$2 in ECBs FREE at CVS!

Do you have a CVS card? Get $2 in ECBs for FREE at CVS when you take a pledge not to be a "money trasher". Available to the first 500,000. Your $2 ECB store coupon will be emailed to you to print out. It expires 5 days after you request it.

Free money? Gotta love that! I used mine to get $2 off a gallon of milk. What will you use yours for?

$3/1 Huggies Coupons Again!

There's two more $3/1 Huggies coupon on Coupons.com! You can get a great deal on Huggies through tomorrow at CVS, where they are on sale for $6.49 after ECBs, so they would be $3.49 after ECBs and coupon! Apparently Huggies will also be on sale next week at Rite Aid.

You can print off a total of 4 coupons if you print two of each. Get 'em before they're gone!

Getting Started at Drugstores

One way to save a lot of money on household items is to play "the drugstore game". This refers to rolling ECBs and RRs at CVS and Walgreens. It can be confusing at first, but once you know the rules, I encourage you to watch the sales and give it a try! Confused by the coupon lingo? Go here for definitions and explanations. Playing the drugstore game is how I can get toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, chapstick, candles, and other items for free, and Huggies or Pampers diapers for around $6 a pack. Interested? Read on to get learn the rules and join the game!

To get started at CVS, you need to sign up for their loyalty card to get sale prices and to earn ECBs (extra care bucks), which are coupons for money off your next order that print at the bottom of the receipt. So you might buy something for $2 and get $2 in ECBs back. You had to pay $2 OOP (out of pocket) for the item, but it is LIKE you get it for free because now you save $2 off something else later. It does require you to remember to use the ECB (within one month), and the way to maximize your savings here is to keep "rolling your ECBs", which means you keep buying products that produce more ECBs, all the while paying with your old ECBs. The best way to do this and minimize your OOP is to do separate transactions. It can be confusing at first, until you get the hang of it. ECBs can be used along with manufacturer coupons, because ECBs are store (CVS) coupons. You can also use multiple ECBs to pay for one item, but not for tax.

Walgreens is similar, but a little different. You don't need a savings card. You earn RRs (register rewards) on certain purchases, and RRs are good for 2 weeks. These are a little harder to "roll" because they are manufacturer coupons, NOT store coupons, so they can't be combined with other coupons. So if I have a $2 RR and I want to buy a pack of Huggies for $8, I can only use the RR if I DON'T use a coupon on the Huggies (which I always want to do). One way to get around this is to throw another item into your order that you don't have a coupon for (like a candy bar or dozen eggs) and then you can use both the RR and the diaper coupon because you have 2 coupons and 2 items in your order. Make sense? (I know, it's as clear as mud. I was almost in tears during my first few transactions using RRs at Walgreens, trying to figure out all the rules. It gets easier, though!) Another example, if you earn a $2 RR by buying Huggies, you can't use that RR on another pack of Huggies expecting to earn another $2 RR. They don't "roll" that way. You can, however, use the $2 Huggies RR to buy Tylenol and then earn a $2 RR from the Tylenol, because they are from different companies (remember, they are manufacturer coupons, not store coupons). Again, clear as mud, right? :-)

Rite Aid is another drugstore that offers single check rebates on products, which is another way to save money. I don't have this store near me, so I'm not familiar with their policies, but it seems they offer good deals, too.

I don't shop at the drugstores every week, so I don't post their deals. However, several of the blogs on my sidebar do post some highlights and coupon matches every week, so consider subscribing to one of their blogs. Deal Seeking Mom posts all the weekly deals for these stores as well as Walmart, Target, and others, so I'd suggest subscribing to her blog if you are interested. You can subscribe on her homepage--on the right side she has little icons. There are orange curves for Google Reader RSS (my preference--updated several times a day) or an envelope for a daily digest email sent in the evening to your email address, as well as other icons for twitter and all that.

I hope this helps you as you get started playing the drugstore game! If you have more questions or would like me to explain something better, just leave a comment or email me. I'm happy to help--that's why I'm here!

CVS Diaper Deal!

UPDATE: It looks like CVS removed this deal from their website. Keep checking, though--maybe they will put it back up!

Okay, it's not our diaper of choice, but seriously, how can you pass up $3.99 a pack? You just can't. CVS has Pampers on sale for $8.99 a pack, and you get $5 ECBs back! The limit is 3. If you have Pampers coupons, this is an even better deal (there is one in yesterday's paper for $1 off in the P&G brandsaver section). You have to go here to print out the page because it isn't in the weekly ad--the store will have to manually print out the ECBs for you after your purchase, so ask them up front before you buy to make sure they will do it. This is a legit offer because you can access it from the main CVS.com website and it says offer valid only in stores. I had a problem printing it out at first in Firefox, but it printed fine in Explorer. Another option is to right click on the image and select print.

I bought 3 packages at $8.99 each, for a total of $26.97 plus tax. I paid with $10 ECBs from last week, used up my Nabisco sweeps gift card from December, and used some of my Coke sweeps gift card that I won in March, so I paid $0 OOP and got $15 ECBs back!

Keep an eye out on the packages you buy. . . Pampers is downsizing their packs (size 3 is going from 40 to 36 diapers). The first one on the shelf only had 36 diapers, but further back there were several with 40. And if you don't use diapers anymore, but are willing to donate a few packs to the local shelter or church, I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

May Week 1 Spending

It was hard, but I was able to meet my goal of staying under $40 at the grocery store this week. Because of items I was getting for free after doubled coupons, I did two transactions and doubled 8 coupons. I might have normally found 2 more coupons to double, but I didn't want to go over $40 just to double 2 more coupons. I'll admit it was hard restraining myself!

I did have to make a trip to Aldi because my in-laws were here this weekend and it seemed like we ran out of a lot of staple items at once! I told myself I only had $15 to spend there, though, so that kept me from stocking up too much. We are trying to use some of our stockpile instead of creating too much more.

In order to keep things in check, I passed up some deals at Target that I might have normally gone for, but that we didn't need. I also had to leave some items on my grocery list for next week in order to come in under $40, but we didn't need them for the meal plan this week and hopefully I'll be able to get them next week.

Week 1:
Groceries: $38.36 (34 items)
Aldi: $14.77 (17 items)
Walgreens: $1.98 (2 gallons milk, used RRs) (have $9.33 on gift card left)
CVS: $0.71 (2 wipes, 3 cereal, 2 detergent, misc.) (used $18.99 ECBs, have $7 ECBs left)
Total: $55.82

I'm glad some of you decided to challenge yourselves this month and make a savings goal as well! How are you doing? What strategies are you using to help you meet your goal?

If you haven't made a goal for May yet, it's not too late! How much would you like to save this month, maybe to put towards summer activities or vacation? Leave a comment and we'll work on saving together!

Wags and CVS

Walgreens:

• Comb/brush set
• Bobbi pins
• Q-tips
• 4 packs Mentos Gum (all free after coupons)
• Toothpaste (free after RRs)
• 2 Candles (free after coupons)

Total: $10.98 -used gift card- total OOP: $0.65 and have $3.50 RRs left

CVS:

• 3 packs diapers (will submit for $2.25 rebate from Caregivers Marketplace)
• Shave Gel (free after ECBs)
• 3 packs Jellybeans (for Jellybean poem)

Used $23.97 ECBs
Total: $3.77 -used gift card- total OOP: $0 and have $13.49 ECBs left

CVS and Walgreens

I went to both CVS and Walgreens tonight. I used up my RRs at Walgreens from the diaper deal and rolled some ECBs at CVS.

At Walgreens I bought 2 dozen eggs, 2 bottles of vitamins for the kids, some Softsoap, an assortment of cold, allergy, and pain medications, and 2 toothpastes. Total before coupons and RRs was $51.78. I used 2 RRs, 4 store coupons, 1 coupon from All You, 1 from the Colgate promotion, and 2 from the newspaper.
Walgreens Total OOP after RRs: $7.48
Submit for $3.99 rebate+10% bonus=$4.38 total rebate


At CVS I bought 3 shampoos, 1 toothpaste, and 3 12-packs of Mtn Dew (keeping this stocked is one easy way I can "do my husband good"!). Total before coupons and ECBs was $30.21. I used a raincheck, 4 coupons from the newspaper, 3 from the mail (Pepsi/Frito-Lay Promotion), I was refunded $1.69 from last week, and I used $12.99 in ECBs. The toothpaste and shampoo were free after ECBs, and after coupons and ECBs I got the Mtn Dew for $1 per 12-pack!
CVS Total after coupons and EBCs: $3.02
(used gift card, so $0 from my grocery $!)
Still have $7.98 ECBs from last week
Received $14.49 in new ECBs

I have a lot of ECBs left, but I'm not worried because the week of 4/5 CVS has a similar deal on diapers that Walgreens had: buy $25, get $10 in ECBs. So I'll be able to use ECBs and coupons to pay for more diapers, and still end up with new ECBs! We always need more diapers in our house. I've been buying diapers for 6 years straight without a break, and often for more than one child at a time. I am happy to report, however, that M has been consistently dry at naptime for a couple of weeks now, and has been dry at night for 7 nights in a row! Yeah M! We are SO proud of you (and our wallets are happy, too)!

CVS Trip

I went to CVS to roll some ECBs from my last trip a couple of weeks ago.

Colgate (free after ECBs)
Palmolive (free after coupon)
2 Nutra-Trim Gum (free after ECBs)
Irish Spring Body Wash (better than free after coupon and ECBs)

I was able to use 2 $1 coupons that I received in the mail from the Colgate promotion (for the Palmolive and the Irish Spring).

Used $16.00 ECBs from my last trip
Paid $1.04 OOP
Still have $4.99 ECBs from my last trip
Received $15.98 in new ECBs

I used grocery cash to pay my OOP (should have used the gift card, but I forgot!), but when I got home I realized that she had rung up something wrong, so next week when I go back I will get a refund of $1.69, which can go back into my grocery money!

CVS

I had a good week at CVS. I hadn't been in a few weeks, so I had some ECBs expiring that I had to use up. Here's what I got:

Dr. Pepper - FREE after coupon printed online
2 Cascade - $2.99 each, used 2 $1/1 cpns
Planters Peanuts - FREE with a coupon I won playing the Kraft sweeps in January
ACT mouthwash - .99, got .99ECBs
Aquafresh toothpaste - $1.49, used $1.25 cpn printed online
Fusion Razor - $7.99, used $4 cpn, got $4 ECBs (free after ECBs)
EAS chocolate bar - FREE with a coupon I got in the mail
6 Zone Perfect Bars - These ended up being .70 total after cpns printed online
2 NasoGel - $7.99 each, used 2 $2/1 cpns printed online, got $16 ECBs with a raincheck (better than free after ECBs!)

PLUS, I scanned my card at the magic coupon machine and it gave me a $5/$20 purchase that I was able to use to sweeten the deal!

Subtotal: $48.60
Used $30.51 in coupons
OOP: $18.09 (before I used my ECBs and gift cards to pay)
ECBs earned: $20.99!!

I didn't actually spend any money OOP because of the gift cards. I had earned a $5 CVS gift card by doing surveys online and I won an American Express gift card by playing the Nabisco sweeps in December. But that's another post. . . !

Toothpaste Project Update

Would you like to use your couponing to reach out to others with the love of Christ?

I started collecting toothpaste and toothbrushes in January to send to women in Peru for an outreach project. Thanks to some friends, so far we've collected about 50 tubes of toothpaste and 50 toothbrushes! But as you can see, I still have room in the box for more! Do you have a tube of toothpaste you'd be willing to donate?

If you don't have any extra, would you be willing to go out and get a tube or two for better than free after ECBs this week at CVS? Colgate Total is $2.99 this week, and you get $2.99 in ECBs back. Use this printable $1/1 coupon, the $1/1 coupon from the 2/1 paper, or the $1.50/1 coupon in the March All You magazine to get a couple of tubes for better than free after ECBs. The limit stated in my paper for this deal was 2, but on my receipt it said limit of 3. If you'd like to donate toothbrushes, there was a round package of 6 toothbrushes for $1 in the dollar section of my CVS. Multi-packs of toothbrushes are fine, since Joan will be packaging a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a tract in a bag to give to the women.

*Please note that Joan (my missionary contact) prefers the 4 oz size, not the larger 6 oz size. Understandably, when she is carting 1500 of these (which is their goal), the weight will make a difference.*

If you'd prefer to send some directly to Joan, let me know and I'll give you her address. If you are unfamiliar with how the CVS ECBs work, let me know and I'll help you out! Thank you so much for your help!

Starting out with CVS

Are you wondering how to get started at CVS? Do ECBs and multiple transactions trip you up? Denise at The Centsible Sawyer just did two posts answering questions and detailing how to best play the CVS game. Go here and here to get your questions answered!

Toothpaste Project - Join Me!

I really like getting things for free, or even getting paid to buy them! Toothpaste is one of those items that I can frequently get for free or better than free by pairing a coupon with a sale. That's why I was so excited when I heard that Joan from the SOUL Light Link Ministry was collecting toothpaste and toothbrushes to send to Peru! I immediately wanted to help! Here's the information about the project:

"We are trying to get 1500 toothbrushes and around a 3 oz size of toothpaste to give one to every woman in the prison in Lima, Peru. There are 243 foreigners, 140 English speakers, and 80 women attending Bible Study in English every week there. We are doing the toothbrush project for Public Relations with the authorities and so every woman will know we care. We will put a tract and a pamphlet about Bible Studies available to them. It is an outreach as these women are in crisis and need to see the love of Jesus demonstrated."

What an easy way for us to use our couponing to bless others! Will you help me collect toothpaste for these women? You can get started this week by going to CVS and getting two tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste for BETTER THAN FREE after coupons and ECB's. Go here and print off 2 copies of page 4, which has a $1.50 off Colgate Total coupon. Here's how it shakes out:

But 2 Colgate Total, $2.99 each
Use 2 $1.50 coupons
Pay $2.98 OOP (plus tax)
Get $4 ECB's back!

As I collect the toothpaste, I'll be using my overage to save for shipping and probably to buy some toothbrushes as well. I also thought about contacting some local dentist offices to see if they'd be willing to donate some toothbrushes.

How about you? Do you already have a stash of toothpaste you'd be willing to share with these women in Peru? Would you be willing to go out and buy some (for free!) to donate to the project?

If you live near me, I'd be willing to ship yours along with mine if you can get the toothpaste or toothbrushes to me. If you'd rather ship it yourself, let me know and I will give you the shipping address (it is in the U.S.). Two tubes of toothpaste may not sound like much, but if we all pitch in and keep watching the sales over the next month or two, we'll be able to make a huge contribution to this ministry project!

Better than Free Toothpaste!

This week CVS has Colgate Total toothpaste Buy One, Get One Free. They are $2.79. Print off two coupons for $1.50 off, and get two tubes of toothpaste for better than free!

*In my experience, CVS didn't give overage, so buy a little something extra to absorb the extra .21.

Another Kellogg's Opportunity

Did you miss last week's Kellogg's deal at Target? Never fear! CVS and Walgreens have another deal this week where you could get cereal for $1 a box, as long as you have some coupons (there were some in Sunday's paper). CVS is easier, since you won't have to mess with the RR's at Walgreens, but if you normally go to Walgreens, that'll be fine, too.

At CVS, Kellogg's cereal is on sale 2/$4
Use $1 coupons
$1 per box after coupons!

At Walgreens,

Buy 4 boxes of cereal for $10

Use 4 $1 coupons (either printables or from the paper)

Get $2 RR

Like paying $4 for 4 boxes!

As for the printable coupons on Coupons.com, it's possible they're gone, but according to Deal Seeking Mom there is a daily print limit, so if you haven't printed any and check early, you may luck out.

Getting Started at Walgreens and CVS

So you want to get started saving money at Walgreens and CVS, but don't know how to navigate the system? It can be confusing at first, but I want to help you get started saving some money, so here are some resources that I think might be helpful.Walgreens 101 from Money Saving Mom

CVS 101 from Money Saving Mom

Priorities in Couponing

Jess made a comment that I thought was worth it's own post:

I LOOOOOOVE the rush of a good deal, but in this season of life, my goals with couponing are: 1. To save enough money to get the things we need while staying within budget.
2. To never let my love of this "hobby" to replace my love of Jesus and service to him.
3. To never let the time spent on this hobby replace time that should be spent being a wife, mom, and friend.

Excellent goals. Being good stewards of what God has given us by saving money with coupons is important, but we have to check ourselves and make sure we aren't letting it consume us. We need to keep our priorities in order.

When I got started with couponing, it was overwhelming and I did spend too much time looking for deals, printing and clipping coupons, and then making multiple trips to several stores a week. It was a rush, but I had to get myself in check. Now I have become content with limiting my trips to 2 hours a week, total. This means I have to skip some stores each week. I shop at CVS and Walmart once a month or less. I shop at Walgreens about twice a month. Yes, there are deals to be had every week, but in this season of my life (which is very busy!), I pick and choose which deals are most worth my time and effort. I appreciated Crystal's post on Making CVS Work for You, where she talks about shopping for what you need and sticking to a budget, both in your money AND time. Remember, time is money!

Thanks for the reminder, Jess!

Saturday Show-and-Tell

Did you take advantage of the $5/$20 Walgreens coupon or the deals at CVS this week? I did! Here's what I scored last night:

Walgreens
As I suspected, my Walgreens was out of some of the things I was planning to get, but I still managed to make it to $20 after coupons:
Rimmel foundation $7.49
L'Oreal face wipes $6.99
Extreme Energy $3.99
Glade Scented Oil Candle $5.99 x 2
Glade Oil Refills $2.99 x 2
Jergens Bar Soap 8 pk. $2.69 (I needed a filler and these are good for shoeboxes, too)
Total before coupons: $39.12
Total OOP after coupons: $19.34
Submit for Oct. ESR (rebate): $24.47
Made $5.13

CVS
I wanted to take advantage of the Kimberly-Clark deal and I would have bought some diapers, but they didn't have the size I wanted. So instead, we're pretty well stocked on paper items now!
2 12 packs Cottonelle = $13
8 rolls Viva = $6.49
6 boxes Kleenex = $6
4 12 packs Mountain Dew = $11
1 deodorant = $4.99
1 bag Teddy Grahams (fun filler for the girls) = $1
Total before coupons: $42.48
Total OOP after coupons: $14.88
ECBs I still have: $3 A great deal for all the stuff I got!

Something wonderful I discovered is that my CVS will take Walgreens RRs! I could only use one on my transaction above at Walgreens, so I thought I might as well try it since they do accept competitor's coupons. No problem! This may vary by store, so you'd need to check.

So how did you do? Some of you are beginners and some of you have been doing this a LOT longer than I have! Please share! I love to hear how people are saving money!

CVS=WOW!

I recently learned about CVS from someone at church, and all I can say is WOW! The store isn't on our way anywhere (though it's only about 4 miles away), so I always threw away the ads without really looking at them. Then I started seeing blog posts about CVS and how much people loved them and how much stuff they'd come home with at huge discounts. I decided to try it out this week and see how it worked for me, and whether I'd go back again. Here is what I bought this week, through 6 transactions in 3 separate trips:

1 nail polish
2 bags of candy
2 packages tampons
2 packages panty liners
3 small lotions
3 Kodak photobooks
4 Colgate toothpastes
4 foaming hand soaps
4 Edy's ice cream (a weakness, I'll admit!)
16 Skippy peanut butters (we won't keep them all)

How much did I pay for this bounty? My total OOP (out of pocket--blog lingo) for all transactions was....(drumroll please!) $13.65! To me, that is CRAZY! I didn't know what the big deal was until I tried it. Now I may be hooked! How did I do that, you ask? The secret is combining store and manufacturer coupons, sales, and ECB's (rewards that print from the register for buying certain items). Check out Deal Seeking Mom if you want more details, since she gives you the heads-up on the best deals to combine with coupons available to make navigating it a little easier.