Noteworthy CVS deals this week

I just got back from a pretty good trip to CVS. Since I am an old customer there, I don't get a lot of those magical $4/$20 or $5/$30 purchase coupons anymore from the coupon scanner or in my email. When I went into CVS last week, however, I got a little gift...a $5 off a $40 purchase coupon. Not a great one...but it still saves you some if you have that much to buy. Really...I think those coupons are the best ever. You should ask Donny how I respond when I get coupons like that for CVS or Publix...I squeal in excitement. It's pretty pathetic.

Anyway, I had some rainchecks to cash in, and I needed make-up. I have been scraping the bottom of my blush for weeks now. The little crumbs of blush haven't been producing much, so it was time to suck it up and buy some make-up. With the make-up I needed, some deals going on this week, and two rainchecks I had to use, I thought I could work up a good way to total $40 and use my $5 off $40 coupon and come out pretty well...and I did. Mind you...I had no intention of actually spendind $40 today. My $5 off $40 coupon can be applied first before any manufacturer's coupons, so I had to total $40, but I did not actually pay $40. I actually only paid about $13 once I handed the cashier the rest of my coupons.

Here are some noteworthy deals:

1. CVS Sunscreen - This week you can buy 2 CVS brand sunscreens and get a $5 ECB. There are 2 oz. bottles of sunscreen that are priced anywhere from $1.99-$2.39. Mine were $2.19. Well, those little gems qualify for the ECB deal (although they do not have a sign under them). Soooo...I bought 2 of them for $2.19 each, paid $4.38 and got back a $5 ECB. Not too shabby...and a great way to roll my ECBS and make a little ($0.62) along the way. And...no coupons needed!!!

2. Crest Advantage toothbrushes - Buy one at $2.99, get $1 ECB - This deal has a limit of 2. There was a Buy One, get One Free for these toothbrushes in the 3/7 Proctor and Gamble insert, and a $2 off 1 in the 4/4 P&G insert. Sooooo...I bought two, used the $2 off coupon for the one I was buying, and I used the BOGO for the second one to get it free. I paid $0.99 and got back $2 ECBs for buying 2 of them. Some cashiers may give you funny looks for using both coupons, but it should work. You are buying one and getting one free...and you are getting $2 off the one you are buying with the other coupon. It's a $1.01 moneymaker as well.

3. Fig Newtons - The small boxes are on sale for $1 each - There is a $1/1 coupon available here through Facebook. There is no size limit on this, so you can get Fig Newtons for free. I printed two coupons on my computer and two on Donny's computer and got 4 free boxes today.

I got some other things for free (Diet Coke, Reese's Cup, Vitamin Water, Thermacare, Colgate, Body Wash), but they were from either coupons I had from a while ago or rainchecks. I used my overage and my $5/$40 to cover the purchase of a tube of Revlon lipstick and much needed blush. Overall, I spent $15 in ECBS, paid just under $2 in tax (on a gift card), and got back $17 ECBs. I didn't make much...but I got my much needed make-up and a ton of other stuff we will use. So fun when coupons and deals work out for things you actually need. It's also nice to have an agreeable three-year-old with you as well.

Happy CVSing!

Tearpad Alert!! Cheap Cheez-Its at Publix this week!

My favorite way to find great coupons is to keep an eye out for blinkies or tearpads in stores. Tearpad coupons are free, and they are often for a high value. Tonight at Publix, I found a tearpad on a Cheez-It crackers display at the front of my store for $2.00 off 2 packages of Cheez-Its. Guess what goes BOGO tomorrow??? Yep, Cheez-Its. My store has Cheez-Its priced at $2.63. Guess what my kids are going to be eating at lunch as their "chip" for a while? If you can find this tearpad, it is time to stock up!!!

My Publix is across the street from a Wal-Mart, and I am convinced that its prices are lower on a lot of items compared to other Publix stores. BUT for all you commoners who have normal Publix prices...this week's ad says "Save up to $4.09." That seems really high to me per box, but even if they are $4.09, you would still get two boxes for just over a dollar each with that coupon. I am guessing that most stores will hit in the $3.50-$3.99 range...which makes your boxes less than a dollar each with that coupon. I am looking forward to $0.32 each at my store.

Suggestion if you are really interested in finding this coupon/tearpad: Go early (tomorrow or Friday), because the coupons will get snatched up by other savvy shoppers like us. :)

I hope some of you can find this deal as well. I would love to know if you do. Please leave a comment if you find the tearpads in your store...even if you find an empty tearpad...because it lets me know if these coupons are broadly offered...which lets me know if tearpad/blinkie alerts are helpful to post on this blog. If they are only at my store, then that doesn't help most of you. BTW, my store is in Oviedo at the corner of Alafaya and McCullough across from the Wal Mart Neighborhood Market.

I was running out of snack crackers. I was planning on stocking up on Cheez-Its this week anyway. Yay for great tearpads!

Orlando CVS Milk and Cereal Deal (no coupons needed)

I like to post deals like this, because it's hard to get a good deal on milk.

So here we go...time to put on your thinking cap if you're still fairly new to CVS.

In the Orlando CVS ad today there is a promotion that combines a milk and cereal purchase for a really good deal. No coupons needed (but if you have coupons it gets even better). Remember, you do have to get a CVS card to make this work. Just ask for one at the counter. Here's how it works:

Buy 2 of the following Kellogg's products for $5:
Raisin Bran Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Mini-Wheats, All-Bran, Special K Cereal, Special K Bars, or Nutri-Grain Bars

Buy 1 Gallon of Milk (I think in most Orlando stores the deal is for T. G. Lee milk) for $3.19.

Pay $8.19 out of pocket
Get back an Extra Care Buck (ECB) for $3.
Total cost (if you remember to use your ECB for a later purchase): $5.19 for milk and two boxes of cereal/bars.

THEN...you can turn around and use your ECB to do the deal again, because the deal can be done twice.

Deal #2
Buy two more boxes of the cereal for $5.
Buy milk for $3.19.
Use your $3 ECB from your first purchase.
Pay $5.19 out of pocket.
Get back another $3 ECB.

If you do the deal twice and have no coupons, you get 4 boxes of cereal/bars and 2 gallons of milk by paying $13.38 out of pocket and still have a $3 ECB for another purchase. It's like getting it all for $10.38 after ECBS...that's $1.73/item...not too shabby when two of those items are gallons of milk.

Here's where the deal can get even sweeter. There are a few coupons out there that can make your out of pocket expense even lower.

Printables
Sign up here to print 2 $1/1 coupons for T.G. Lee Milk.
Click here for $1.50/2 packages of All-Bran, Mini-Wheats or Raisin Bran (I have had this accepted for Raisin Bran Crunch before...I would ask your cashier first just to keep things on the up and up). I think you should be able to print those twice as well.

Newspaper Inserts
$1/2 Kellogg's All-Bran, Crispix, Rice Krispies Smart Start, Raisin Bran and/or Corn Flakes Cereals (11.4 oz +, any flavor, mix or match) any (2) - 04-11-10 Red Plum insert
$1.50/2 Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Crispix, All-Bran, and/or Corn Flakes Cereals, any (2) 10 oz+ - 03/21/10 or 03-28-10 Red Plum

Sooooo...let's say you print the $1/1 milk coupons and the $1.50/2 cereal coupons. Here's how it would work:

Purchase #1
2 Boxes of cereal (All Bran, Mini-Wheats or Raisin Bran Crunch): $5
1 Gallons of milk: $3.19
Use your 2 coupons to get $2.50 off
Pay $5.69 out of pocket
Get back a $3 ECB

Purchase #2
2 Boxes of cereal (All Bran, Mini-Wheats or Raisin Bran Crunch): $5
1 Gallons of milk: $3.19
Use your 2 coupons (because you printed them twice) to get $2.50 off
Use your $3 ECB from purchase #1
Pay $2.69 out of pocket
Get back a $3 ECB

Total cash spent: $8.38
AND you walk out with e $3 ECB for a future purchase

Total for 2 gallons of milk and 4 boxes of cereal (if you can print the coupons): $8.38 ($5.38 after ECBs). Pretty good.

Feel free to post in the comment section any questions, comments and any other coupons you know about that fit this deal. I just got milk at Aldi yesterday, so I will be waiting until the end of the week to do this deal. Remember, if they are out of the milk or cereal you like, you can always ask for a raincheck. Most stores will give one for a deal like this (although I have had one before tell me they couldn't do a raincheck for milk deals...which I thought was silly...but I didn't press it that time).

For more CVS deals this week (there are quite a few good ones), check out Hip2Save.

Have a great week!

Why I had a Salad for Lunch

Last Thursday around 2:00 p.m., the kids were down for a nap, and I had an hour and a half to myself. I was rummaging through my fridge trying to find just the right thing to meet that craving I was having for lunch. What did I end up making? A salad. I didn't really want a salad that day. I would have rather sat down with a bag of chips or a Cadbury Creme Egg...but I made a salad.

While I understand that a salad is a healthy option and a good choice for lunch in many respects, there is only one reason I made a salad that day: the lettuce was on the verge of browning. How many times do you find something in your fridge or pantry that you forgot you had or just didn't get around to eating before it spoiled? What would you find if you checked your shelves right now? One of the best ways to save money and steward what God has given you without ever clipping a coupon or reading a sales ad is to use what you have in a timely manner...even when you're not in the mood. Did you read that? Even when you're not in the mood.

So I had a salad. It was yummy (complete with leftover boiled eggs from Easter that needed to be used), healthy, and very frugal.

The fountain beverage, however, is a different story. Confession: I have a current addiction to fountain beverages (3/4 Diet Coke and 1/4 Regular Coke). It is the least frugal habit I think I have ever had...but you have to make choices, right?

Next time you are making a meal...check your fridge, freezer, or pantry. What could you use that needs to be used? You might just save yourself a few bucks...and, over time, that's enough to nurture your fountain beverage habit (or whatever your current addiction is). Have a great afternoon. I'm going to go finish my Diet Coke.