Weekly Walgreens Trip 12/27

Earlier I posted about some great deals you can score right now at CVS.  You can view those by clicking this link:  CVS Savings 12/26.  But this week I think I did fairly well at Walgreens!  I have just started venturing back there because their coupon policies are kind of a pain.  But, basically what you need to remember is the number of coupons you have (including their Register Rewards) must match the number of items you are purchasing.  For example, if I have 2 coupons and 2 Register Rewards (which are their version of Extra Bucks -- basically free $$ to use on any products of your choice), I must have 4 items that I am checking out with.  So, tonight I started my trip with $5 Register Rewards from last week.  This is what I ended up with:

Not too shabby if I do say so myself!  All for around $10 with $5 in Register Rewards to use next week, so basically $5 for all of this above!

This is how I planned it:

Transaction #1 - 

• Crest Vivid White toothpaste or brushes -- on sale 3 for $9 and you earn $3 RR for your next purchase.  I got 2 Vivid 3-D Toothbrushes and 1 Vivid White Paste -- adds up to $9.00 but I used two .75 coupons and one $1.  So, $9-$2.50=$6.50
• Illy Coffee drinks  2 for $3.00 -- I then used a $2.00 off 2 coupon I found on coupons.com making these drinks .50 a piece.

Then, I used my $4 RR from last week on this purchase since I had 5 items, I could add this to make my fifth coupon.

Total for this transaction-- $4.13 (that includes tax) plus the $3 Register Rewards from my Crest purchase.

Transaction #2 - 

•  Edge and Schick Shave Gel - on sale 2 for $4. I used a .55 and $1 coupon on this transaction making these shave gels about $1.25 a piece.
• Wrigley Extra Gum - used the in store coupon from the weekly ad making these .79 each.  Then, I stacked it with $1 off 2 coupon so I got both packs of gum for .58.
• Duracell AA Batteries 4 ct. - on sale for $2.99 and I used a $1.50 coupon.  So I scored these bad boys for $1.49.
• Lifestyles Skyn Condoms (I needed something to get some RR for next week) -- on sale for $4.99 and I earned a $4.99 RR, so these were basically free, otherwise I wouldn't have purchased them.
• Marshmallow Santa - on clearance for .25.  I needed a filler because I had more coupons than items, so this was a cheap and yummy treat! (I'll add some Walgreens tips for you later in another post, so you'll understand what a filler!)

I then used my $1 RR from last week and my $3 RR from my previous transaction to add to this purchase.

Total for this transaction -- $6.73 (that includes tax) plus the $5 RR, therefore I paid $1.73 for all of this stuff!

This week I spent a total of $10.86, minus the $5 RR, therefore making my week's spending $5.86!  Plus, I saved almost $30 - so I consider this a successful trip!

Be on the lookout for more posts on tips to save yourself some extra cash as well as information and me and Michele's up and coming couponing blog for moms!

Happy Savings! :)

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Coupon Quick Tip - Great for Cold and Allergy Peeps!

So I said I would update my blog with some coupon quick tips - so here's my first one for CVS.  It is a great way to stock up on your cold and allergy medicines!

Zyrtec 5 ct -- $5.99 BUT you get  $5.99 Extra Bucks back when you use your CVS ExtraCare card!!

Theraflu -- on sale for $4.77 and get $3 Extra Bucks when you purchase two.

Okay, so here's a good scenario  for you to use to start earning your EBs and stocking up on your own!

You'll want to do 2 different transactions. 

Transaction 1:
Zyrtec -- you'll pay $5.99 but earn the 5.99 EB you can use on your next purchase.

Transaction 2:
Buy 2 Theraflu for $9.54.  Then, I'd stack 2 $2 off coupons you can print from Theraflu's website -- just click the savings tab at the top to get your printable coupons.  So, that will bring your total down to $5.54+tax.  Next, top if off with your $5.99 EB from your first transaction making this purchase completely free!  Plus you'll earn $3 EB to save for next week!
**Note that you may want to throw in a clearance candy or something around 55 cents so you can use the full amount of your $5.99 EB, otherwise it will only be used for the $5.54 total, you can't apply EB to tax.  It's your preference!

So you get about $16.00 worth of cold and allergy medicine for about $5.99 plus the $3 EB you earned so really you pay about $2.99 for all 3 of these products!

Be on the lookout for my Walgreens trip update -- they are having a great 5 day sale this week!! 


Happy Savings! :)

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For My Coupon Craving Friends

I've had several of my friends interested in learning coupon techniques - and there is nothing I'd love to do more than to teach people how to save money.  I think I'm starting to rub off on certain people...for example, I encouraged my husband to use a coupon on Saturday to receive an amazing deal -- a Let's Rock Elmo for $12.12 at Target (a retail of around $60).  Not only did I get 1, but I got 2 because of my slyness and coaxing to get my husband to grab that very last Elmo.  So, I thought I'd share some of my weekly deals with my loyal blog readers to encourage you to go save a buck yourself!  Seriously, there is so much stuff you can get basically free!!  My favorite places are CVS and Walgreens.  Lately, I've started to get really excited about Target because they have some great coupons on their site you can stack with manufacturer coupons.  Okay, okay so it's like I'm talking a foreign language right?  Well, let's start at the basics for you.  The lingo goes like this:

• Manufacturer coupons are coupons you get from your local paper or mail, like SmartSource or Red Plum.  You can use these at any store that accepts coupons.  Many stores, like Meijer and Marsh, will double these coupons if they are 50 cents or less.  (That means you can save up to $1 off of certain products!)
• Store coupons are store specific coupons.  You can get these straight off of their websites usually, like on Target and Wal-Mart.  These coupons you can only use at the specific store but you can stack them with a manufacturer coupon for more savings!
• Stacking Coupons - To stack coupons means to take a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon to combine them and double your savings.  For example, today at Target I went to their website and got a $2 off Playtex sippy cup coupon.  I also had a $2 off manufacturer coupon off any Playtex item.  So I got $4 off a set of sippy cups!  What was even better was the sale on sippy cups this week at Target - buy 1 get 1 50% off.  It's always a better deal when you can stack your coupons on store sales!

So, how can you get started?  Well, for me organization is the key.  The more organized you are, the easier it will be for you to sort your coupons and save!

• Get a binder (preferably 3 inch to start off).  
• Purchase a couple of packages of plastic sleeves to hold your coupons.  You can find these pretty inexpensive by the baseball cards.  Then you can organize based on categories that fit your needs.
• Finally, get your coupon inserts by purchasing a Sunday paper and looking in the mail.  The Red Plum inserts are delivered to our neighborhood in our regular U.S. mail - so look through your "junk" mail before you pitch it!

I'll post my weekly deals for you later so you can try them on your own! BUT be on the lookout because my friend Michele and I are going to start a website here soon to post our deals and savers!  Don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as it's up and kickin'!

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14 Months and Counting

My little Coco Bear is approaching the 15 month mark here shortly -- which is really hard to believe.  Last year at this time he was taking bottles over 3-4 hours and sleeping like 4 times a day.  He is growing so fast and is seriously the one of the most funny kids I know!

His current milestones include:

• Not only is he a walker - he's a runner and is getting quite good at it.  Maybe we'll be running together this summer :)
• He's a shark.  And I'm not kidding about this one.  The kid has 14 teeth and is currently sprouting #15 and 16.  Don't get your fingers near his mouth because he doesn't let go.  Trust me.  I learned the hard way tonight. 
• He wears size 18 month clothes comfortably but some 24 month because of his long torso.
• Boy is the kid a blabber mouth!  He constantly mumbles in his cute little voice and carries on the world's best conversations with me.  Cohen's favorite words are Mama, Dada, Baba, Sit and Stop.  We've started to watch our mouths around him lately because when he first was saying sit, it definitely sounded a little more graphic if you get my drift...

  Have I mentioned that Cohen is 100% ALL BOY?  Dear Lord, how karma has turned around on me!  This child is constantly getting into everything - my jewelery box, the fireplace and most recently, the toilet.  I had to lunge Matrix style to close the lid the other day before Monkey ended up in there - as the toilet was flushing.  This child is like an Energizer Bunny.  But when he is tired, the world must look out -- can we say crankysaurus?  What's funny is now he tells you to "Stop!" if you do something he doesn't like.  For example, I was sitting on the floor and was in the little Prince's way.  So, he hits my back and looks at me and says, "Stop!"  Well, unfortunately we don't hit our mothers, so I lightly slap his hand and say, "Cohen, no hit."  He looks at dad with this pathetic little look and does the world's most girly fake cry as he's holding his hand - and of course Kurtis and I lose it with laughter.  1 point for Cohen - 0 points for the disciplinarians. Oooo, we're going to have to work a little bit in that area...
  I love watching him grow up and seeing the new things he learns.  His sitter taught him how to blow his nose so every Kleenex, napkin or piece of paper he finds, he has to blow his nose in it.  Cohen is also a dancing machine - he twirls, moves his hands, breaks it down low -- I tell you, this kid is a comedian.  But motherhood is even better than I have imagined it to be and even though it is the hardest job I've ever had (besides waitressing - be kind to your servers, please) I honestly can say that I would not trade a single thing in my life for these last 15 months.  Okay, I would trade the time where my dog ate all of my Halloween candy out of my teacher bag or a month ago when Kurtis and I came down with the stomach flu simultaneously (and you know how men are big ol' babies when they are sick, even though I threw up WAY more than him...) but this time with Cohen is so precious and has been nothing short of amazing!

Here's Cohen gettin' low...

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A Couponer's Heaven

This week, CVS was having some AMAZING sales for Black Friday.  What was even better was the fact that it started Thanksgiving morning!  My original plan was to go Thursday morning before we ventured up to Goshen for the long weekend.  However, my precious child let momma sleep in and therefore I missed my opportunity since I had nothing packed for the trip.  So, I had to do my shopping trip at the one and only CVS in Goshen.  This was a little different for me considering down here there are stores on every corner, but I'm being literal when I say one and only CVS in Goshen.  Therefore some of my items had been sold out so I had to totally change my list and re-plan it as I was in the store.  But overall, I am super happy with my purchases.  I had $4 Extra Bucks to shop with beforehand but I spent only $6.45 but ended up with $9.50 Extra Bucks leftover.  So I actually earned $3.05 on my shopping trip.  Here's a glance at my purchases:

Overall, I consider my Black Friday shopping trip a success. :)  I'm itching to use these Extra Bucks up soon!!!

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Coupon Crazy

This is a picture of our usual Sunday afternoons - Cohen is napping, Brady is napping, Kurtis is working on his MBA homework and I have my Sunday ads, coupon binder, pen and paper ready to go all spread out on the kitchen table.  I'm still learning -but I'm starting to really catch on.  Take for example my shopping trip at Marsh on Friday:

• ALL laundry detergent - on sale for 2.99 -- used .50 coupon which doubled to $1 off.
• Colgate toothpaste -- on sale for 1.50 -- used .50 coupon which doubled to $1 off.
• Dr. Pepper Ten -- 1.89 -- used coupon for free 2 liter
• Herbal Essence Conditioner -- on sale for 2.50 -- used $1 off coupon.

So my total for that shopping trip was 3.76 -- a 76% savings! 

My favorite place to get all our bathroom stuff is CVS.  I always buy things that I have coupons for or are free with Extra Bucks.  My most recent proud purchase was a box of Pampers on sale for 18.99.  I had a 2.50 off coupon and 4 Extra bucks so I paid around $12 PLUS I got 4 EB to use this weekend for Black Friday shopping.  So really I got a box of diapers for $8.

I know, I'm creating a coupon addiction - which isn't really that extreme yet.  But who doesn't like to save money??  Better yet - who doesn't like free stuff??  More updates coming soon. :)

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Cake Smash

Despite my son's ultra grumpiness and absolute desire to continuously go up the stairs (which, I have no idea how he can go up stairs so fast considering we don't have any and neither does his sitter) Michele captured some great pics at this Cake Smash session.  Who would've thought my son loved cake so much? :)

    www.chickpixphotography.com -- Check her out! :)

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