Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Baskin Robbins: 31cent Scoop Night Tonight!

Just a reminder about Baskin Robbins .31 scoop night tonight! Yummy yummy!

In honor of America's firefighters, you can get a scoop of ice cream for .31 from 5:00 - 10:00 PM. Check out the details and find a location near you here.

Walgreen's Rebates

Yippee!! I can file my EasySaver Rebates online now! Up until recently this wasn't offered in every state - but I just found out today that it is now offered in every state. Go here to submit your April claims if you haven't done so already.

Tortured for Christ

I received this book FREE a little while back because I get the Voice of the Martyrs monthly newsletter and this was something they were offering. I've just begun to read it this last week. It is an awesome book!

This tells the story of Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. Here is what it says on the back of the book:
Months of solitary confinement, years of periodic physical torture, constant suffering from hunger and cold, the anguish of brainwashing and mental cruelty - these are the experiences of a Romanian pastor during his fourteen years in Communist prisons.

His crime, like that of thousands of others, was his fervent belief in Jesus Christ and his public witness concerning that faith.

Meeting in homes, in basements, and in woods - sometimes daring to preach in public on street corners - these faithful souls persisted in their Christian witness knowing full well the ultimate cost of their actions.

This is their story - a classic account of courage, tenacious faith, and unbelievable endurance. This history of the Underground Church reflects the continuing struggle in many parts of the world today.

If you would like a copy of this book, go here or let me know and I can request one for you but I would need your information.

Organization

I've realized over the years some people have the "organization" gene and some people don't. God blessed me and my daughters with this gene - my mother and grandmother were not so blessed. They live in piles of clutter (paperwork and things) simply because they don't know what to do with them or how to organize them.


This is what has worked for me in organizing these 3 areas that tend to be "messy" areas:

In the Bathroom
- I don't have shelves, only under the sink storage space so I have purchased 2 of those 3-drawer plastic rubbermaid type storage units to fit under there. In each drawer there is something different (soap, lotions, first aid stuff, makeup, hair supplies, etc). Between those units and a couple of baskets for cleaning supplies everything has its place and everyone knows where the stuff is.

In my son's room - He has 3 large under-the-bed storage containers with wheels that he keeps his bigger toys/systems in and he can just roll it in and out when he wants to get to them. He has plenty of shelves in his room and we have baskets to hold small toys/balls in or else I have some more of those plastic 3 & 4-drawer type storage units on his shelves. I let him choose what goes in which drawer and then we label the drawers with clear labels and Sharpie so he knows right where everything is supposed to go when it is clean-up time.

Paperwork/Office - If I didn't have a system set up for this it would get out of hand so quick! As soon as I get the mail in every single day (this is where I have noticed people have struggles) I open all the mail and go through it that day and sort it into its appropriate place. Junk mail/flyers go in the trash obviously; magazines go in the bathroom magazine rack (because that's where everybody reads the most around here!); bills go in a file folder I have set up next to my computer; if anything needs to be filed (insurance stuff, etc) it gets filed in the file cabinet immediately and if there is anything that needs to be handled and I can't deal with it at the moment I lay it on the desk next to my mousepad because that lets me know I'm going to have to take care of it pretty soon.

I keep up with all of our money/bills/receipts with a program on my computer - Microsoft Money - so every other day I enter in the previous day's receipts and then file those receipts in the file cabinet. By using this program and keeping up with where our money is being spent on a daily basis it has helped with our taxes and in other issues that have come up.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips head on over to Rocks In My Dryer!

Victoria's Secret: FREE Beauty Bag w/ purchase


Free Beauty Bag ($40 value) with any $25 Beauty purchase at Victoria's Secret
Use Promo code: BTYFAVES at checkout.
Offer is valid through May 14, 2008. Contents include: .25 oz Heavenly Eau de Parfum Spray; 1.7 oz. Secret Garden Body Mist in Love Spell; Full size Beauty Rush™ Lip Gloss in Slice of Heaven. Bag dimensions: 7" W X 2" D X 5" H.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Beachin' It

I love the beach! Doesn't that water behind me look so inviting?? I am so happy it's about time to start heading to the beach again. I really don't like to lay out. Dakota and I ride the waves and play in the water while Greg sits on the beach and "cooks". Right now it's too hot to just go to the beach and lay around because the water is still too cold to get in when I start getting hot (did that make any sense?)

Anyway there is no point to this post other than to say "Thank you Jesus for the sunshine and the beautiful beach! I do enjoy it!!"

Bath & Body Works - $10 off $30 purchase

Here's a printable coupon where you can get $10 off $30 purchase. Expires May 12th, 2008. Just in time for Mother's Day - stock up on some goodies!

Make it Yourself Mondays

Angie at Thrifty Florida Mama is hosting "Make it Yourself Monday" to help our budgets by becoming less dependent on fast food drive-thrus and convenience items at the store. My contribution this week (yeah, I know it's Tuesday and not Monday --I forgot about it yesterday) but my recipe for the week is actually one I got from another blogger, Monica at The Full Table. I got her recipe for homemade pizza crust a while back and have made this several times - my family loves it!! I use different vegetables, chicken, bacon - whatever toppings I have on hand.

Crust:
1 cup of warm water
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 2/12- 3 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add all other ingredients. Stir 20 times to mix. Let rise 20 minutes.

Sauce:
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Italian spice blend

Spread dough thinly on large cookie sheet. Top with sauce, 3 cups mozzarella cheese, and additional toppings as desired. Our favorite is mushrooms and sausage.

Bake at 450 on lowest rack for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Do you need pictures developed?

At CVS, until May 3rd, when you order (50) 4x6 prints and use the PROMO code: 20FREE you will only have to pay for 30 prints!

Promotion not valid with any other offer, discount or promotional program. This offer can be duplicated.

LA Police Gear

If you are in need of military, police or hunting supplies you need to check out LA Police Gear. They have a vast array of items such as clothing, backpacks, flashlights, gas mask, holsters, handcuffs, pepper spray, range and shooting gear, weapon lights and much much more.

Right now there is a closeout on these BDU Pants - the pants that are most popular in the US Military and have now been worn by units all over the world.

Toon-ful Tuesday


This cartoon is an encouragement to not let stubbornness keep you from the things God is leading you to, whether it is going to church, or reading the Bible, or prayer, or anything else you know God is leading you to, because you know that God only wants what is best for you.

Sunday, May 4 is National Go To Church Day

New Slippers!














Aren't these ADORABLE??!!

Remember when I posted here about the HOT DEAL at Victoria's Secrets where you could purchase these great slippers on clearance 2 for $6.00 and then use a coupon code to get $5.00 off? I had a gift card at the time with a $10.00 balance so I used that to pay the $5.00 shipping/handling charge and my slippers came in yesterday!

They are so darn cute and COMFORTABLE!! I went to see if the deal was still available this morning but it's not. BUT they do still have the slippers marked down to 2/$6.00 - still a pretty good price at $3.00/pair.

Monday, April 28, 2008

CVS Deals for 4/27-5/3

Here's the Deals for the Week and any Printable coupon links you'll need -

KEY:

ECB = Extracare Bucks
wyb = when you buy
RP = RedPlum coupon flyer
SS = Super Saver coupon flyer

ECB Offers

2 ECB wyb (1) Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Compact Foundation ($9.99)

2 ECB wyb (1) Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara or Nourishing Eye Shadow Duo ($5.99)
$1 off coupon on tearpad in CVS

2 ECB wyb (2) Carefree/Stayfree/OB Tampons 2/$10
-$2 Any TWO Stayfree products exp. 7-31-08 RP 4-27-08
-$1 any TWO Carefree products exp 7-31-08 RP 4-27-08
-$1 any Stayfree product exp. 4/30/08 printable

2 ECB wyb (1) Fuji CDR 30pk

3 ECB wyb (1) Bic Soleil Razor $5.99 Limit 4
-$2 Bic Soleil System Razor, any exp. 4-27-08 SS #2 3/16
-$2 Bic Soleil, Soleil Twighlight, Soleil Citron 4pk .exp 5/15/08 SS 04/13/08
-$2 Bic Soleil System Razor 4 or 8 pack Cartridge Refill exp. 4-27-08 SS #2 3/16/08


5 ECB wyb (1) Zantac 75 - 80ct, 150 - 65ct $21.79 Limit 1
-$5.00 on Zantac Printable use UPC 312547684101

5 ECB wyb (2) of the following products Limit 1
*Benadryl
-$1 Children's Benadryl (excl trial size) .exp 05/31/08 RP 03/16/08
-$1 Benadryl Allergy (excl trial size) .exp 09/30/08 RP 03/16/08
-$1 Benadryl Topical .exp 07/31/08 RP 04/27/08
*Cortaid
*Neosporin
-$1 Neosporin (excl trial size) .exp 06/30/08 SS 03/16/08
-$.50 Neosporin .exp 07/31/08 RP 04/27/08

7 ECB wyb (1) Select fragrances - Celine, JLo, Shania, Golden Goddess, Intimately or Phat Farm Limit 1

7.99 ECB wyb Just for Men - Touch of Grey $7.99 FREE after ECBs Limit 1
Up to $8 MIR form exp 12/31/08
-$2 on just for men PRINTABLE exp 30 days after printing

$10 ECBs on Mineral 24.7 Makeup Limit 1
$5 CRT on any 24.7 product

Buy $ get $ Offers

$5 ECB wyb $15 of select 3M products Limit 1
*3M lint remover 2/$5
-1 Scotch Lint Roller (except Travel Size) exp 5/31/08 2/10/08 Red Plum
-1 Scotch Lint Sheets Pockete Pack exp 5/31/08 2/10/08 Red Plum
-$1 on one Scotch Lint Roller. Expires 12/31/08 http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?locale=en_US&univid=1174915888822&fall back=true&assetType=MMM_Image&blobAttribute=ImageF ile&placeId=7BC6E48B1800BAE180A88EBDDE3453CC&versi on=current
-$1 on one Scotch Lint Sheets Pocket Pack. Expires 12/31/08 http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?locale=en_US&univid=1171512933783&fall back=true&assetType=MMM_Image&blobAttribute=ImageF ile&placeId=7BC6E48B1800BAE180A88EBDDE3453CC&versi on=current

*3M tapes 2/$7
*Command Hooks 2/$5
-$1 3M Command, any Printable exp. 12-31-08
*Post It Notes 2/$4
$3 off 2 Post It products exp 12/08 PDF HERE
MAIL IN REBATE $5 McDonalds Money when you Buy 1 Post-it Note & 1 Post-it Flag Product
http://www.3mproductivity.com/offers/60809_McDonalds_WebFlyr9-27-07.pdf
MAIL IN REBATE Buy 1 Post-it® Note Product & 1 Post-it® Flag Product and get a
$5 Gift Card from Proflowers

http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/promos/200804_pf/ColorMeSpring_Rebate_Offer.pdf
*Scotch Brite Kitchen 3/$5
-$1 Scotch Brite Cook Top Cleaner Starter Kit .exp 4/30/08 RP 03/09/08
-$1 Scotch Brite Cook Top Cleaner Starter Kit, Printable exp. 1/31/09

-$1/2 Scotch Brite scrub sponge 3 or 6pk .exp 4/30/08 RP 03/09/08
-$1/2 Scotch Brite scour pads 3pk .exp 4/30/08 RP 03/09/08
-$1.50 Scotch-Brite disposable toilet scrubber starter kit .exp 6/30/08 RP 04/13/08
-$1.50 Scotch-Brite Floor Cleaner or Tub & Tile scrubber starter kit .exp 6/30/08 RP 04/13/08
*Scotch Paper Cutter/Tape $5
*Scotch Packaging Tape

BOGO Free (there are lots of other BOGO Free items but I am not going to list them all here - I only listed these items here because I had the link for printable coupons to go along with them)
Nature’s Bounty Vitamins or Supplements
-$1 off Nature's Bounty printable
All Laundry Detergent (the brand name All)
-$1 off All Small & Mighty exp. 6/15/08
-$0.50 off All exp. 6/15/08

-$1 off All Small & Mighty printable

Sunday, April 27, 2008

HOT DEAL **Automatic Shower Cleaner**

Go here for a $7.00 off coupon for the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner Starter kit. Wal-mart has these on sale for $12.00 this week so you can pick one up for $5.00!

Dakota's Blog

Dakota has seen me blogging and has decided he wants to blog. Isn't that cute?! LOL
Go check out his blog here.

**NEW CVS COUPON!!**

Yeah - this is great!! A new $3.00 off $15.00 purchase coupon is available and it doesn't expire until 6/6/08. Whoohooo!!

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for her terrific directions on how to get this coupon! Go here to get those directions.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Tried Sushi today - Yummy!

Greg and I have the whole weekend to ourselves. Dakota is away at a youth retreat for the weekend. Last night we went out to Red Lobster for dinner.

This morning I made us a big breakfast and we laid around the house for a little while just being lazy. There was a sale at JCPenney's I wanted to check out so we headed over to the mall and I was able to snag 2 shirts ($6.56) and 2 pair of capris ($16.00) on clearance AND I had a $10.00 off coupon so I was very happy!

When Greg asked me what I wanted to do about lunch I told him I wanted him to take me to try Sushi. He likes it and eats it quite often. Some of my friends talk about it all the time but I have always been too scared to try it - I am such a picky eater. Greg knows what I like and don't like so I trust him to pick out the right thing for me to eat. He gladly accepted the challenge...almost too happily. I started to worry for a minute there!

I first chose some sort of shrimp roll but Greg vetoed that one - he said that was too much like what I already eat and he wanted me to try a "fishy" sushi so I could see that I would truly like it. I nervously let him choose my meal. He chose a "Biloxi Roll." It was scallops (my most favorite seafood in the world!!) wrapped in rice with either tuna or salmon laid across the top...I had two rolls so I had one of each fish across the rolls. I have to admit I did love it! I'm eager to try some of the other types I saw on the menu next time.

The only thing I didn't like about it was how big the pieces were. My mouth is very small and it was difficult putting that whole thing in my mouth and then trying to chew it up - it almost made me gag a couple of times...next time I'll have to ask for a knife and cut it in half. I'm sure that is not the proper thing to do but that's what will work for me.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Freebie Friday 4/25/08

Freebie Friday button

Thank you to Karen at A Healthy Balance for this week's Freebie Friday post

Motor magazine subscription

Poster: Tony Hawk - Be Tobacco Free!

Crave Energy Drink

Protein Milkshake

Printable Houseworks Planners - schedules, calendars, shopping lists, emergency info, etc.

What to Expect: Guide to a Healthy Home

Prilosec OTC

L’Oreal Skin Genesis

John Freida Frizz Ease

Xcid Antacid

Good Nites Sleep Boxers

TENA Serenity

Fiber One Caramel Delight Cereal

Huggies diapers

Gold Bond Ultimate Restoring Lotion


Thanks to the husband & wife duo over at Be Thrifty Like us for these Freebies:

Free Book Offer From Johnson's
Send in one Johnson's hair care product UPC and you'll receive a FREE copy of Goodnight Giant(a scholastic book).

Send in the UPC along with your name, daytime phone, e-mail, and mailing address to:
Goodnight Giant Book Offer
557 Broadway
PO box 711
New York , NY
10012

Offer expires 9/30/2008
Questions concerning this offer, contact P&Cconnects@scholastic.com

Free Skateboarding Stickers From Pepsi

Send a postcard with your name and address to the address below:

Pepsico
Att: Sticker Request
1 Pepsi Way
Somers NY 10589-2212

Thanks to Crystal at Money Saving Mom for this information from Barnes & Nobles--
Barnes & Noble is offering a summer reading program for children in grades 1-6. When youngsters read eight books and fill out a short description of their favorite part of each book in a Summer Reading Journal and turn in their reading journal, they will receive 1 free book! Click here to learn more.

Dakota

I had this stunning revelation the other night and it scared the heck out of me. You know those little quirks habits in your kids that really irritate you and you ask yourself "Where did THAT come from?!" Well after a recent incident this week I realized one of Dakota's irritating habits comes from ME! Boy did it slap me in the face too.

When we were dealing with his contacts 2 weeks ago the lady who fitted him for his contacts had asked Dakota if he was right-handed or left-handed. When Dakota told her he was right-handed she told him to do everything with his right eye first (remove the right contact first and put that one in first.) Once we got home and over the next few days this turned out to be difficult for him because he has an extremely lazy left eye...his left eye is his "bad" eye. So what was happening was when he removed his right contact first, then he was concentrating so hard on trying to get his left contact out that he couldn't concentrate on keeping his eye straight so his eye would turn inward therefore his contact would go in towards his nose and he couldn't grab it...the frustration just grew worse and worse.

Now the simple solution here would seem to be to just switch to doing everything with the left eye first wouldn't it?? Yeah, you would think so! But not so! Do you want to know why? Because my son is a rule-follower. Yep, you heard it. Somebody in authority or leadership gives him a directive or command and he won't swerve from that until that somebody tells him differently (because they know better than I do.) I mean, I've never worn contacts before so what do I know? I'm just his mom sitting here watching him struggle and watching his eye turn in towards his nose! Oh for crying out loud I got so frustrated with him because he wouldn't try it MY way because SHE (the lady at the optical shop) told him to do it the other way. We deal with this kind of stuff with him all the time - and it is annoying!

Okay, fast forward to this past Sunday night. We had our monthly Meet the Church community missions project going on all afternoon and I opted not to participate this month. I had had a very long week and needed to rest. Dakota wanted to work at a fish fry at the Volunteer Fire Department so we arranged for Greg to drop him off there with our pastor and his son and then we would pick him back up at the church later that evening. There was a teacher's meeting and dinner planned at church that night that my parents were attending but there wasn't anything for Dakota to do. After Dakota had been back at the church for about 30 mins (and the meeting was in full swing) I called him to let him know I was on my way to get him. I actually had to meet a woman to pick up something and was going to grab Dakota at the same time - so this trip wasn't JUST to pick Dakota up from church. Dakota started begging me to let him stay there, he was having a good time playing with the kids and he would just catch a ride with Mimi and Bops (my parents.)

Me - "No, you are not supposed to be there. That is only for teachers and their kids."
Dakota - "Mom, I'm not bothering anybody! We are just on the playground playing. I can ride home with Mimi and Bops! There's only a few kids here anyway. What's it going to hurt?"

This went on for a few minutes when I finally realized I sounded just like Dakota...a rule-follower -and he was right! What was it going to hurt? How many times have we been to something like that when other kids were there (that technically "shouldn't" have been there but it didn't hurt anything and everybody had a good time?!) I gave in and let him stay. He had a great time. Nobody came and arrested me for breaking the "rules" and I realized I really need to CHILL OUT - at least on some things.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Finally Got Me

Two years ago - May 3rd, I had a tonsillectomy. This was the worst 2 weeks recovery time of my entire life but it has been worth every moment. I would go through it all over again. Before my tonsillectomy I was sick every month. I caught every head cold, sinus infection, strep throat, bug, virus...you name it - I caught it.

Since my surgery I have not been sick one single time...until now. It's finally caught up with me. I was praying I would get through this year also without catching anything but looks like that's not going to happen. Dakota and I both have a head cold going on and achy bodies. I'm praying we get to feeling better in a day or so. We both have big weekends planned. Thank you Jesus for my 2 years of NO sickness!

Teaching my mom how to bargain shop!

Since I began my shopping addiction bargain hunting at CVS 2 months ago I've been sharing all my deals with my family. I have made up care packages for my daughters (that will be mailed out tomorrow girls!! Keep an eye out!) and I've given away some items that I picked up for free. Now when I am shopping I am constantly keeping in mind
  • Is there somebody in my family who will get some use out of this?
  • Can I pass this item on to somebody at church?
  • Can I donate this item to somebody at one of our mission projects we are always working on?
Most of the time the answer is going to be yes, especially when I am getting the item for FREE or practically nothing at all so I've accrued a major stockpile of products in a very short amount of time.

When I was pointing out the specials in this week's CVS flyer to my mom and showing her how she could work the deals to get the most for her money she kept saying "But I won't use that or I don't need that." Now my mom works with the homeless community and she is telling me she can't use certain items like deodorant, sunscreen, pain reliever??!! Hello!! Mom!! Wake up here, reality check...

My sweet mother has also been helping some family members get back on their feet after months of problems and struggles. She is always giving them stuff. And she's telling me SHE can't use some of the items I was pointing out to her??

Today she had a very good lesson in how to work it girl...work those CVS deals! She got all this - over $100.00 worth of stuff - and only spent $17.00 out of pocket. She was one happy camper!












  • 6 boxes of Raisin Bran
  • 3 Softsoap Body Wash
  • 5 boxes Alavert Allergy pills
  • 5 boxes CVS pain reliever gelcaps
  • 5 deodorants
  • 1 Vinegar
  • 1 Axe Body Wash
  • 2 Sunscreen sprays
  • 1 Sunscreen roll-on

BzzAgent

I signed up on this website about a month ago - BzzAgent - because I had heard it was a way to try out new products and get some samples of these products. I wasn't really sure what to expect. Shortly after signing up, I received an email that I had been selected for a BzzCampaign for Ziplock Twist 'n Loc storage containers (if I was interested.) I said "Sure, why not?"

This is what I received yesterday in the mail:
(2) 4-cup sized Ziploc containers (super awesome containers!)
(1) package of Ziploc Big Storage Bags (a bonus!)
A coupon book with (5) $1.00 off coupons (love my coupons!!)

All I have to do is talk about this (make a Bzzzz) and file a BzzzReport!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

RoboForm

I am on my computer for about 5-6 hours a day every day (excluding the weekends). I installed a program on all my computers last year that has been a huge timesaver! It's called Roboform. I have RoboForm set as one of my taskbars above my internet browser window. When I first sign on to the internet every morning I have to sign on to RoboForm (I've set a master password) and every single website I visit (or will visit in the future) where passwords are needed are saved in RoboForm.

When I get ready to visit one of my usual websites where a user name, and password is needed all I have to do is click on my RoboForm taskbar "Logins" and scroll to that website in the dropdown menu. I click on that website and a new browser tab opens with that website, the form fields are automatically filled in and I am signed in without me having to type anything!

The second thing I love about RoboForm is I have stored all my information (you can put as much or as little personal info in there as you want) so when I go to a website where I have to enter information such as name, address, phone number, DOB, even payment info...I do it all with one click on my RoboForm task bar - and every form field is filled in automatically.

This is a terrific program!! Last year when I first downloaded it I used the free trial version for 30 days. After that it was 29.99 (or something like that) and I kept putting off buying it because I could still use the trial version somewhat limited. A few months ago though they started offering it free with another purchase of something else...I purchased business cards for $5.99 from Vista Print and I got RoboForm free for all my computers! It is extremely worth it!

For more great "Works For Me Wednesday" head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Surprise!! She's PREGNANT!

After posting two weeks ago about "The End of our Tradition", I found out yesterday my daughter who is stationed in Hawaii with her husband and their two boys is 5 1/2 weeks pregnant!!! Zippity doo da Zippity day...I LOVE babies - and a new grandbaby is just the greatest thing. When I told my husband last night he said "Well, I know what YOUR Christmas present is going to be (she is due Dec 23rd) - a plane ticket to Hawaii!"

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Since today is "Earth Day" I've decided to make a concerted effort to TRY and start recycling in our household. This won't be an easy task. In the county we live in (Escambia) there is no curbside recycling program underway. Instead we have a Residential Recycling Drop-Off program. This means we have to carry our recyclables to certain areas where our sanitation department has set up collection containers for plastics, aluminum and paper. The nearest one to me is about 10 miles away. I know this is better for the environment - but I will admit it is going to be a much bigger hassle than just chunking my garbage bag in that big old blue garbage can on wheels and rolling that out to the curb twice a week. What about you? Do you recycle? Are you making any changes this year as far as "reducing, reusing or recycling?"

Homeschooling Help

Dakota is being double-teamed! Dum de dum da daa

Hahahahahahaaaa **this is me laughing evil**

I have been overwhelmed the last few months with everything "on my plate" so my mom asked me a couple weeks ago if she could help me with Dakota's schooling. I wasn't sure how this was going to go at first because they tend to butt heads when working together - but actually it has gone very well! I am so excited!

There are things I have been wanting to do with Dakota but I just couldn't fit everything in and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel - I have help and I have time on my own to work on some other things I need to work on as well.

Quick Trip but What a Deal!

Alavert - $6.99
Speed Stick - $3.99
I paid .98
Extra Bucks I received - $7.99

2 Alaverts @ $6.99 = $13.98
Jergen's Moisturizer - $5.99
Vinegar - $1.99
I paid .97
Extra Bucks I received - $9.00
Missing from this picture - 1 gallon of milk - $4.19
2 Alaverts @ $6.99 = $13.98
Jergen's Moisturizer - $5.99
Lubriderm Moisturizer - $7.79
Revlon nail polish - $4.59
I paid $8.54
Extra Bucks I received $9.00

Toon-ful Tuesday

Cartoonist's Comment: We are all traveling through time. And we can be sure that somewhere on the road ahead is the return of Jesus.

Monday, April 21, 2008

CVS Scenarios 4/20-4/26

In the front of the store where the CVS flyers are found you will find the weekly sales flyer, monthly ECB flyers and a small Beauty book full of coupons. The actual Beauty Handbook is for sale on that same rack for .99 - and it has the coupons in there as well. Also somewhere around the pharmacy area in most of the stores there is a scanner on the wall (something you can price check items with) - if you scan your customer reward card you will get coupons printed out that you can use. I did that in one store the other day and I received 2 coupons - $3/$10 CVS products and $1/any package of Absolutely Divine cookies.

On to the scenarios for the week...
Now remember there are limits to these items - if you have used up your limit (in order to receive ECB's then substitute something else in the place of what I suggested):

1st Transaction
Mennen Speed Stick $3.99
CVS Rapid Release $3.99
2 Alaverts $13.98

Total 21.96
Use coupons
-$4/$20 purchase
-$1.00 Mennen (coupon from 3/30 Super Saver flyer)
(2) -$4.00 Alaverts

Pay $8.96
Receive $15. 98 in ECB ($3.99 Mennen, $3.99 CVS Rapid Release, $8.00 for Alaverts)

2nd Transaction
3 Alaverts $13.98
3 Essence of Beauty gift bags w/tissue inside ($1.49 each) $4.47
1 Softsoap Spa Body Wash $4.99
Throw in something small for about a $1.00

Total $24.44
Use coupons
-$4/$20 purchase
-$12 (3) Alavert coupons
-$3.99 ECB from above transaction
-$3.99 ECB from above transaction

Paid out of pocket .46
Earn $21.99 in ECB ($12 for Alaverts, $5 for EOB gift bags, $4.99 Body Wash)-- plus you still have $8.00 in ECB left over from Trans. #1

3rd Transaction
If you haven't used up your limit on any of the following products now would be the time to purchase these because you have $29.99 in ECB available to spend and you will get back exactly what you spend on each of these items so they are FREE -- great opportunity to stockpile!!

CVS Pain Relief - 4 @ 3.99 (you already bought 1 in the first transaction - limit of 5)
Softsoap Body Wash 4.99
Total $20.95

Use $4/$20 coupon
Use $12.00 ECB (Alaverts)
Use $4.99 ECB (Body Wash - you'll lose .05 on your ECB because your total before tax is $4.95)

Shouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket here 0r maybe a few cents tax
Earn $20.95 back in ECB + $13.00 ECB leftover = $33.95 total ECB to spend

4th Transaction
3 Softsoap Body Wash $4.99 x 3 = $14.97
Heinz White Vinegar 32 oz $1.99
Viva 8 pack paper towels $6.49
2 Sunlight dish liquid @ .79 = $1.58

Total 25.03
Use $4/$20 coupon
Use $15.96 ECB (pain relief ECB's)
Use $4.99 ECB (body wash ECB's)

Pay .08
Earn $16.97 ECB ($14.97 body wash, $1.00 vinegar, $1.00 Viva) + 16.97 left over = $29.97 ECB

You can use these ECB's to continue stockpiling items using coupons and sales items or you can hold on to them and wait until next week's sales. Hope this has helped you!
As you can see for basically less than $10.00 cash you have just "stockpiled" a whole bunch of stuff and you now have almost $30.00 in extra bucks to spend!

Alavert - **Hidden Deal**

I have not tried this myself yet - but I've heard from many people who have tried this deal and it seems to be working!

Alavert or Alavert D is on sale a CVS for $6.99 this week. Go here for your $4.00 off coupon - you can print 5 of these. You will receive $4 EB back on each Alavert! There is a limit of 5 of these.

**Deal Worker**
Purchase 3 Alavert (6.99 x 3) $20.97
Use $4/$20 coupon
Use (3) $4 off coupons

Pay $4.97
Receive $12.00 back in Extra Bucks

Purchase 2 more Alaverts in another deal totaling up to $20 to take advantage of your $4/$20 coupon and use your remaining $4 off Alavert coupons as well.

CVS Deals for 4/20-4/26

I am going to list the "deals for the week" here in this post and I will list in the next post some ways you can "work your deals".
Things to know:
ECB = extra care bucks

WYB = when you buy

coupons to use are in red

There is a limit of 5 on all these unless otherwise stated

ECB Deals
Mennen Speed Stick 24/7 For Men (2.7-3oz) $3.99 FREE after $3.99 ECB -- LIMIT 1
-$1 any 24/7 Speed Stick 03/30 SS exp 04-26-08

Soft Soap Spa Bodywash 12oz $4.99 FREE after $4.99 ECB (this is a monthly deal)

$1 ECB WYB CVS Agua Pur Water -- LIMIT 2
*
Gold Emblem Purified Drinking Water 24pk, 16.9oz bottles (3.99)

$5 ECB WYB AcneFree
*Redness Relief Treatment (Starting @ 19.99)
*Complete Scar or Pockmark Filler Treatment (Starting @ 19.99)
*AcneFree Severe or Clear Skin System (Starting @ 19.99)
-$2 AcneFree 3-step clear Skin System .exp 05/3/08 RP 04/20/08
-$5 AcneFree 4-step Severe Acne System .exp 05/3/08 RP 04/20/08
*WrinkleFree System (29.99) or 24 Hour Facelift (39.99)

Spend $15 get $5 ECB on the following items:
(All are a monthly deal EXCEPT Curel)

*Biore Full Line
*John Frieda Collection Shampoo, Conditoner 2-10oz or styler 0.8-12oz $4.99
*Jergens Moisturizer 16.8-21 oz, Natural Glow Body 4-7.5oz or face 2.5oz
-$1 any Jergens natural glow Moisturizer 2.5+ oz or any Jergens Moisturizer 7.5 + oz. SS 4/20 exp. 6/30/09
-$1 any Jergens natural glow Moisturizer 2.5+ oz or any Jergens Moisturizer 7.5 + oz. exp. 5/19/08 printable
-$1 any Jergens natural glow Moisturizer 2.5+ oz or any Jergens Moisturizer 7.5 + oz. exp. 5/19/08 printable
*John Frieda Collection Luminous Color Glaze 6.5 oz or Frizz-Ease Serum 1.69oz $7.99
-$1 any John Frieda Collection product (frizz-ease, sheer blonde, brillant brunette, radiant red, luminous color glaze or lustrous touch) exp trial sizes SS 4/20 exp 6/30/08
*Curel Moisture Lotion 13oz $6.99($1.00 Curel Life Stages Moisturizer found in beauty section of CVS exp. 6-30-09)
$1.50 any Curel Life Stages moisturizer 8.5+ oz SS 4/20 exp 6/30/08
$1.00 any Curel moisturizer 3.5+ oz SS 4/20 exp 6/30/08

$2 ECB WYB Clairol Nice & Easy
-$2 Nice'n Easy .exp 4/30/08 RP 03/09/08
-$2 Any Clairol Nice n Easy Hair Color Product exp 5-31-08 VS 4/20

$3 ECB WYB Claritin 12 hour 20ct or 24 Hour 15-20ct. ($15.99) LIMIT 1
$2 Claritin Non-Drowsy Allergy Product, any 10 ct.+ 3-16-08 SS (4-16-08)
$4 Claritin Non-Drowsy Allergy product, any 15 ct.+ 3-16-08 SS (4-16-08)

$3 any Non-Drowsy Claritin Allergy Product (10 ct+) SS 4/13 exp 5/13/08
$5 any Non-Drowsy Claritin Allergy Product (20 ct+) SS 4/13 exp 5/13/08

-$3.00 Claritin Product printable
-$4.00 off Claritin printable


$5 ECB WYB (2) CVS Skin Care Products
*Regenerating Skin Care Cream, lotion, serum 0.5-2.5oz,
*Wet cloths 30 ct,
*Thermal polisher 6oz. Starting @ $6.49
*Highly Defining Skin Care 1.7-5oz Starting @ $8.49

$10 ECB WYB 2 Dexatrim LIMIT 1
* Max Daytime 60ct, Max 20 20ct. or evening 60ct (Starting @ 14.99)
-$3.00 off Dexatrim printable
-$2 off any Dexatrim Max or Dexatrim Max20 Product printable
-$3 off any Dexatrim Max or Dexatrim Max20 Product printable

$10.00 ECB WYB Dual Action Cleanse w/ Green Tea Fat Burner Bonus -
Limit 2
*
Purifier 60 ct & colon clear 90ct

$10 ECB WYB Freestyle Lite Meter Strips - Limit 1

$10 ECB WYB Freestyle Lite Blood Glucose Monitoring System (10.00) LIMIT 1
Printable here bricks coupon. http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com...litelaunch

Fine print on coupon says with purchase of 50 test strips.

Spend $15 get $5 ECB on the following items:
*Garnier Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner Sale Price 3/$9.99
-$1.00 Garnier Fructis Conditioner, any except trial exp. (05-01-08) VAL #1 01/06/08
-$1.00 Garnier Fructis Shampoo, any except trial exp. (05-01-08) VAL #1 01/06/08
-$1 Garnier Fructis Shampoo .exp 7/01/08 RP 03/09/08
*Garnier 100%
-$3 Garnier 100% color .exp 6/30/08 SS 03/09/08
*Nutrisse, Nutritioniste
-$1.00 Garnier Nutritioniste Cleanser or Moisturizer, any exp. (04-30-08) VAL 01/27/08
-$3.00/2 Garnier Nutritioniste Cleanser or Moisturizer, any exp.(04-30-08) VAL 01/27/08
-$1 Garnier Nutritioniste cleanser or moisturizer .exp 4/31/08 RP 03/02/08
$2.00 off Garnier nutritioniste printable
-$1.00 off Garnier nutritioniste printable
-$1.00 off Garnier Nutritioniste Cleanser or Moisturizer exp 7-31-08 VS 4/20
$1 any Garnier Nutritioniste Cleanser or moisturizer RP 4/20 exp. 7/31/08


$6.00 ECB WYB 2 Maybelline Moist Extreme Lip (2 for $9.99)
-$2 Maybelline Volume Seduction XL lip plumper or any lip .exp 05/10/08 RP 02/10/08

$3 ECB WYB Miralax 30 dose (19.99) LIMIT 1
-$2.00 MiraLAX Product, any exp. (04-30-08) SS #1 02/10/08
-$2.00 off Miralax printable

Spend $15 on Neutrogena Suncare get $5 ECB
*Neutrogena Suncare or Sunless Tanning (Sale Save $1.00)

Spend $25 Get $5 ECB on the following items - Limit 1:
*Olay Daily Facial
-$1 Olay Facial Cleansers .exp 04/30/08 SS 03/16/08
*Total Effects full Line

$1 ECB WYB Oral B or Act Powerbrush
*
CrossAction or Stages 5.99

$2 ECB WYB Pantene, Herbal Essence, Head & Shoulders, Infusium -- Limit 1
*
Pantene 25.4-25.8oz,
*Infusium 16 oz, Herbal Essences or Head & Shoulders 23.7oz (2/$12)
-$3.00/2 off any (except trial size) Herbal Essences Product exp. 4-30-08 VS 3/30

$2 ECB WYB 2 Pond's (Cold Cream, Dry Skin 9.5-10.1oz, Towelettes) 30ct $5.49 LIMIT 1

$2 ECB WYB Prilosec 42ct with Free Movie Offer - Limit 1
*
See Coupon in pack for BOGO Free Movie Ticket (Specially marked packages)

$5 ECB WYB Regenetresse Hair

Spend $30 on the ROC Full Line, get $10 ECB
*
Prices Starting at $7.99
-Register For Coupons: http://www.rocskincare.com/rocchallenge/register.jsp (Will be emailed)

$2 ECB WYB Secret Clinical, Old Spice Clinical, or Gillette Clinical Deodarant - Limit 3
*$9.99
-$1.00/2 Gillette Clear Gel, Invisible Solid, Deodorant or Clinical Strength, 1.7 oz.+ exp. (04-30-08) PG 02/10/08
-$2.00/1 Any One Secret Clinical Strength (excl. trial size) exp. (04-30-08) PG 03/02/08
-$2.00/1 Any one Old Spice ProStrength (excl. trial size) exp. (04-30-08) PG 3/02/08

5.00 ECB on any Skin Effects (Starting @ $6.99) LIMIT 3
-$2.00 on any skin effects CVS coupon 12/31/08

$2 ECB on Gillette Venus Embrace Razor - Limit 1
*$9.99
$1 ECB WYB Viva paper towels 8pk (6.49) Limit 4
-$0.55 Viva Towels--when you sign up PRINTABLE

$5 ECB WYB Wrinkle Eliminator
*
WrinkleFree System (29.99)
*24 Hour Facelift (39.99)

$2 ECB WYB 3 Zone Bars
*
Zone Perfect Nutrition bars 1.58-1.76z (Starting @ 1.49)
$1.50/3 printable when you sign up
BOGO free Zone Bar printable

$10.00 ECB when you buy $20.00 of Any Boost or PowerBar -- Limit 1
*Boost 6 Pack regular, high protein, plus, smoothies, or glucose control $6.99
-$3.00 off ANY multipack of BOOST Glucose Control print up to 10
1.00 off ANY Boost multipack (In Store, check endcaps, its printing out of a tiny smart source machine)
*PowerBar nut naturals or Triple Threat Bar $1.00


Other Deals
Lysol Cleaners (All Purpose 32oz, toliet bowl 24oz, sanitizing wipes 35ct or Neutra Air Spray 10 oz) $2.49
-$1.00/2 Lysol Disinfecting Wipes exp 4/26/08 printable
-$1.00/2 Lysol Disinfecting Wipes exp 5/12/08
-$0.50 on any Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner exp 5/12/08 SS#2 3/16
$1.00 on any Lysol All Purpose Cleaner Trigger, Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner or Lysol Plus Bleach exp SS 4/20 exp 6/1/08
-$0.50 on any Lysol All Purpose Cleaner Trigger, Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner or Lysol Plus Bleach exp 5/12/08 SS#2 3/16
Click on Money Saving Coupons to get some printables, most of the above are in here
Cascade Gel, Powder ( 75oz or 2 in 1 Action pacs 20 ct) $3.49
-$0.25 off one any size Cascade exp 5/31/08 P&G 4/6
-$0.50 off one any size Cascade 2in1 ActionPacs or Cascade Complete exp 5/31/08 P&G 4/6

Renuzit Ait Freshner (7.5oz adjustable solid) $0.99
-.55/1 two-pack or three singles Renuzit Exp 5/31/08 SS 3/16

Air Wick Oils Refills (Scented oil refils 0.71oz) $2.99
-$1.00/2 Air Wick Scented Oil Refills
FREE Warmer Unit wyb an Air Wick Scented Oil Refill Fragrance exp 4/27/08 SS#2 3/16

Renuzit Pearl Scents (3.52oz) 2/$5.00
-$1.00 off any Renuzit Pearl Scents Air Freshener exp 4/28/08 SS 2/17
Buy Renuit Pearl Scents Air Freshner Get Renuit Air Freshner Spray FREE SS 4/20 exp. 6/30/08

Relay for Life

My best friend is an ovarian cancer survivor - for 6 years now. I told her story here if you'd like to read about her miraculous recovery. Because of her, my family has gotten involved the last few years with the American Cancer Society's annual Relay For Life. We have such a great time at this annual fundraising event.
This was CJ & I at our 2006 Relay for Life booth.
Can you tell we had a Spongebob theme going on?
In 2007 we didn't get to decorate as much as we wanted to because CJ & her husband had their new baby and we were all pretty busy during this time. Her husband and I kind of threw some decorations together at the last minute - I completely forgot to take a picture of our tent last year!
This is CJ and her precious baby, Caleb, taking her victory lap around the track to start the Relay events. This is how they start the Relay off - all the survivors take a couple of laps around the track.



I LOVE to dance! I talked Dakota into getting out there with me and dancing last year. Our favorite dance was the Cha-cha Slide. He learned the Electric Slide too.


CJ hasn't been feeling very well for a few months. She has been going through some testing and she had found out that most of her tests results were good. However, she was in CA last week on business (I was working for her while she was out of town.) While she was gone she got word that her doctor needed to see her right away - so we are all praying again that this isn't anything serious...my sweet friend is just praying for God's will.

Me and CJ (on the right) and another great friend of ours,
Debbie (on the left).

This picture was taken at a Sunday School social back in October 2007.

During one of our weekend "girls" getaways her husband brought his boat out so all the ladies could ski and ride around in the boat. He brought their sweet baby and CJ and Caleb took a little nap together. I snuck in and took a picture of Caleb lovin' on his mommy!

Caleb and his daddy on the boat...he LOVES to ride (and drive) the boat. This family is such a special family - I love them dearly and I am praying for my precious friend and her latest round of tests she has had to go through.
If you have never participated in Relay for Life, I encourage you to get involved. If you would like to make a donation to our team, Walk By Faith, you can do that here. Or you can go to American Cancer Society and find a local event to get out and support.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Married Couples Banquet

Greg and I had a date night last night. We attended a Married Couples Banquet at church, along with 9 other couples. It was so funny to see the wide range of clothing people chose to wear - from jeans & tennis shoes to dresses with heels. The great thing that I love about these type of events at our church is everyone can come as they choose (in their style) and still feel comfortable the entire evening. We had a wonderful time last night.

The best part of the evening was after dinner when we played "The Newlywed Game." The 3 couples that participated were the three that 1)had been married the longest -20+ years, 2)had been married the shortest amount of time - not quite a year yet, and 3)a couple in between -14 years. The women had to answer the questions first and the men had to guess their answers...this round went pretty good. The next round was hilarious! Let me just say this...those men probably went home and slept in the doghouse after their round!! LOL

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Great Shopping Day!!

Today my mom had several errands to run so I asked her if I could bum along (to save gas) and stop at a few stores along the way for me so I could run in and pick up a few things throughout the day. She agreed so off we went.

Can I just share with you that we had a GREAT shopping day! Check out these awesome deals.

Our first stop was CVS. I was actually on the hunt for something specific when we stopped there and while I ran inside mom was looking through the CVS flyer and saw that they had a portable gas grill on sale for $19.99 - I came back outside and told her they didn't have what I wanted but she said she wanted to go check out that grill. I told her if she was going to spend that much money anyway I could show her how to get a whole bunch more without spending anymore than that. She doesn't have the patience to sit there and figure out all the Extra Bucks spending and deals and things so she said "That will be great...just do what you have to do." LOL
Here's what she got:
Gas Grill (was on sale for $19.99)
4 Cases of drinks (earned $3.00 EB)
1 - Raisin Bran Crunch
1 - Vinegar (earned $1.00 EB)
12 - gift bags w/ tissue in each one (earned $19.96 in EB)
She spent $26.00 out of pocket and has $3.00 EB left over
On our next stop at CVS (what I was originally looking for was at this store thank goodness!) I was able to pick up two of these AirWick Freshmatic Mini spray kits - on sale for $4.99 each and I had 2 - $4.00 off coupons, another SPA bathwash for 4.99 (earned $4.99 EB) and in order to get my order over $20.00 I let my son pick up his favorite magazine "Tips and Tricks" - that way I could use my $4.00/$20 coupon - My total was $9.46 and I have the $4.99 EB


Once we finished at CVS we had to stop by two different Walgreen's to get what we wanted. We were not going out of our way to get to these stores...we have about 4-5 all around where we live!
At Walgreen's we picked up:
4 cases of Dasani water (24 packs)
6 Dawn dishsoaps (.99 each w/ Walgreen coupon + .25 off manuf. coupon)
2 Trident gum (1.19 BOGOFree)
Paid $21.30 for all of this


I ran into Wal-mart to pick up all FREE items and then my husband asked me to pick up his favorite chips so I actually did have to PAY for something here! GRRRR
I had 3 coupons for these ScotchBrite Toilet Bowl Scrubbers I wanted to use and a coupon for a FREE Cascade dishwash rinse. I paid $4.24 total at Walmart for all of this. The teenage cashier wasn't going to let me use all 3 coupons for these Toilet Bowl Scrubbers - because she was reading where it said "one per purchase" or something like that. I told her well go ahead and refund two of them then and I'll just have you ring me up again individually as another customer. She said she couldn't do that because I am still the same person. I told her your cash register doesn't know I am the same person - it would be like me going to another line and making this purchase all over again. She continued to question me (as her line continued to grow longer) and finally I told her "you might want to call a manager over here and ask them because I believe you are wrong." She did call one over to her and ask and she did find out she was wrong...I really did try to be very nice about it and I thanked her for doing this but she wasn't very nice about it after that - I think she was embarrassed by then.
Our last stop of the day was Lowe's. My mom needed some stuff to repair a used pop-up camper and I told her I had a coupon I would let her use and then she could fill out the form to get me a coupon later. This coupon will get you $10.00 off a $25.00 purchase. She was able to get the items she needed -which came up to 26.00 - 10.00 coupon = 16.00! She was thrilled!!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Freebie Friday

I wanted to point out some great FREEBIE information I've found in bloggie-land this week...hope you enjoy! Head on over to Wise Bread where she discusses how and where you can find FREE ice cream.

Thanks to Amy at The Motherload for this awesome rundown of Freebies!

Health & Beauty
o.b. tampon (free sample when you enter sweepstakes)
Prilosec OTC (Walmart sample)
Sunsilk (New Waves of Envy available)

Food
Sunkist Lemonade Stand (for kids ages 7-12)
Kroger Reusable Shopping Bag (credit on your Kroger Shoppers card)

Entertainment

Home & Garden

Pet Care

Science Diet's Nature's Best Dog Food (get sample after playing Natural Ingredients game)

Mark Your Calendars
April 19 - Walmart 1 Million Reuseable Bag Giveaway starts at 8 am

Heather at Freebies 4 Mom lists a bunch of freebies and great coupons forColgate Total Advanced Whitening toothpaste, Huggies Goodnights, Gerbers Graduates Baby food, and more.

Be Thrifty Like Us tells how to get FREE Land O' Lakes Butter.

If you are a full-figured woman you just have to check out this deal from Catherine's! Thrifty Florida Mama posted about this on her blog - get $20.00 off a purchase of $20.01 or more!

Great CVS deals!! Whoohooo - I'll be checking these out today on my way home from work...check out Money Saving Mom for these unadvertised deals from CVS.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Blog under construction

I have been wanting to change my blog around for awhile and I have the time to do it this week since I am working for a friend....answering phones (and the phones aren't ringing!) Please be patient while my "blog is under construction"

Victoria's Secret - HOT DEAL

Thanks to BeCentsAble for this Hot Deal at Victoria's Secrets!! She posted how VS has their slippers at 2/$6.00 and by purchasing them online and using a couple of coupon codes you can get them for right around $1.00! You can go read her post to see just how she did it. I will say I did this later this morning and I don't know if VS caught on to what people were doing or if I am just a doofus and couldn't figure out how to do it but I was unable to use both codes so I paid for my shipping....actually I had a gift card somebody had given me awhile back that I have been holding on to and I used that to pay for my shipping - still a great deal though.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Laundry Duty

When I had a houseful of little ones I despised doing the laundry all the time! That had to be my worst chore of all time. What a time-waster...wash the clothes, fold the clothes, wear the clothes, wash the clothes, fold the clothes, wear the clothes over and over and over multiplied by 6 sometimes 8 people! UGH!

What worked for me when the kids got to be around 7-8-yrs-old was to purchase different colored laundry baskets for each one of them. Their dirty clothes went in their baskets and they took turns helping me wash the clothes. Then when we pulled clothes out of the dryer the clothes were thrown into each basket and each child was responsible for folding and putting away his/her own clothes...my motto "I didn't wear them, I'm not folding them and putting them away!" LOL

For hundreds of great tips, check out today's Works For Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer

BIG Shopping Day - CVS, Bread Store, Walgreens, Walmart

I am working for a friend this week while she is at a conference in CA. I get off work at 4:30, go pick my dad up at 5:00 (we are carpooling) and head to the house. Yesterday after work, when I picked my dad up we ran by the Day-Old Bread store on our way home. I love shopping there because the bread is so much cheaper than in the grocery stores. I can stock up and put it in the freezer. Here's what I got for $16.00
3 loafs of wheat bread
2 loafs of white bread
2 packs of 12 ct hamburger buns
2 packs of wheat hot dog buns
2 packs of sub rolls
2 packs of dinner rolls
2 bags of white cheddar popcorn
1 bag of donuts

After getting home and putting this away, I ate some dinner, picked up Dakota (to keep me company) and took off to the stores. Our first stop was CVS where we scored BIG time!
2 boxes Circle K cereal 2/$5.00
4 Gift Bags @1.49 each
3 Garnier Nutrioniste facewash @ 5.99 each
1 (8 pk) Reese's Peanut Butter cups .88
2 packs M&M's 3.29 Buy one get one free
2 Gas X packs @ 5.69 each
2 Johnson's Buddy soaps @ .99 each
1 Alcohol @ .50
1 Hydrogen Peroxide @ .50
1 Pledge Duster starter kit @ 2.99
6 cans Progresso soup @ 2.79
1 Sunkist orange drink @ 1.39
1 pack makeup wedges (32 ct) @ 2.99
Guess how much I paid out of pocket for all of this???!!


I only paid a whopping $15.71 (in 3 different transactions of course!)


After we left CVS I made a run to Walgreen's. I had gone there Friday night and had realized the cashier made a mistake when ringing me up so I wanted to run back over there to get that mistake corrected (so I could get my money back). While there I picked up:
1 gallon of milk
1 Dawn dish detergent
2 (24-ct packs) Dasani water
and with my "correction" from Friday night's mistake I paid 5.00 so I was very pleased.

So far this evening I have spent $36.71 and I haven't even made it to Wal-mart yet for groceries. But that's okay because I haven't actually gone grocery shopping this month AT ALL yet so I am figuring I will spend the bulk of my budget tonight.

We get to Wal-mart and Dakota heads to the electronics department where he will happily camp out until I call him (on his cell phone....another GREAT use for his cell phone by the way!!) and I start walking around the beauty section and medicine section of Wal-mart to compare prices to CVS and to check out the clearance racks. I have not been in Wal-mart in ages and I just wanted to make sure that the prices I was paying at CVS were still in line with what Wal-mart was charging...and I was excited to see that they were exactly the same!

After spending almost 2 hours in there and only saving $16.00 with coupons I spent $150.00 but that's okay because I am still under budget and I got enough food that I don't see having to go shopping again majorly before the end of the month.

By the time we got home it was 10:00...I was whooped! Dakota is such a trooper...he helped me unload the car and carry everything in.

I think he enjoys going with me because he likes watching the register start at 30.00 or 40.00 and end up with me only paying $5.00 or 6.00...he says "How do YOU DO THAT!?" LOL