rebate for the other bottle I bought, so I only made $2 by buying it, instead of the possible $9.99. Oh, well!

The other freebies this week are pumpkin pails, Brach's candy, and a few other little things. I didn't take the time to find the others, because they hide the freebies and I just didn't have that time to waste searching for them. I was lucky to find the last pail they had. I wanted to get two, but I'll just be thankful to get the one.

Breakdown:

2 Brach's candy, $1.29 each, get $1.29 ECBs back for each (limit 2)

Pumpkin pail, $0.99, get $0.99 ECBs back (limit 2)

Just for Men Touch of Gray, $7.99, get $7.99 ECBs back (limit 1)

I only used ONE coupon, can you believe it? $2 off Just for Men Touch of Gray. Then I paid with $9.48 in ECBs and 27 cents, and got back $11.56 total in ECBs. That's a profit of $1.81!

And now I think I'll celebrate by munching on free candy corn...

What I've been reading

2008-10-19T09:14:00.001-05:00

I fell in love with the Janette Oke series "Love Comes Softly" back in middle school. Aunt Sherry would check out each book for me from her church library, and I mowed through them as quickly as I could. I love period pieces, through which I can learn about past times in American (or world) history. Through this series, I learned the hardships and the joys of early-American prairie life, as well as the developments of the West.

And now I seriously want a chicken coop.

Five years ago

2008-10-17T21:47:00.005-05:00

Five years ago next week, I was spending a long weekend in Birmingham, AL with some of my favorite people. They threw me a surprise 24rd birthday party! And if that wasn't enough fun, I also found out that weekend that my offer was accepted on the tiny house I had my heart set on.

What great memories...

Free drugs at Publix, who knew?

2008-10-16T17:36:00.002-05:00

While ambling through random blogs today (you know, where you click on someone's blog, and then follow a link from there, and then another link, and suddenly you have no idea where you are), I came across this bit of news:

Publix will give you a 14-day supply of certain oral antibiotics for FREE! That's got to be GREAT news for parents! Check it out here.

I have to give credit to The Spoon and The Shovel for this. It's only fair.

: )

Free gift card!

2008-10-15T20:48:00.003-05:00

Hooray for free CVS gift cards!

At the Magic Coupon Machine the other day, I got a coupon for "$25 gift card with a new or transferred prescription." Well, I just happened to need a new prescription this week anyway, so I had the nurse call it in to my CVS. When I went to pick it up, I paid a measly $5 for the prescription (generic), and walked away with a $25 gift card, woohoo!

Since my CVS transactions usually only call for $1 or so in cash, this card should last me several months, which is really exciting.

CVS makes me happy.

Miss Perfect Bakes a Cake

2008-10-14T19:51:00.003-05:00

Just in case any of you needs confirmation that I am anything BUT perfect:

This is Lance's strawberry birthday cake.

It is the ugliest cake ever made.

It crumbled as I iced it last night, and it split in half just as I was putting it in the fridge. The right side completely slid off. At that point, I gave up and just had to laugh it off.

It still tasted good.

20 Days Later

2008-10-11T14:14:00.003-05:00

I went a whole 20 days without making a CVS purchase, can you believe it? But now I'm back, and going full-steam ahead.

Yesterday, I made a trip before AND after work to take full advantage of the great deals to be had.

Morning Transaction:

Bic Soleil Razor, on sale for $5.99, get 4 ECBs
Colgate MaxFresh, $2.99, get 2 ECBs
Glaceau vitamin water, $2.29, get 2.29 ECBs (free)
2 packs of Always Infinity pads, $4.98 each, get 4.98 ECBs each (free)
CVS Vitamin D, $2.99, get 2.99 ECBs (free)
3 90-count bottles of Maalox chewables, $7.99 each, get 10 ECBs when you buy $20 of specified products
2 bags of Halloween treats, $2.50 and $3.29

Coupons used:

$10 off $50 purchase, which printed from the Magic Coupon Machine
$2 off Bic Soleil razor or cartridges (printed from site, offer has ended)
$1 off Colgate MaxFresh, from the Sept. All You magazine
3 $2 off Maalox mfr. coupons from recent inserts

Paid with 23.99 ECBs and $12.72 in cash. Got back a total of 31.24 ECBs, which means I essentially paid $5.47 (23.99 + 12.72 - 31.24). Not bad, considering that's less than I would have paid for just the Halloween treats!

Evening Transaction:

Bic Soleil 4-pack cartridges, on sale for $5.99, get 4 ECBs
Glaceau vitamin water, $2.29, get 2.29 ECBs (free)
1 pack of Always Infinity pads, $4.98, get 4.98 ECBs (free)
WellPatch arthritis patches, $5.99, get 5.99 ECBs (free)
CVS vitamin D, $2.99, get 2.99 ECBs (free)

Coupons used:

$2 off Bic Soleil razor or cartridges
$1 off WellPatch Mfr. coupon from recent insert

Paid with 16.98 ECBs and $2.71 cash. Got back a total of 20.25 ECBs, which means I made a profit of $0.56. Too bad I didn't have a $3/$15 coupon or something!

That comes to a daily total of less than $5.00 spent on quite a lot of goods. We really needed the Maalox Multi-Symptom, and I'm always excited to try a new razor. Oh, and the Halloween treats were obviously a necessity. In the past, we've spent up to $20 on treats for the trick-or-treaters, but this year we're spending next to nothing!

It's good to be back in the swing of things.

The best "milk-run" ever

2008-10-03T21:53:00.003-05:00

Why is it that I only want to use recipes that call for milk when we're OUT of milk?

I really wanted to make broccoli-cheese soup for dinner, but after realizing that it called for milk (big duh), I had to think quick. Either try the recipe WITHOUT the milk (not a good idea), or make a special trip. Hm.

I decided on a special trip. And this trip started with Best Buy. Non sequitur, yes, but we earned some Best Buy gift certificates that expire TOMORROW (why do we cut things so close?), so it was use them today or never. (We'll have no time to use them tomorrow, due to my cousin's out-of-town wedding.)

I was pleased to get the Labyrinth special edition DVD for a pittance after our certificates. Then it was off to get the milk. Sort of. We were too hungry to wait for dinner, so we stopped at Krystal for a sack-full. Yeah, I know.

Finally, with the hot food stinking up the car, we rolled into Kroger. I ran in, grabbed two Glade Plug-in Gel Warmers ($1.89 each), a half gallon of milk ($1.89 on sale), and boogied to the registers. I had a BOGO free coupon for the Plug-ins, so the total after tax was $4.06. I sheepishly asked the cashier if I could use the two $2 catalinas that had just printed (one for each Plug-in) towards my total. She had no problem with that, and I ended up paying her $0.06 cents.

That's a nickel and a penny for milk and two Plug-ins. Unbelievable.

So, as convoluted as the trip ended up being, it turned out to be a pretty great "milk-run", huh? :)

Rest and peace

2008-09-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

I've been quiet for the past few days. Some things have been happening that have caused a lot of unrest in our house, but the worst is now over. I'm glad to be done with one issue in particular, after over 3 years of anxiety and anger. It wasn't a great outcome, but at least I can now have some peace.

I'll probably lay low a couple more days, just to rest. Just wanted you all to know.

Savior, grant me rest and peace...Let my troubled dreaming cease...

Kroger therapy

2008-09-27T17:42:00.003-05:00

My angry breakup with Walgreens was eased some today by a GREAT Kroger run.

For all the items above, I spent only $26.33, of which $5.75 was tax! I've got enough for dinners and lunches this week, and extras for the coming weeks. Some of the highlights were:

Pillsbury brownie mix, on sale for $1, bought four and used four $0.40 coupons (doubled) to make them only 20 cents each
Chef Boyardee cans (yes, I still like to eat Beefaroni every now and then!), on sale for $1, bought six and used two $0.35/3 coupons (doubled) to make them 80 cents each
Yo-Plus yogurt 4-pack, $2.49, used a Shortcuts coupon for $1 off and a Mfr. coupon for $1 off to make them 49 cents
1 package of Old El Paso taco shells and 1 package of tortillas, $2.19 each, used $1/2 Mfr. coupon, and a peelie from the box to get 1 taco seasoning pack for free
Country Bob's sauce, free after coupon on postcard (to get one, go here)
Cottonelle single roll 4-pack, $0.99, used $0.50 Mfr. coupon (doubled) to get it free
Trident, on sale for $0.50, used a $0.55 coupon (reduced by cashier) to get it free

And the biggest highlight of all, the one that paid part of the bill:

Glade Plug-in Gel Warmers, $1.89 each, bought six and used 3 BOGOF coupons for a total of $5.67...and the scanner printed off $12 in Kroger catalinas!

In case you don't know (I didn't know for the longest time), a catalina is like a voucher good for your next purchase at Kroger. Sometimes they are for specific products, but in this case, the catalinas said "$2 off your next purchase," so I could use them for anything.

The Glade Wisp candles are giving a $4 catalina for each one purchased, and I tried to buy two this morning, using a BOGOF printable coupon. Alas, the cashier and manager went back and forth about taking it, then (after making me wait for about ten minutes) they decided that they wouldn't accept it because of the high dollar value. I asked that the cashier just void the two, and he accidentally ADDED two. Then he voided all four, and neither the cashier nor the manager asked for me to give them the four $4 catalinas that printed off. I figured, well, they wasted my time, didn't let me use a perfectly valid coupon, and then didn't ask for the catalinas back, so they're technically mine to spend!

In all honesty, the catalinas I got for the Wisp candles just make up for past instances of scanning mistakes and bad food that I never got around to returning.

Well, I feel much better after my Kroger therapy session. Katy Coupons got her groove back!

I'm making a clean break.

2008-09-27T09:10:00.003-05:00

Last night, I broke it off with Walgreens.

Oh, I've been flirting with them for a few months, taking advantage of a few good sales and free-after-rebate items. But they've never been able to do for me what CVS does. Each visit frustrated me more and more, culminating in last night's terrible experience.

I had my list ready to go, fully prepared to play by all the random coupon rules that my local stores keeps throwing at me. I had only one coupon of each type and more items than coupons. Everything hinged on whether or not they had stocked those five items. I was thrilled to see that they had, so I loaded my basket and headed to the cashier.

This little older lady at the register was so kind to me in the past. I would let her ramble on about her family and this and that, because I wanted to build a report with her. Tonight, she seemed completely different. She didn't seem to recognize me, and she was NOT kind at all. She scowled at my coupons, then told me that I couldn't use a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon (from the Oct. EasySaver Booklet). I gently tried to explain that the two coupons are completely different, and that they are normally allowed.

Then it was, "Well, you can't use them both because your total isn't above $20." That didn't make sense at all, but I gently pointed out that my total was over $38. Obviously she (and the manager she called over at this point) felt like I was running a scam or something. I just kept pointing out the facts. They finally tried scanning the EasySaver coupon, and it beeped. They refused to make it go through, spouting off other ridiculous excuses.

I was finally so frustrated that I quietly asked that they void the transaction and let me have my coupons back. I left cordially, without a big fuss, but I knew that I would never shop in that store again, and possibly not in Walgreens period.

So, no deals. I wash my hands of Walgreens. I will still file for the rebate items I already bought, but I think I'll have them send me the rebate in cash instead of a gift card. I really don't want to have to return there.

CVS and I are exclusive now.

Walgreens is the place to be this weekend!

2008-09-26T13:55:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness I didn't declare a Walgreens Hiatus...They just released this $5 off $20 purchase coupon for this Friday and Saturday. Boy, we couponers can do a LOT with this!

I won't give details now (since everything depends on which items are in stock), but suffice it to say that I plan to do two transactions this weekend, spend about $23 in cash, and get back $36 on my gift card. Sweet!

Oh, Walgreens. Are you trying to win me back? I'll lead you on a little longer...

Quarterly Report

2008-09-26T11:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been playing the Drugstore Game for three whole months now, so I figured it was time for a little reflection, in the form of a Quarterly Report. Here's a list of my accumulation from both CVS and Walgreens...

Stocked for at least 6 months:

Shampoo
Conditioner
Razors
Shaving cream
Body wash
Toilet paper
Name-brand cereal
Mayonnaise
Pasta sauce

Stocked for a year or more:

Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Deodorant (for both of us)
Feminine products
Hand soap
Dishwasher detergent
Dish liquid
Kitchen trash bags
Contact solution
Headache medicine
Sinus/cold medicine
Household cleaners
Facial tissues
Cotton swabs
Paper towels
Make-up (foundation, concealer, powder, mascara)
Nail polish

I'm sure I've left something off the list, because there's just so much! I really need to take a picture of the bathroom closet. Lance refers to it as our Mini CVS.

So, having spent only about $120 total for all of this, I consider this quarter a great success! The only drawback to having a fully-stocked Mini CVS, though, is that I really don't have a need to shop for a long while. Will that stop me? Not if there are money-makers to be had.

And then there's always the Grocery Game...

This message is Baxter-approved

2008-09-25T15:33:00.004-05:00

And while we're talking about free samples, your four-legged friend would want you to go here and try a sample of Greenies pet snacks! We were sent a dental bone, which Baxter devoured in a span of 90 seconds.

Something tells me he liked it.

You have GOT to try this!

2008-09-24T14:56:00.005-05:00

I got a free sample of the Fiber-One Oats and Chocolate flavor Chewy Granola Bar by signing up here.

Go right now and sign up for yours, because it's RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS!

I just ate another bar myself (from the box I bought with coupons from Kroger last week), and just HAD to write about it! These bars are gooey, chocolate-y goodness that rival any candy bar. And they are packed with healthy ingredients!

I have found my new favorite mid-afternoon snack.

CVS Hiatus

2008-09-23T15:09:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I have money, I just don't want to spend it.

I'm taking a break from CVS for a week or two. I've looked at the sneak peek ad for next week, and nothing is jumping out at me as a stellar deal. There will be a freebie (after ECBs), but it's not something I care to make a trip for. Can you believe it??

It will be kind of nice to take a break, really. As with anything else, you can have TOO much of a good thing. I've been CVS-ing for a good three months straight, so a short hiatus is well-deserved.

Even though I don't spend much at CVS, I'm trying to limit my spending across the board in order to pay off our debt sooner. Fewer store visits means less unnecessary spending each month. Less spending means extra money in the budget to go towards our school loans. And, in the end, no school loans and other debts will mean we can live off one income come Baby Time! See, there's a long-term plan here.

No money, no problems.

It's not a gas shortage. It's a brain shortage.

2008-09-22T12:32:00.003-05:00

I'm so sick of this hysteria over the gas shortage in Nashville. Reports say that the concern over the "crisis" is causing Nashvillians to go through FOUR TIMES as much gas in the past week as normal. People are stockpiling and hoarding. People are waiting in line for over an hour (wasting gas) just to "top off" their already-half-full tank, while others (myself included) are on empty and have nowhere to buy just five measly gallons.

I'm not one to buy into rumors and worries about shortages. But apparently I was a little too optimistic last Monday when I bought only five gallons to get me through the week. I figured I'd not fill up all the way, since gas was starting to become scarce, and I knew I could wait it out. WRONG. I overestimated the amount of brain-power in the average Nashvillian. Or maybe I underestimated the power of the rumor mill. In any case, I'm on empty and having to find a back-up plan to my failed back-up plan.

All this has served as a reminder for me: Never take anything for granted! We never know what may be taken from us, whether temporarily or permanently. We should be grateful for every single thing (or available commodity) we have, and thank God every day! Today I have a car, a home, a loving husband, available food, running water...Will I have those tomorrow? I don't know. So I will praise God today for His goodness and mercy!

(And while I'm at it, I'll ask for patience...)

Happiness is...

2008-09-21T17:17:00.004-05:00

...a clean, organized kitchen.

I've been busy this weekend.

Yesterday Lance and I got a lot done. We went to Lowe's to pick up two more sets of industrial shelving in order to start organizing the eBay room. As he was putting those together, I got the drill out and began installing the 23 knobs and 8 handles in the kitchen. Whew! It took a while, mostly because I'm super-obsessive about centering and leveling everything, but I'm very pleased with the outcome. And now we can open doors and drawers easily!

Having knobs and handles inspired me to move everything out of storage and into the cabinets. Even though I'm feeling terrible today, I managed to get every last dish out of storage and into its new home. Then I cleaned up, and even hung a few decorations. I had Lance help me move the jute rug, which was previously under the dining table, into the kitchen. I like it better here, I think. This way the hardwood will be more protected from things dripping from the sink or stove.

It's odd...I'm often more productive on days I feel bad.

Well, it's almost church time, so I'll sign off. Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!

Five years ago today

2008-09-21T17:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a blast from the past. (Somehow 2003 doesn't seem very "past" to me.) In case you haven't guessed, this is Stuart at about 2 months old. Cute little rascal, wasn't he? Poor McKenzie didn't know what to think of the tyke. She eventually learned to ignore him. : )

I'll buy anything to make a buck

2008-09-20T11:01:00.005-05:00

Case in point.

Know anyone who wants this box of Just for Men, Touch of Gray?

Grocery goodies

2008-09-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

Thursday night, I made a Kroger run after my dinner with Denise. Kroger was running a special: buy 15 of specified products, get $3 back instantly. 15 items is a lot to buy for a special, but I noticed that chicken noodle and tomato soup cans counted. And I had coupons for those, so getting my 15 items was easier than I thought!

Here's the breakdown:

4 cans Campbell's tomato soup, $0.77 each, minus 1 $0.40/4 coupon
4 cans Campbell's chicken noodle soup, $0.77 each, minus 1 $0.40/4 coupon
5 Totino's pizzas, $1.25 each
1 box Fiber One chewy bars, $2.19, minus $0.50 coupon
1 4-pack Yo-Plus yogurts, $2.49, minus $1.00 Mfr. coupon, minus $1.00 coupon linked to my Kroger plus card (Shortcuts)
2 bags of frozen pepper/onion mix, on sale for $1.45 each
Organic fresh spinach, on sale for $3.50
a bunch of red grapes, on sale for $1.28/lb.
3 cans of Campbell's cream of chicken, $0.99 each, minus 1 $0.40/3 coupon
1 half gallon of milk, on sale for $1.69
1 pack of Land O Lakes butter halves, $3.85

Kroger doubles coupons up to $0.50, which is so wonderful. After coupons and tax, my total came to $24.66, and I will receive a full refund for the butter, bringing my out-of-pocket to $20.81!

We're stocked up on Totino's, which is Lance's favorite "cheap pizza," for another few months. We're definitely stocked up on tomato and chicken soups for a LONG time, probably through winter. The spinach will be used for side salads for dinners this week, and possibly topped with grilled chicken for a big dinner salad one night. I love fresh spinach salads!

You may notice a box of Just for Men haircolor in the picture, and a bottle of Excedrin. Those I got at CVS right before heading to Kroger. The Just for Men was on sale for $7.99, and giving 2 ECBs. I had a $2 Mfr. coupon to use on it, and a mail-in rebate form for the full purchase price. The Excedrin was $3.99, get 3.99 ECBs, and I had a $1 off CVS Excedrin coupon (printed at the scanner one day), and a $2 Mfr. coupon. Since the haircolor and Excedrin totalled just over $10, I was able to use a CVS $2/$10 coupon. I paid with 5 ECBs and about 1.21 cents, got 5.99 ECBs back. I sent off for the $8 rebate yesterday, making that a profit of $7.78!

I was tired by the time I got home Thursday, but it was worth it. Our grocery bills used to be high, because I didn't pay much attention to sale flyers or coupons. I certainly didn't tailor our menus to what I could get cheaply that week. Half the time I didn't even cook! But now I'm seeing what a difference it makes to take a little time to research, plan, and clip. It's fun to try to make our bill less and less each week!

Tiny butter!

2008-09-19T21:51:00.002-05:00

Look at this tiny stick of butter! It's a "half-stick" that is individually-wrapped. Isn't it cute? It's even cuter when you know it's FREE! Go here to download a rebate for a pack of Land O Lakes half-sticks. I was almost out of butter, so this rebate came at the perfect time. : )

What you've all been waiting for...

2008-09-19T21:03:00.004-05:00

A picture of the toilet paper I bought! Riveting, I know.

Transaction 1:

L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift, on sale for $11.99, get 11.99 ECBs,
Used $3.00 Manufacturer's coupon and a $2 off $10 CVS coupon
Paid with 5.99 ECBs and $1.37 in cash

Transaction 2:

4 12-packs of Cottonelle double rolls, $6.49 each, buy $25 of specified products get 10 ECBs
1 Nivea Men's body wash, $4.99, get 4.99 ECBs
Used 2 $0.50 Cottonelle coupons, 1 $1 Nivea coupon, and a $5 off $30 coupon I got by email JUST THIS MORNING! (How lucky is that??)
Paid with 22.98 ECBs and $1.24 cash

So, I walked away this morning with all those goodies (which took a CVS shopping cart to transport), having spent $2.61 in cash, used 28.97 of my ECB stash, and earned back 26.98 ECBs. That means I "paid" exactly $4.60 for it all. ($2.61 + 28.97 - 26.98)

Knowing that the Revitalift would be GONE in another day's time, I went back after work with Lance's card and got both it and another Nivea body wash. After my coupons, I used 9.99 ECBs and paid $1.45 cash, and earned 16.98 in ECBs. That's a profit of $5.54, which puts me in the black for all of today's purchases!

Today's deals were awesome. Later on (probably Sunday), I'll go take advantage of their good deal on Mt. Dews and use some ECBs. That will stock Lance up for a while, hopefully until the next time they run another Pepsi product deal.

I'm excited about toilet paper and feel no shame

2008-09-19T13:34:00.005-05:00

Katy Coupons is a strange creature. I'm just getting to know her, too.

Today's excitement: TOILET PAPER!

Why? Because this morning I got 48 double rolls for $4.60 at CVS! We go through about 1 double roll per week, so that's almost a YEAR'S worth. And the best part is: I won't have to go buy it at Walmart! (I hate Walmart.)

It's truly strange, but having a car full of toilet paper makes me very happy.

: ) ------------------------------>

Silence of the Lambs Bear

2008-09-19T08:29:00.007-05:00

Baxter is never easy on his playmates.

At least this bear only cost $0.45 at the local Thrift Store. Small price to pay for his destructive enjoyment.

At the present time, he has managed to remove Bear's nose and some "brain." Mama stitched up the opening and glued the stitches down with E-6000. (A trick I learned over the years...Otherwise, he'll just rip the stitches out.)

And now Bear looks very scary.

What I'm thankful for right this minute

2008-09-17T14:38:00.002-05:00

a working car that gets good gas mileage
fall weather
good friends (like Denise), with whom I can share daily frustrations and small victories
the fact that the red rose bush is blooming just enough for me to be able to snip a few roses to have here at work (I stop and smell them when I get stressed)
my good black skirt (wearing it now)
a job, even though it aggravates me most days
a home in heaven with my Savior

"Man does not live by bread alone..."

2008-09-17T14:00:00.003-05:00

...But GOOD bread makes everything else taste better!

I'm right proud of myself.

Monday night, I came home and got dinner started as usual, then put all the ingredients in the bread machine to make some sandwich bread for this week. I realized that I used the last of the milk that morning in my cereal (DOH!), so I substituted water in the recipe. I had my fingers crossed that it would turn out okay. I set it on dough cycle, and went about the rest of my chores.

My first attempt at bread a few weeks ago produced a HUGE loaf that we didn't even eat half of, so this time I took the finished dough and separated it into two loaves. I let those rise for another hour in the oven (still warm from cooking a yummy chicken casserole, using the leftover shredded chicken from Friday's dinner), and Lance and I ran to Office Max to use some coupons and get printer cartridges. When we got back, they were ready to be baked.

The baked loaves came out just right! Oh, they smelled so good. It took everything I had not to slice into one right away and gobble it down. But I was good, and let them cool on the counter until they were ready to be put away, one in the fridge, one in the freezer for next week.

This morning, I took the one out of the fridge and sliced it up for sandwiches. It sliced so beautifully, that I wanted to run downstairs to get my camera. Had I not been running late, I probably would have. : ) I made us some chicken salad (using the last of the shredded chicken from Friday...whew, that chicken went a long way!), and made us some sandwiches.

Just now, I finished my lunch, and I was just so proud of myself at how delicious the bread was! Now, it didn't have a strong taste, of course, but it was nice and firm (held up well with the chicken salad in it), and was just soft enough to be pleasant. I even ate the crusts, which I usually hate when eating store bread.

Success! My bread machine has earned its spot on the counter, that's for sure. I foresee a long, happy relationship for the two of us. : )

Now, on to the next frontier: cinnamon rolls! (To be continued...possibly this weekend...)

$0.41 Sauce

2008-09-16T20:48:00.005-05:00

CVS Transaction today:

4 jars Ragu sauce at 3/$5
2 jars Hellmann's mayo at $3 each
1 Aleve 10-ct at $3.99, get 3 ECBs
1 Excedrin 20-ct at $3.99, get 3.99 ECBs

SUB-TOTAL = $20.65

Coupons used:

CVS $4 off $20 purchase (printed at scanner last week, lucky me!)
2 $.50/2 Ragu coupons
2 $.60/1 Hellmann's coupons
$1 off Aleve (printed online)
$2 off Excedrin

TOTAL after coupons = $11.45, plus tax

I used a total of 10.99 ECBs, then paid the remaining $1.44 in cash. I received back 3 ECBs for buying over $10 of the food products, 3 ECBs for the Aleve, and 3.99 ECBs for the Excedrin.

I really wanted to use that $4/$20 coupon before it expired tomorrow, so getting some food staples was the perfect plan. We can always use mayo and sauce, and it keeps in the pantry for a LONG time. The food deal was "buy $10 of Ragu/Skippy/Hellmann's/Lipton products, get 3 ECBs back", but I could only do it once, so there was no point in buying $20 worth of just food (to get my total up). Thus I picked out some "fillers", things I could either get for free after ECBs or, in the case of the Excedrin, actually MAKE money on. Hence, the Aleve and Excedrin. Those brought my total up just over $20, so I could use my $4/$20 coupon.

In all, I was only out $2.44 for this transaction (10.99 ECBs used + $1.44 cash - 9.99 ECBs earned), so it's as if I paid $.41 a piece for the jars of sauce and mayo. Good deal! And I'm sure Lance and I will use up the free Aleve Cold and Sinus this winter. In all, I'd call this a successful trip. I didn't end up making money or even breaking even, but I paid less for these staples than I would at the best sale Kroger could come up with!

Now, if only CVS sold gasoline...

Oh, me of little faith

2008-09-16T12:43:00.003-05:00

Only a few short hours after writing about how there are no good deals at CVS, I checked out the CVS ad for next week, and was blown away! Deals GALORE! I've already gotten my transactions planned out, and will (most likely) be able to stock up on toilet paper and Diet Mt. Dews for a fraction of the cost at Walmart or Kroger. Hooray!

And, ironically, even though the deals are not great this week, I'm STILL going to make three trips to CVS before the weekend. Maybe four, ha ha! That's because the ad for "next week" begins on Friday. They are conducting a test in our area, trying out a new ad layout and also running the ad from Friday to Thursday instead of Sunday to Saturday. I hate the new ad layout and I hate the new run time! And don't you know I've already contacted Customer Service to say as much. : )

Another irony: The good deals at CVS starting on Friday are some of the very same products that Walgreens is offering free-after-rebate this month...and have been out of stock on for the entire month. On Saturday, I was bemoaning the fact that I wasn't able to get those products with my super-duper coupon, but it actually worked to my advantage that they were out of stock, because now I can get an even better deal at CVS!

Have I mentioned how much I love CVS? Have I?

PS - That picture I posted of CVS was off the internet...I didn't stand out in the parking lot and take it myself. : )

Where are the deals?

2008-09-15T12:24:00.004-05:00

It looks like a really boring week.

Neither CVS nor Walgreens have anything spectacular going on in the deals department. And, besides, I'm miffed at Walgreens.

I think I'll stop by CVS today and take advantage of their Ragu/Hellmann's sale, though. I have coupons for Ragu sauce and Hellmann's mayo, so it will probably work out that I get four jars of sauce and 2 jars of mayo for about 65 cents a piece including tax. That's a good deal (though free is better), and we're almost out of mayo.

Yesterday was a lazy day, so that's why I didn't post anything. It was drizzly all day, which was perfect for climbing under the warm covers and reading away the afternoon. In between loads of laundry, of course. : ) I can't just laze about, as you know! I have to be getting something done!

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend, and is refreshed for the new week! It's looking like it will be a good week here: sunny and cooler, highs in the 70s and low 80s. Ah, fall is finally coming...

Disappointing morning

2008-09-13T09:18:00.004-05:00

When Lance got up at 6:30 am (why??), I went ahead and got up, too. I was excited to get to Walgreens and see if they restocked the free-after-rebate items. Before rushing out the door, I pulled the banana bread pan out of the fridge, and found that it had risen some overnight (yay!)

I got to Walgreens around 7 am. I went immediately to the aisle with the L'Oreal and Nivea products that were free-after-rebate. Out. Not restocked. I then took my basket back to the front of the store and left. I was SO disappointed, but I knew there was a good possibility that could happen. So I didn't get the great deals I thought I was getting today.

From there, I went to Walmart Neighborhood Market (in the same parking lot), and got the Suddenly Salad I needed to bring to the barbeque in Spring Hill today. Before leaving the house, I had snipped a coupon for 50 cents off two, so I went ahead and got two, along with a couple of things I knew we'd need this week. I was disappointed to find, after checking out, that Walmart does not double their food coupons. Bummer. If I had thought ahead, I could have caught a sale at Kroger or Publix and used that coupon to get $1 off two. Oh, well.

Got home, put the banana bread in the oven, and kept an eye on it. It smelled wonderful, and looked pretty good, too. When it was done and steaming on the counter, I cut us off some slices, and we sat down to eat together. Hm. Not a lot of banana taste. Surprising, because I used DOUBLE the amount of banana the recipe called for! I'm going to blame the wheat flour, since it was probably overpowering the taste of banana. I've decided that the next loaf: a) will not be made in the bread maker, b) will have the correct amounts of each ingredient, and c) will be made with unbleached white flour instead of wheat. What can I say, I just don't like wheat that much.

So, in all it's been a slightly disappointing morning. But I am looking forward to spending time with the Hatchett clan today and hugging my sweet Granddaddy. It will be nice to be able to spend some time with Rob and Rachel (the soon-to-be cousin-in-law), who we haven't seen in a while.

Thank goodness disappointing mornings can change into satisfying afternoons!

Yeast roll success

2008-09-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Auntie N, for the link to the bread machine recipes!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Bread/Bread-Machine/Top.aspx

I tried the yeast rolls today. Or, I guess you could say, yesterday and today. I made the dough up in the bread maker last night, shaped the rolls in a baking pan, and put it in the fridge overnight. Today after work, I put them in the oven. They took a little more time than expected, probably because they were still cold. But they turned out nice and buttery!

Right now I've got some banana nut bread going. I'm just putting it through the dough cycle, so that I can put it in a pan and store it in the fridge until tomorrow. I'll bake it up for breakfast. I hope the plan works. It didn't seem to be rising very well. Guess we'll see!

I am going to bed early so that I can be up early and head to Walgreens! How crazy is that? But I have a plan, and want to get there before they sell out of certain products. Their $10 off $40 coupon is only good for today and tomorrow, so I have to jump on it! I'll report later tomorrow. I may be ecstatic, I may be disappointed. I just never know!

So, goodnight!