CVS deals for the week of 1/2-1/8

January 2, 2011 by

If you are new to shopping at CVS and would like some tips, check out this article here and here.  If you earned quarterly ECBs (2% of your OOP spending from 9-15 through 12-15 or $1 for every 2 prescriptions), they started printing yesterday!  You can print them from your account online, from the scanners in the stores, or they will print on your receipt.

If you need coupons for your “deals” I recommend My Coupon Hunter!

Tag your reusable bag: Buy a Greenbag tag for $.99 at the register, get $1 ECB every 4th visit – limit 1 use per day, per household

If you haven’t already, register your CVS Extra Care card here and you should receive a $4 off a $20 purchase coupon in your e-mail. This also registers you to receive other e-mail coupons!

FREEBIES:

Spend $20 on any Excedrin products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Free Excedrin coupons (from home mailers, up to $5.99/each, if you signed up for them)
$2.50/1 Excedrin PM – 12-5 SS
$1/1 Excedrin – 12-5 SS

SCENARIO:
Buy 4 24 ct Excedrin Migraine or Extra Strength (depending on what coupons you have) – $5.49/each (I know the online pricing is less, but this is what they are priced at in my store, so YMMV on pricing)

Use 4 Free coupons

Spend $0 OOP, get a $10 ECB

SCENARIO:
Buy 4 24 ct Excedrin PM – $5.49/each

Use 4 $2.50 coupons

Spend $11.96, get a $10 ECB
Final Price = $1.96 after coupons/ECBs

Spend $10 on these Listerine, Rembrandt, or Reach products, get a $5 ECB (limit 2 per household)
-Listerine Total Care, Zero, Advanced, or Smart Rinse – $5
$1/1 Listerine Smart Rinse printable
-Listerine Whitening or Rembrandt – $7
$3/1 Rembrandt printable
-Reach Total Care toothbrush or floss – $3
BOGO free Reach toothbrushes – 10-10 RP
$2/1 Reach dental floss – 10-10 RP
$1/1 Reach floss or toothbrush – 10-10 RP

SCENARIO:
Buy 1 Rembrandt – $7
Buy 1 Reach Total Care floss – $3

Use $3 Rembrandt printable 
Use $2 Reach coupon

Spend $5 OOP, get a $5 ECB
Final Price = free after coupons/ECBs

Buy 2 Revlon cosmetics or beauty tools, get a $7 ECB (limit 1 per household)
*Revlon nail clippers are priced at $2.99
$1/1 Revlon beauty tools printable (this is a manufacturer’s coupon with a Target logo) – no longer available 🙁 (hopefully you got one before they were gone)

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each

Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons

Spend $3.98 OOP, get a $7 ECB
Final Price = $3.02 moneymaker!

ECB DEALS:

Spend $25 on these items, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Angel Soft big roll bath tissue (24 ct)
$.50/1 Angel Soft printable
$.50/1 Angel Soft – 11-14 RP2
-Nabisco Chips Ahoy, Lorna Doone, or Nilla Wafers – 2/$5
-Planters mixed nuts, whole cashews, Nut-rition, or smoked almonds – 2/$7
-Quilted Northern Soft & Strong or Ultra Plush bathroom tissue (12 ct)
-Sparkle paper towels (8 ct)
-Wisk laundry detergent (26-32 loads) – 2/$10
$2/1 Wisk laundry detergent – 1-2 RP

SCENARIO:
Buy 5 Wisk – $5/each

Use 5 $2 coupons

Spend $15 OOP, get a $10 ECB
Final Price = $5 after coupons/ECBs ($1 each!)

Buy Alli starter kit (90 ct) – $49.99 or Alli refill pack (120 ct) – $59.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $39.99-$49.99 after ECBs

Spend $25 on these Aveeno products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Aveeno body wash or lotion – $6
-Aveeno shampoo or conditioner – $6.49
-Aveeno lotion, oil, cream, bath treatment, cleanser, scrub, or pads – $7
-Aveeno moisturizing lotion or cream – $10
-Aveeno ultra calming or Positively Radiant Facial Moisturizer – $15
Fnial Price – varies

Buy Boost regular or high protein 6 pk – $5.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1.50/1 Boost – 11-14 RP
Final Price = $3.49 after coupon/ECBs

Buy Colgate Total, MaxWhite, or MaxFresh – $2.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/1 Colgate Total toothpaste – 1-2 SS
Final Price = $.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Colgate manual single pack toothbrushes – $2.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/2 Colgate toothbrushes – 1-2 SS
Final Price = $1.49 each after coupons/ECBs

Buy any Conair appliance, get a $5 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price – varies

Buy CoverGirl Lip Perfection or NatureLuxe products, get a $2 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 CoverGirl product – 12-26 SS
Final Price = $4.99/each after coupons/ECBs

Buy Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal (14 ct), 3D White 2 hour Express (4 ct), Stain Shield, Vivid, Gentle Routine, Professional Effects (10-28 ct), get a $10 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$5/1 Crest 3D White Professional Effects – 12-26 PG
$7/1 Crest 3D Pro Effects Whitestrips – 12-12 RP
Final Price – varies

Buy CVS Pharmacy Stop Smoking Aid – $29.99, get a $7 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $22.99 after ECBs

Buy Depend Underwear, briefs, guards, or shields – $11.99, get a $2 ECB (limit 5 per household)
$3/1 Depend underwear – 12-12 SS
$2/1 Depend underwear – 12-12 SS
Final Price = $6.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Extra or Extra Dessert Delights gum (15 ct) – 3/$2, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $1 after ECBs
Buy GE Energy Smart (40, 60, 75, or 100 watt equivalent, 1 ct) – $3.99, get a $2 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 GE lightbulbs – 11-21 SS
Final Price = $.99 after coupon/ECBs

Spend $10 on these Glade products, get a $3 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-Glade Air freshener – $1
-Glade Scented Oil Plug-ins refills (2 ct) – $4
$1/2 Glade Scented Oil refill pack – 12-5 SS
$1/2 Glade Scented Oil refills printable
-Glade Sense & Spray, Plug-ins Lasting Impressions, Fragrance Collection Reed diffuser, or Soy candle – $6
$3/1 Glade Lasting Impressions printable
-Glade Sense & Spray refill, Relaxing Moments Spray, Scented Oil refill, Essential Oils (4 oz) or Soy-based candle (2 oz) – 2/$5
$1/1 Glade Premium room spray – 12-5 RP$1.50/1 Glade automatic spray refill printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Glade Lasting Impressions – $6/each

Use 2 $3 Glade printables

Spend $6 OOP, get a $3 ECB
Final Price = $3 after coupons/ECBs ($1.50/each)

Spend $35 on Select Healthy Skin Care products, get a $10 ECB (limit 5 per household)
Final Price – varies

Buy Huggies jumbo pack diapers, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Overnites, or Little Movers jeans – $8.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$2.50/1 Huggies Little Snugglers printable
$2/1 Pull-Ups printable
Final Price = $5.49 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Mini Wheats, Special K, Nutrigrain bars, or Fiber Plus bars – 3/$10, get a $4 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$.70/1 Kellogg’s Raisin Bran cereal printable (must log in to print)
$1/2 Kellogg’s NutriGrain bars printable (must log in to print)
$1/2 Frosted Mini Wheats (must log in to print)

SCENARIO:
Buy 1 Raisin Bran and 2 Frosted Mini Wheats or NutriGrain bars – 3/$10

Use $.70/1 Raisin Bran coupon
Use $1/2 Frosted Mini Wheats or Nutrigrain bars coupon

Spend $8.30 OOP, get a $4 ECB
Final Price = $4.30 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Kudos, Planters, or South Beach Living bars – 4/$10, get a $4 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 South Beach bars printable
$1/1 Planters Big Nut bars – 1-2 SS
Final Price = 4/$2 after coupons/ECBs ($.50/each)

Spend $30 on L’Oreal skin, hair care, or hair color products, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
-L’Oreal Advanced RevitaLift, Age Perfect moisturizer, or Collagen Moisture filler – $12
$2/1 L’Oreal skincare product – 1-2 RP
$2/1 L’Oreal facial moisturizer – 11-14 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
$3/2 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
-L’Oreal Age Perfect, RevitaLift, Go 360 Clean, Skin Genesis cleanser, or towelettes – $6
$2/1 L’Oreal skincare -1-2 RP
$1/1 L’oreal facial cleanser – 11-14 RP
$3/2 L’Oreal skincare product – 10-24 RP
-L’Oreal Root Rescue or Feria hair color – $7
$1/1 L’Oreal Root Rescue product – 10-24 RP, 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal haircolor – 1-2 RP
-L’Oreal EverSleek, EverPure, or EverStrong shampoo/conditioner/treatment – $6
$1/1 L’Oreal shampoo/conditioner – 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal treatment products – 1-2 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal EverStrong – 10-24 RP
$1/1 L’Oreal EverPure – 10-24 RP
Final Price – varies

Spend $20 on Nexxus shampoo, conditioner, or styler, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = varies

Buy Nicoderm CQ, Nicorette, or Commit – $39.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $29.99 after ECBs

Buy Playtex Gentle Glide or sport tampons – $7.99, get a $3 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $4.99 after ECBs

Buy 2 Polident, Poligrip, or Biotene, get a $3 ECB (limit 2 per household)
$1/1 Polident – 1-2 RP
$1/1 Poligrip – 1-2 RP

SCENARIO: 
Buy 2 Polident tablets – $4.29

Use 2 $1/1 Polident coupons

Spend $6.58 OOP, get a $3 ECB
Final Price = $3.58 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Prilosec OTC – $24.99, get a $7 ECB (limit 3 per household)
$7/2 Prilosec – 12-26 PG
$3/1 Prilosec – 12-26 PG
$25 Mastercard WYB 2 Prilosec OTC MIR printable

SCENARIO:
Buy 2 Prilosec OTC – $24.99/each

Use $7/2 Prilosec coupon

Spend $42.98 OOP, get a $14 ECB
Submit for MIR, get $25 Mastercard
Final Price after coupons/MIR/ECBs = $3.98 ($1.99/each)

Buy Starbucks coffee (12 oz) or VIA Ready Brew instant coffee (8 ct) – $6.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 Starbucks VIA Ready Brew printable (this is a Smartsource coupon)
$1/1 Starbucks VIA – 11-21 SS
$1/1 Starbucks coffee – 11-21 SS
Final Price = $4.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Tums (60-150 ct) – $3.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$1/1 Tums printable
Final Price = $1.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy Tylenol Precise pain relieving cream, stick or heat patch – $5.99, get a $1 ECB (limit 1 per household)
$2/1 Tylenol Precise – 12-12 RP
Final Price = $2.99 after coupons/ECBs

Buy University Medical Face Lift product – $24.99, get a $10 ECB (limit 1 per household)
Final Price = $14.99 after ECBs

BOGO FREE DEALS:
*Atkins Advantage shakes
*Azo products
*Campbell’s chicken noodle soup or Swanson’s chicken broth
*Culturelle Probiotic
*CVS Pharmacy vitamins
*CVS vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements
*Emerald dry roasted or coca roast almonds
*Ester-C
*Filippo Berio olive oil
*Flex-a-min
*Hidden Valley Ranch or Kraft salad dressings
*Marvel kids gummies
*Nature’s Bounty
*Osteo Bi-Flex
*Viactiv calcium chews

TRANSACTION #1:

Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each

Use 2 $1/1 printable coupons

Spend $3.98 OOP, get a $7 ECB

TRANSACTION #2:
Buy 1 Rembrandt toothpaste – $7
Buy 1 Reach Total Care dental floss – $3
Buy 1 Colgate Total toothpaste – $2.99

Use $3 Rembrandt coupon
Use $2 Reach coupon
Use $1 Colgate coupon
Use $7 ECB (adjusted down to $6.99)

Spend $0 OOP, get a $3 ECB and a $1 ECB

TRANSACTION #3:
Buy 1 GE Energy Smart light bulb – $3.99
Buy 3 Extra gum – $2

Use $1 GE coupon
Use $3 and $1 ECB

Spend $.99 OOP, get a $2 ECB and a $1 ECB

If you have a $4/20
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99/each
Buy 1 Rembrandt toothpaste – $7
Buy 1 Reach floss – $3
Buy 1 Colgate Total – $2.99
Buy 3 Extra gum – $2

Use $4/20 CVS coupon
Use 2 $1 Revlon coupons
Use $3 Rembrandt coupon
Use $2 Reach coupon
Use $1 Colgate coupon

Spend $8.97 OOP, earn a $7 ECB (Revlon), $5 ECB (Rembrandt/Reach), 2 $1 ECBs (Colgate/Extra)

MY PLAN (I am starting with a $9.99 ECB):

TRANSACTION #1:
Buy 4 Excedrin Migraine – $5.49
Buy 2 Revlon nail clippers – $2.99
Buy 2 Colgate Total – $2.99
Buy 3 Extra – $2

Use 4 Exedrin free coupons
Use 2 $1 Revlon coupons
Use 2 $1 Colgate coupons
Use $9.99 ECB (adjusted to $9.96)

Spend $0 OOP, earn a $10 ECB, $7 ECB, $2 ECB, and $1 ECB

TRANSACTION #2:
Buy 5 Wisk – $5 each
Buy 1 GE light bulb – $3.99

Use 5 $2 Wisk coupons
Use $1 GE coupon
Use $10 ECB, $7 ECB, $1 ECB (adjusted to $.99)

Spend $0 OOP, earn a $10 ECB and a $2 ECB (plus there is a $2 ECB left to spend)



Frequently asked questions:

Do you really do multiple transactions at your stores?

In the past, I usually had $20-30 ECB on hand, so I didn’t have to break up my transactions as much as I did when I first started, but now that I am starting over, yes, I am doing multiple transactions. If you are doing multiple transactions, I recommend that you let the cashier know up front that is what you are planning to do. If there are several people in line, let them go in between your transactions. This gives you time to clip your ECBs and get prepared for your next transaction.

My store was out of all the freebie items first thing this morning. Can I get a raincheck?

This all depends on your store. I have contacted corporate about this before because some stores in my area give rainchecks and others won’t. According to corporate, this is up to the individual stores.

I bought the wrong item or I bought the RIGHT item and my ECB didn’t print. What can I do?

If you bought the right item, show the store clerk your ad and your receipt. They should be able to manually print your ECB at the store. If they don’t know how, you can call customer service and they can add one to your account that will print within 48 hours (you have to wait 48 hours from your purchase time to do this so they can “see” your transaction in their computer).

If you bought the wrong item and didn’t receive ECBs, you can do a return and purchase the correct item. If you paid using ECBs, they will have to give you money on a gift card.   

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Scenario Sunday Tagged With:

Free Savings Tracker!

January 2, 2011 by

I posted this in my 31 Ways to Save in 2011 post yesterday, but in case you missed it and you’re looking for a way to track your coupon savings this year, there is a free downloadable spreadsheet here.  I have tried to do this in the past, but usually don’t make it through the first month because I always forget to enter receipts!  I’m hoping to do better this year, especially since you can download it as a Google Doc now!  There are other free downloadable savings spreadsheets out there, but I really like this one because it lets you account for your rebates, too!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: freebies

Two HOT new printables: $1/2 Capri Sun and $1/1 Kraft salad dressing! – GONE ALREADY! :(

January 2, 2011 by

There are two new HOT printables that you will want to print quickly because I can pretty much guarantee they’ll be gone by the end of the day (if they make it that long!)


Click here to print the following coupons:


$1/2 Capri Sun


$1/1 Kraft salad dressing


The Kraft salad dressing is BOGO free at CVS this week.  The Capri Sun is on sale for $1.78 this week at Kroger (which isn’t the “best” deal because I think that’s close to the regular price at Walmart – I’ve seen it go as low as $1.40.  With kids starting back to school this week and sports starting back up soon, too, hopefully we’ll see some good deals on the Capri Sun!

(Thanks Coupon Katarina!)

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: printable coupons

Disney Movie Rewards: new 50 point code!

January 2, 2011 by

If you are a Disney Movie Rewards member, you can get 50 free points by logging into your account and entering the code D11M20R01NY.

If you haven’t entered the code COOL yet, you can also get 50 points for that one!

If you haven’t joined Disney Movie Rewards yet, it’s completely free and all you have to do is enter codes from the Disney movies thaty you buy (they are inside the boxes).  The points that you earn can be redeemed for free merchandise!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

31 Ways to Save in 2011: Make a budget!

January 1, 2011 by

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

One of my goals in creating this blog has always been to help people find ways to save more money, cut their budgets, and if needed, get out of debt!  My goal this year is to bring you a different “themed” series each month with ideas for cutting your expenses in specific areas.  This month, my focus will be on “31 Ways to Save in 2011” and I’ll give you simple ideas for making a little extra money on the side along with ideas for how you can cut your current expenses.  I hope you’ll join me on this journey.  Start tracking what you’re saving right now – there is a great free downloadable spreadsheet here that you can use to track your shopping savings!  If you’ve got ideas about how you can save more this year, please link up below and share.

My first suggestion on your journey to savings is to create a budget.  When you create a budget, you know exactly where your money is going which also helps you to pinpoint where your “leaks” are so you know exactly where you need to make cuts.

My husband and I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class almost two years ago and it was truly life-changing.  If you are able to, I recommend checking it out.  It’s often offered at local churches and the fee is normally $99, which includes all of the materials and thirteen classes.

Here are some of the things that have worked for us in creating a budget!

Find out where your money is going

Spend a few weeks or even a month tracking EVERY penny you spend (yes, that’s right EVERY penny…even that change you spend here and there at the vending machines at work should be included). This will help put you back in touch with your finances and will help you understand where your are spending your money. Many times, it is pretty shocking to realize how much you have been spending and what you have been spending it on.

Create a budget

Once you have an idea about where your money is going, you can begin to create your budget.  I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when they are creating a budget is that they don’t account for all of the categories where they actually spend money, which inevitably leads to a budget crisis.

People typically remember the “big” things when creating their budget like: mortgage/rent, car payments, utility bills, groceries, and eating out, but often forget the “little” things like gifts, hair cuts, clothing, entertainment money, and auto or home repairs. I have heard people say that they don’t “need” some of those things, which may be true, but sooner or later, you will have to buy a birthday gift or a baby gift or a Christmas gift. Unless you cut your own hair, at some point, you will need a hair cut. Unless you sew your own clothing, you’ll probably want or need something new. And…inevitably, something will go wrong with your home or car and you’ll have expenses there. It’s better to be prepared for these things ahead of time than to be scrambling trying to find the money when the need actually arises because chances are at that point, you won’t have the money.
 
Some people prefer to create an Excel spreadsheet to track their budget.  Others just write it on a piece of paper.  There are some great free tools online to help you create a budget. Here are a few:

*Basic Budgeting Worksheet from BetterBudgeting.com

*Quickie budget and Monthly Cash Flow Planning from DaveRamsey.com (I personally use his “Gazelle budget program” for planning our budget. You can access a “lite” version or sign up for a free trial here.)

*Easy Budgeting Tools from Mint.com (you do have to register)

*Create a budget and manage your online envelope system at MySpendingPlan.com (you do have to register)

Once you’ve created your budget, stick to it!

Creating a budget isn’t the “hard” part. The hard part comes in actually sticking to the budget you’ve created. Dave Ramsey recommends a “cash only” system.  For our family, one of the best moves we have made was going to a cash envelope system. Research shows that the average person spends 12-18% more when they are using “plastic” to pay for things. From personal experience, I can tell you that this is true. When you’re using plastic rather than cash you have a tendency to remove yourself from what you’re actually spending…until the bill comes in the mail, of course!

When our family switched to a cash envelope system, it was surprising that we actually had money left at the end of the month most of the time. Suddenly expenses that had seemed “important” in the past really weren’t as important when we were spending real money to pay for them.

When people are first starting out using the envelope system, I often have them ask which categories we use. We actually have quite a few envelopes, and it took some trial and error to get to the point where we are at now, but I like to know exactly where our money is going and this is what worked out best for us. Here are the categories we use:

*Allowance (this is money my kids can earn for completing weekly jobs)
*Auto repairs/maintenance (this is for things like oil changes and minor things that come up…if there is money left at the end of the month, it goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Blow money (this is money that my husband and I each get to spend on anything we want, no questions asked)
*Clothing (any money left goes into our “sinking fund’)
*Eating out/restaurants
*Entertainment
*Gifts (anything left goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Hair care
*Home repairs/maintenance (this is for things like replacing light bulbs, AC filters, etc…if there is money left at the end of the month, it goes into our “sinking fund”)
*Groceries
*Miscellaneous (this is for paper goods, diapers, etc. I look at this as my “CVS” and “Walgreens” filler money)
*Pet Care (this is for dog food and dog treats, anything left goes into the “sinking fund”)
*Prescriptions and over the counter medications
*Toiletries (this is for those little “extras” that come up ~ toothpaste, toilet paper, contact solution, etc.)

If you’re wondering what a “sinking fund” is, it’s basically money that you save for an expense that you know is going to come up. For us, we have sinking funds for things like auto registration/repairs, Christmas, vacation, clothing, escrow/property taxes/home owner’s association fees, and home repairs.

We do not pay for our gas using cash. We use our debit cards for this for convenience (it’s no fun to drag two small kids into the gas station and wait in line to pay cash and then drag them back out and get them strapped back into the car).  We also use a rewards credit card to pay for our routine monthly expenses (utilities, etc.) and then we pay it off at the end of the month.

We do not carry our envelopes with us all of the time. We keep them locked up and only pull cash out when we know that we’re going somewhere and will need it. If we don’t have enough cash for something, we either go home and get more (it’s amazing, though, how you start to re-evaluate whether you really “need” something when you’re making that extra trip) or we don’t buy it.

If you’re looking to make some really trendy envelopes for yourself, there’s a really awesome template and tutorial here.

Revisit your budget

At the end of a budgeting period (we budget from the 15th to the 14th of each month rather than from the start of a month because that’s what worked out best with the way we get paid), make sure that you revisit your budget, especially in the beginning, so you can figure out what works and doesn’t work.  As you create your budget each month, make sure you consider special circumstances that may take place during that month (for example, school supplies during August or September).

I promise you that knowing where your money is going and accounting for every penny really will make a difference!  It’s amazing how you become more conscientious about your spending when you know where your money is going!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

Filed Under: 31 ways to save in 2011 Tagged With: ,