Economic Endeavors

Sorry for the silence around here the past couple of days. Tonight we're having a party at our house for about 20 or so friends to celebrate my upcoming birthday (32, ugh... lol). So the past couple of days have been full of party planning, on top of the normal busy-ness that comes with being a mommy to three and a wife to one. :)

I only got to CVS once this week, and only because I needed pull-ups for our 2 1/2 year old who still isn't quite potty-trained. Almost though, and boy am I looking forward to those days!

I'll be back tomorrow with my CVS and Walgreens scenarios for this coming week.

Hope everyone reading is having a wonderful weekend :)

...and 11 year olds.

This may be old news to some of you, but it was new to me when I stumbled upon it last week online. If you enter your email at Kohls.com to be added to their email list, they'll reward you with a printable coupon for $5 off of your order of $5 or more! It can take a few days for the coupon to be emailed to you (it took 4 days for me, but it did come!). The coupon can only be used in the store (not on their website), but when I went shopping this weekend, I was easily able to find tons of clearance items for less than $5.

I signed up with my personal email and also my email for my blog. Because the coupon says "one coupon per customer", I took my oldest daughter with me so we could each use a coupon.

I was able to find a shirt and a pair of shorts for my 2-year-old daughter for $4.80, and a training bra for my oldest daughter for $5. Perfect! I had read on Slickdeals that you don't need to spend a minimum of $5 (although the coupon wording says otherwise), but I picked up some headbands that were on clearance for $0.80 as a filler in case I would need it for the $4.80 order.

When we got to the register, I went first, with the $4.80 order, and asked if the order had to be at least $5 to use the coupon. She said no, and that the coupon scans as Kohl's cash. So I put back the headbands, and after ringing up my order, she ran the coupon through the check printer and it printed $0.20 on the back, which was my remaining balance. Next time I shop at Kohl's, I can use the same coupon and it will take $0.20 off of my order.

Next, my daughter had her training bra scanned, and it was $5 even, so she gave her coupon, and her total was $0. I expected there would be tax, but the cashier said that tax is calculated after the coupon, and jokingly said that Kohl's pays the tax for you. Then she said that it really was a great coupon.

To which my daughter says, "Yeah, my mom always uses coupons. She gets lots of stuff for free. You should see when we go to CVS, she never pays for ANYTHING there."

I was so embarrassed! lol In the car, I told her that I'd rather she didn't say things like that, because the cashier didn't know what she meant, and I'd hate for her to think I'm a shoplifter or anything like that!

If you haven't yet taken advantage of this great deal (it's benn ongoing since March!), then I recommend getting your coupon and going to Kohl's. It was a nice time to spend with my daughter, and free stuff is always fun!

Since CVS has been letting me down with their absence of $/$$ coupons and their decrease in ECB deals the last month or so, I'm setting my sights on greener pastures (read: Walgreens). Now, I'm not throwing in the towel with CVS just yet, at least not until the well runs completely dry. There are still some good deals to be gotten at CVS, they're just fewer and farther between.

In the meantime, however, I'm going to start posting two Heads Up posts each Tuesday. In addition to the CVS deals, I'll be posting the best Wags deals for the upcoming week. Not all of the deals, mind you, but the *HOT* deals, the freebies and money makers.

Here's what I see for the week of 9/21:

Money Makers!

Toothbrushes:
2/$5 Reach Ultra Clean Toothbrush (earns $5 RRs!)
-$2 (2) $1 off any Reach Toothbrush (from 6/8 RP)
Profit of $2 after coupons and RRs!

Medicine:
Dimatapp 2/$10 (buy 3, earn $10 RRs)
Buy 3 for $15
-$6 (3) $2 off Dimatapp printables
Spend $9, earn $10 RRs
Profit of $1 after RRs!


Other Hot Deals!

L'Oreal:
Spend $25, earn $10 RRs

:: Buy 8 LOreal Vive Pro shampoos/conditioners for $4 each ($32, earns $10 RRs)
-$16 (4) B1G1 LOreal Vive Hydra Gloss (from 7/13 SS)
-$1 (4) $1 off LOreal Vive (from 7/13 SS)
Spend $12 oop, earn $10 RRs
$2 oop for 8 shampoos/conditioners!

:: Buy 3 Natural Match hair color for $9 each ($27, earns $10 RRs)
-$15 (3) $5 off Natural Match (from 6/29 SS)
Spend $12 oop, earn $10 RRs
$2 oop for 3 boxes of hair color!

**If you're new to the CVS game this post won't make much sense to you. Go here first to read my Beginner's Guide to CVS and learn everything you need to know. Then read the rest of this post for tips on how to make the game work for you, too!

Here's what I see for the week of 9/21:

I have not seen the actual ad for this week, but this information is from reputable sources!

Money Maker!

Rumored to be in the ad, from an excellent source:
$11.99 L'Oreal Advance Revita Lift Anti wrinkle serum 1oz (earns $11.99, 2 DAY SALE, SUNDAY AND MONDAY ONLY)
-$3 LOreal Revitalift (from 7/20 SS)
Profit of $3 after coupon and ECBs!

Baby Wash:
$4.99 Johnson and Johnson Softwash (earns $4.99 ECBs- 2 DAY SALE, SUNDAY AND MONDAY ONLY)
-$1 Johnsons wash printable
Profit of $1 after coupon and ECB!

Mens Body Wash:
$4.99 Nivea for Men Body Wash (earns $4.99 ECBs)
-$1 Niver for Men Body Wash (from 7/20 SS)
Profit of $1 after coupon and ECBs!


Free!

Deodorant:
$4.99 Adidas Deodorant (earns $4 ECBs)
-$1 Adidas Deodorant (from 7/27 RP)
Free after coupon and ECBs!

Nearly Free!

Sports Drinks:
5/$5 Gatorade 32 oz, or Propel 1 liter bottles (earn $3 ECBs on 5)
5/$2 after ECBs!

Toothpaste:
$2.99 Crest Pro Health 4.2oz (earns $2 ECBs)
$0.99 after ECBs!


Other Deals:

Sunday and Monday only, VO5 15ox Shampoo or COnditioner will be $0.65 each.

Buy $30 of Kimberly Clark, earn $10 ECBs.
Includes Huggies, Kleenex, Kotex, Depends and Poise, and Viva towels.

Buy $15 of listed Candy, earn $7 ECBs.
Includes select Hersheys, Mars, Brachs, Nestle, and M&Ms candies.

Pepsi 12 pack 4/$11 (earns $3 ECBs on 4).
4/$8 after ECBs
$2 per 12 pack!
_________________________________________

Here's what I see for the week of 9/28:

Not much this week as far as free goes. CVS seems to be getting less and less generous as the weeks go by.

Reminder: Unless your local store openly accepts expired coupons, this is your last week to legitimately use the $2/$10 CVS coupon! :(

Money Makers:

make-up:
$5.79 Cover Girl Clean makeup (earns $5.99 ECBs)
-$1 Cover Girl (from 8/31 P&G)
Profit of $1 after coupons and ECBs!

Febreeze:
Spend $10 on P&G products listed in ad, earn $5 ECBs (limit 1).
Buy 2 Febreeze Noticeables at $6.99 each ($13.98, earns $5 ECBs)
-$10 (2) $5 off any Febreeze Noticeables (from 8/31 P&G)
Spend $3.98 oop, earn $5 ECBs
Profit of $1.o2 after coupons and ECBs!


Nearly Free!

Dish soap:
$0.99 Dawn 10.3oz
-$0.50 off any Dawn (from 8.31 P&G)
$0.50 after coupon!


Other Deals:

:: $4.98 Clairol Nice and Easy haircolor
-$2 off Clairol Nice and Easy (from 8/31 P&G)
$2.98 after coupon!

:: Spend $15 on select Nestle products, get $5 ECBs
Nestle/Wonka theater packs $1.00
Nestle 8 packs 1.00
Nestle singles 2/1
Edys/Breyers ice cream
Nestle fun size 2/5
-$1 off 2 Nestle Fun Bags, Printable
Stouffers/Hot Pockets 2/6
Haagen Daz/Dibs 4.00
Nestle big bag 9.00
-$1 off Nestle Candy, 10oz or larger, Printable

:: Spend $20 on select P&G products, get $10 off of Iron Man on DVD
$8.99 Pampers diapers

This isn't a money-saving deal post, but if you have a few minutes and need a good laugh, then definitely keep reading! :)

I found this while surfing the web today, and it is hilarious.

Go to YearbookYourself.com and upload a front-facing photo of yourself, and they quickly turn it into yearbook photos that span decades, showing you hairstyles and clothing styles that you might have worn if you graduated in any of those years.

The above pic is how I may have looked if I graduated in the year I was born, 1976.

If your face doesn't seem to fit well in the yearbook photo, hover over it and you can zoom in/out and reposition it to fit better. You can also save the pics to your hard drive to email or share online (like I did here!)

I'd love to see what pics you all turn out! Post your links in the comments of this post!

Since CVS has been slowly pulling back on thier freebies and great deals, Walgreens is looking better and better to me, especially after all the great deals to be had last week. Is Wags becoming the new CVS? I don't know, but you better believe I'm jumping on the band wagon now, just in case!

Here's what I see this week at Walgreens:

Free!

Air Freshener:
$1.99 Glade Scented Oil candle refill packs
Buy 2 for $3.98
Use B1G1 Glade Scented Oil candle refills (from 8/24 SS)
Plus send in for $1 Easy Saver Rebate (limit is 4, so you'll get back $2)
Free after coupon and rebate!

Make-up:
Rimmel cosmetics are B1G1 this week
Use B1G1 coupon from All You magazine (issue 8), if your store allows this
Get both items free after coupon!

Visine:
$3.99 Visine
-$3 Visine coupon (from August All You)
- $2 Visine from September EasySaver book
FREE plus overage after coupons!

Toothpaste:
$2.99 Colgate toothpaste
-$1 Colgate (from 8/24 SS)
-$2 SuperSaver coupon in this week's ad
Free after coupons!


Nearly Free!

Deodorant:
$2.79 Right Guard deodorant, B1G1
Buy 2 and use 2 $1 coupons (from 8/10 SS)
$0.79 for both after coupons!

$2.99 SpeedStick twin-pack deodorant
-$1 Speedstick 24/7 printable
-$2 SuperSaver coupon in this week's ad
$0.99 after coupons!

Soap:
$3.99 Irish Spring 8-pack or Bodywash
-$2 SuperSaver coupon
$1.99 after coupon!

$2.99 Soft SOap liquid hand soap
-$0.35 Softsoap (from 8/24 SS)
-$2 SuperSaver coupon in this week's ad
$0.64 after coupons!

Powerade:
$0.79 Powerade
-$0.75 coupon (from 6/8 SS) or $1 coupon (from 7/13 SS)
Free or $0.04 each after coupon!

Gum:
$0.99 Trident Xtra Care gum (with coupon in this week's ad)
-$0.75 coupon (from August issue of All You magazine)
$0.24 after coupon!

Cereal:
2/$5 Kashi GoLean Crunch
-$4 (2) $2/1 printables
$1 for both after coupons!

Razors:
$4.99 Schick Intuition Razor refills
-$3/1 Schick refills coupon (from 8/3 SS)
$1.99 each after coupon!

**If you're not getting all of your hair care products, tooth care products, soaps, diapers, and other toiletries and paper products for free or nearly free, then my post here can change your life. Seriously, check it out and email me if you have questions! :) Then read my post below to see how I'm making it work for me this week!




















CVS just hasn't been very exciting for me lately, and this week is no exception. Still, though, there are a few good deals to be had this week, if I happen to be out that way and have time to drop in.

Here's what I came up with this week:

Transaction 1:

$3.99 Excedrin Express Gels (earns $3.99 ECBs)
$3.99 Aleve D Sinus & Cold or Sinus Headache (earns $3 ECBs)
$2.99 Purex laundry soap(earns $1 ECB, monthly deal)

Total before coupons: $10.97

-$2/$10 CVS coupon
-$1 Aleve D printable here or here
-$0.50 Purex (from 8/10 SS)

$7.47 after coupons, earns $7.99 ECBs!
____________________________________

Transaction 2:

$5.49 x2 Outlast lipcolor (earns $3 ECBs)

Total before coupons: $10.98

-$2/$10 CVS coupon
-$5.49 B1G1 Cover Girl lip product (from 8/31 P&G)

$3.49 after coupons, earns $3 ECBs!

____________________________________

Transaction 3:

3/$5 (3) Skippy Peanut Butter jars
3/$5 (3) Skippy Peanut Butter jars

Total before coupons: $10.00

-$2/$10 CVS coupon
-$6 (6) $1 off Skippy (from 8/17 RP - some areas only got $0.60/1 coupons)

$2 after coupons, earns $3 ECBs
(If you got the $0.60 Skippy coupons, your total would be $1.40 after coupons and ECBs, still not bad for 6 jars of peanut butter!)
_______________________________________

Weekly Tally-

Total of products: $31.95
Total ECBs spent: $12.96
Total ECBs earned: $13.99

Profit of $1.03!
(if you only had the $0.60 Skippy coupons, you will not have a weekly profit, but will only have spent $0.37 for everything you got this week!)

Heads up y'all, there's a new Beauty Book available at CVS. If your CVS has these coupon books, it is inside this month's issue of Reinventing Beauty magazine (the issue with America Ferrara from Ugly Betty on the cover). The magazine is $0.99, but your CVS may have the coupon books available loosely for free.

In this month's book are the following coupons (all expire on 12/31/08):

CVS coupons:

• $2 off of U Smile
• $2 off of any Skin Effects product$2 off of any Cristophe Beverly Hills
• $2 off of any Essence of Beauty
• $2 off of any Blade
• $1 off of any CVS brand Skincare
• $1 off of any Defining Skincare
• $2 off of any Styli-Style

Manufacturers Coupons:

• $1 off of 2 Aquafina, Sobe Life Water, Propel Invigorating water, G2, or 700ml Propel Fintess Water (12/31/08)
• $1 off of Dove Chocolate Large Bar (12/31/08)
• $1 off of Dove Beauty Body wash 10oz + (12/31/08)
• $1 off of Colgate Fresh Max Toothpaste 4oz+ (1/31/08)- insert & pg 45
• $2 off of Palmers Cocoa Butter Body lotion w/ SPF (1/31/08)
• $2 off of Lady Speed Stick Clinical (12/31/08)- insert & pg 57
• $3 off of 2 Sally Hansen Nail Color or Treatment (12/31/08)
• $1 off of Gold Bond Ultimate Skin Therapy Lotion (2/28/09) - pg 75
• $1 off of Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste (12/31/08)- pg 39
• $1 off of Kellogg's Special K Cereal 12oz+ (12/31/08)- pg 89
• $1 off of Kellogg's Special K Cereal Bar Products (12/31/08)- pg 89
• $1 off of Kellogg's Special K Protein Product 4ct+ (12/31/08)- pg 89

The Blade coupon can be used on the $1.99 trial sizes of Blade (a deodorant like Axe or Tag) if your store carries these, to get the product FREE.

Also, the Essence of Beauty coupon can be used on many EOB products priced at $2 or less to get these products free.

Use this coupon to receive 50% off of the price of any one regular priced item at Michael's craft store. Expires Sept. 20, 2008.