How To Prepare For A Hurricane

This is what I ran out and picked up at Target and CVS and the dollar store yesterday in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy.

Half and half for my coffee.
Diet Coke. (2L on sale for $0.88 this week)
Candles.  ($1 from Dollar General)
Applesauce squeezy thingies.  Just in case.  Plus, I love them.  Great to toss in a bag for a snack on the go.

Notice that my haul does not include batteries.  I searched high and low for D batteries to use in an old boom box in case of power outage.  But it seems that everyone else beat me to the punch.  Which makes sense as I went on this big search around 2 in the afternoon.

Bottom line.  I was happy as a clam.  I had a chicken in the crockpot and a big glass of wine and all my necessities at the ready.  Just in case.

How did you prepare for Hurricane Sandy?  And did your area have much damage?  I hope not!

Free Candy Bar

This is fun!  Just click the link and it takes about seven seconds to request a FREE candy bar at CVS.  Yay!

Free Cortaid At CVS

I finally found Cortaid!

For those who have not yet been to CVS this week, make sure you scan your card at the magic red machine.  And my tip is to scan until it tells you "No More Coupons."  On Sunday I scanned, got coupons, scanned a second time, got coupons, scanned a third time, got one coupon and scanned a fourth time when I was told No More Coupons.  Yup...sometimes you get that many coupons.  Then again, a few weeks ago, I got zero coupons.  You just never know.

But the point is that most are reporting that CVS is giving them a coupon for FREE Cortaid up to $5.99 value.

It took me two days and two stores but I found it yesterday.  Yay!  This seems like a good product to have on hand during gardening season, just in case.

CVS Deals

I popped into CVS today for a few things.  Actually, just what you see here.  Some deals are better than others.  Such as the fish oil pills.  I prefer to get a better deal on those.  But my dear old daddy o forgets to tell me he needs things until he is out of them.  So I am often forced to get the best deal at the moment rather than the best deal of a season.  Such is life.  We've all been there. 

This entire transaction was done without using a single coupon. 

And the magic red machine gave me a coupon for FREE Cortaid Anti Itch Cream.  That's what you see in the photo.  However my store didn't actually carry the Cortaid brand.  I will check a different store tomorrow.  

Transaction #1:

(4) Nivea Creme tin  reg. $0.99
= Out of Pocket $3.96
~ Earn $8 ECB  Money Maker!!!


Transaction #2:

(4) Coke 2L  reg. $1.67, sale $0.79
= OOP $3.16

(2) CVS brand Fish Oil 320 count pills  reg. $21.49, sale BOGO Free
= OOP 2 for $21.49

- $8 ECB from Transaction #1

= OOP $16.65

Total value purchased ... $53.62

Paid out of pocket ... $20.61

Percentage saved ... 62%

A Quick CVS Shopping Trip

I made a quick run into CVS this week.  But they were out of a few things on my list.  Needing to use up an expired ECB, I had to find something to buy.  I opted for toilet paper as that's always a good thing to add to the stockpile list.  All in all, it was a pretty good, albeit small, shopping trip.

Purchased ...
(1) Peanut M&M's  reg. $1.19, sale $0.75
(1) Mitchum deodorant  reg. $4.99, sale $1.99
(1) CVS 4-pk double roll toilet tissue  reg. $3.89, sale $2.50

- (1) $1/1 deodorant from red machine
- (1) $1/1 Mitchum deodorant SS 5/6
- (1) $2 ECB

Total value purchased ... $10.07

Paid out of pocket ... $1.24

Percentage saved ... 88%

Earned ... (1) $0.75 ECB from M&M's

FREE At CVS

Like so many times before, my weekly shopping plans at CVS didn't work out.  It happens at nearly every store, every week.  Ha.  I didn't get any of the CVS red machine coupons that others were getting.  So the ONLY thing I picked up there this week was one One Touch Ultra Mini.  And even that was iffy.  The coupon wouldn't scan.  I've come to realize that the folks who design coupons (both printed and from the newspaper), often put the two bar codes too close together.  So the scanners have trouble reading them all jumbled up close like that.  But thanks to my calm request to please call a manager (oooh she was ticked though...she wanted me to leave without using that ole coupon...fat chance!), I left with this baby completely free!

I have zero need for it but know that others do.  So into the donate box it went.

I Heart CVS

First, I heart CVS because they are so nice about honoring ECBs that are a day or two expired.  In my experience, no other store will do that.  Not Rite Aid or Walgreens.  But CVS...as always they are totally awesome sauce!

I also realized that I had three coupons for FREE PRODUCTS that were about to expire.  Two coupons for FREE Suave Professionals products and one for a John Frieda hair color up to $12.99.  So I ran (not literally...my booty is still fat as can be....I drove thankyouverymuch) over to CVS and grabbed my freebies.

Other than the Diet Coke that was a total impulse purchase, everything went toward my stockpile.  I love buying things for free to keep me stocked.  This means that when I need them, I don't have to pay full price.  Love that!

Purchased....
(3) Hallmark Cards  reg. $0.99
(1) John Frieda hair color  reg. $13.29, sale $12
(1) John Frieda hair color  reg. $13.29, sale $3.32*
(2) Suave Professionals hairspray  reg. $3.39
(1) Bottle of Crack Diet Coke  reg. $1.77

Minus...
-(1) $12.99 - Free John Frieda Hair color
-(2) $3.39 - Suave Professionals product
- $5 ECB

Total value purchased ... $38.11

Paid out of pocket ... $2.12

Percentage saved ... 94%

Earned ... (1) $3 ECB from purchase of three Hallmark cards and (1) $5 ECB from purchase of $15 worth of John Frieda products 

* I spotted the darker hair color box on clearance and also the hang tag noting the ECB deal- earn $5 ECB with the purchase of $15 worth of John Frieda products.  I will donate this box and really only purchased it so that I could have a little money maker.  Just to clarify that my hair is not two colors.  Just one.  

Update: No Finish Coupon

OK so after whining on my blog and a few other local blogs, I called a fellow coupon friend who lives near me.  Guess what, she got the Finish coupons.  So it's just me apparently. 

I know...I'm obsessing.  I'll promise to stop now.  I just can't believe I didn't notice sooner.  At one point I thought that maybe they were coming today because I couldn't find them in last week's batch. 

Hmph!

The good news is that Downton Abbey is back on tonight.  I know it's unrelated but if you are not already a fan, you should be.  Best.  Show.  Ever!  (well...except for West Wing...but this is for sure the best show currently running!)

CVS Deals Starting 01/08/12

This is not the full list of good deals this week.  It's just a list of things that stuck out in my mind as deals a few of us might want to take advantage of if you are running low on things. 

As noted below, I am rather huffy and puffy that my $2.15 Finish coupons did not come to me last week but I didn't notice until today.  I've been so crazy busy that I didn't even think to look until an hour ago!  Life goes on of course but it would have been nice to do the gift card deal on something I use all the time.  Love me some Finish tabs!


All prices listed are estimated.  I've found that prices can even vary from store to store in the same area.  There is one particular item I buy regularly that is $3.99 at my regular Price Chopper and $4.29 my other PChop.  The stores are about 15 mins from each other!


* Suave Deodorant  $1
- (1) $0.75/1 Suave Deodorant 01/08 RP
= out of pocket $0.25

* CVS Vitamin D 400iu 100 ct.  $3.99
= out of pocket $3.99
~earn $3.99 ECB (limit 1)

* Spend $15 on any Garnier products before coupons (excludes clearance items), earn $5 ECB

* Mars Chocolate Singles  $0.75
= out of pocket $0.75
~earn $0.75 ECB (limit 1)

* GE Energy Smart 1 pk.  $2.99
= out of pocket $2.99
~earn $2 ECB (limit 1)

* Kodak Archive DVD  $4.99
= out of pocket $4.99
~earn $4.99 ECB (limit 1)

* Spend $30 on participating products, earn $10 CVS Cash Card

Deal Idea 1:
*(6) Finish 20ct  2/$7
*(3) Coke 12 packs  3/$10 (must buy 3)
= $31
-(6) $2.15/1 Finish Quantum, Powerball or Gelpacks  01/01 SS (if you got them)
-(2) FREE Coke 12 pack from My Coke Rewards (if they get to me on time...not here yet)
= out of pocket $11.44 (plus tax- which is a lot for soda cans here)
~earn $10 CVS Cash Card (limit 5)

Deal Idea 2:
*(4) Rembrandt toothpaste or mouthwash  $3.99
*(4) Finish 20ct  2/$7
= $31.50
-(2) $5/2 Rembrandt print coupons
-(4) $2.15/1 Finish 01/01 SS (if you got them- lucky ducks)
= out of pocket $11.36
~earn $10 CVS Cash Card (limit 5)

There are LOTS of other products that qualify- check your insert.  These are just a few that were of interest to me. 

Also note that the Finish coupon (I've read- not actually seen in person of course.) states that you can only use two per transaction.  But I saw on other blogs that they had no problems using a bunch at one time.  So as always, your mileage may vary.  At worst, you will need to do only two Finish per transaction.  But CVS tracks your purchases so you can even go to multiple stores over multiple days and then earn the gift card once you've reached the limit. 

I Only Got Four Inserts

Well I was going to pop on here and post what I planned to do this week with the various deals and steals.  However, in my FIVE newspapers, I only received four inserts.  (1) Walmart insert with diaper coupons, (1) Red Plum and (2) Smart Source.  And according to other blogs, I am two inserts short. 

I thought this was perhaps a Capital Region thing but it seems like it's perhaps just me? 

I also didn't get the $2.15 Finish coupon last week.  I didn't think to check until this afternoon when I finally had time to sit down.  The last few months (and the next week to come) have been sooo busy for me that I just took two minutes to look and I don't have it!  So sad.
I will have to let it go.  No CVS deal for me unless I find some from a neighbor. 

But I am so curious to know if anyone else was left out of the expected awesome coupons too?

CVS Quarterly Rewards

Be sure to scan your card at the magic red machine this week to retrieve your quarterly reward bucks.  I only earned the $0.50 ECB that I used here.  Every quarter, your out of pocket costs (so after use of coupons, sales and ECBs) are totaled and you earn 2% back in the form of another ECB.  It's a great program that I wish other drugstores would also implement.  In past periods, my quarterly ECB was much higher.  However, I think I have shopped at CVS more this quarter than any other time in my life.  What my tiny ECB tells me is that I did really really well with coupons and deals lately.  Yay for me!

CVS Shopping Trip

I made a quick pop into CVS tonight and picked up only two items.  There just isn't much screaming my name this week at the drug stores.  Which is totally fine.  I wanted to get the Nivea lippy money maker deal though and use up an ECB that was expiring today.

Purchased ...
(1) Always Infinity 14 ct.  reg. $4.99, sale $3.99
(4) Nivea Lip Care  reg. $3.39, sale $2.50

Minus ...
-(1) $2/1 Always Infinity coupon  PG 01/01/12
-(2) $3/2 Nivea Lip Care RP 01/01/12
- $5.50 ECB

Total value purchased ... $18.55

Paid out of pocket ... $0.49

Percentage saved ... 97%

Earned ... (1) $5 ECB from purchase of $10 worth of Nivea

$5/$25 At CVS

Be sure to check your email and/or CVS account.  I received an email yesterday from CVS with a $5/$25 coupon.  I LOVE these coupons as they really make deals so much sweeter at CVS.  So go forth and double check your inboxes, my frugal friends.  And if for some reason you are not yet signed up to get emails from CVS, get yourself on top of that.  They really only send emails once in a while with these great coupons.  Not much else comes my way from them.  So worth the 45 seconds it takes to sign up!

CVS Nivea Lip Care Money Maker

Aaaah Blogger!  You're killing me!  I have like five posts that never posted this week.  This one is still relevant though so be sure to make note...


After all the Nivea deals lately, I need more like a hole in the head.  So I am not printing the new $1/1 coupon out today.  However, if all goes according to plan (and honestly....we all know it rarely does...ha!), I will be picking up four more at CVS on Sunday. 

CVS Deal idea:
(4) Nivea Lip Care 2/$5
-(2) $3/2 Nivea coupon 01/01/12 RP
= out of pocket $4, earn $5 ECB (limit 1)
**$1 Money Maker!!

If you have some ECB's you are looking to roll or just want to stock up on a favorite product (I actually adore this lippy and use it daily), this is a fantastic deal idea.  Let's just hope we all get the expected coupon.

One Lonely Deal and Answers

First things first....  Please accept my apologies.  I am just not going to be on here much this week.  I am in the middle of the first of three huge projects.  Oh and Christmas is in there too.  I have yet to even clip the coupons from two Sundays ago.  Gasp!

Second....  My favorite CVS.  It's in Latham, next to the Lowes.  I live closest to the ones in the Atrium but I don't like that one at all.  The store and the employees are not exactly my favorites.  But in general, I find CVS employees to be the most well versed on coupons and the stores to be well stocked.

Third...  I will do a post about the details at some point, but I do not shop at Walgreens.  I have had too many wretched experiences there and it just is not worth it in my book.  I think their customer service, from the store on up to corporate, is hands down the worst.  Worse than Walmart.  I also don't like their rewards system.  Or specifically the rules on coupons to items purchased.  I don't want to have to buy junky crap to use a coupon.  Not cool.

Fourth...  So far this is the only deal I have done this week.  I need to find a few at CVS though as I have ECB's expiring at the end of this week.  Gah!  I have no time.  But I was happy to get this Lysol kit from Rite Aid today.  The cashier was suspicious of the VV coupon though.  I was like, it's from your own website!  Ha.  Anyway, I was happy.  I wanted one of these to use in a Christmas gift and was hoping to find a deal this week.  Yay!

Lysol Hand Soap Kit  reg. $14.99, sale $7.99
- (1) $0.75/1 print coupon
- (1) $5/1 Rite Aid Video Values coupon
= Paid Out Of Pocket $2.24
~ Earned $3 + up Reward

Today, come hell or high water, I will finish the one of the three projects.  Or finish it enough to let me enjoy my holiday anyway.  I hope! 

I also have to...gulp...go to the mall.  Every year, I try my hardest to never set foot in a mall to do holiday shopping.  This year, because Lands End sent me the wrong item though, I have to break my mall fast.  Sad sad sad.  And scary.  Scary that I have to set foot in a mall this close to Christmas.  Wish me luck!

Coke, Zhu Zhu Pets and CVS Coupons

What sort of Coke coupon did y'all get yesterday at CVS?  Bloggers were saying they received 3 12-packs for $8 coupons.  Mine was 2 for $6.  Which is still a decent deal.  But not quite as great as the 3 for $8.  Oh well.  I wanted Diet Coke so I was happy to get a deal.  Sad though to find a coupon for $1/2 Coke at the second CVS I went in.  So after I purchased the Coke.  Ha.  Always something, right?

I went to four CVS stores hoping against all odds to get another Pro Nutrients deal.  I didn't realize earlier n the week that the $5 red machine coupon would be produced once each day.  Ah!  Sad sad sad.  That was such a great deal to roll just a few ECB's after all the coupons to earn a gift card.  Live and learn.  Because all the stores were long sold out. 

They were also all out of the Zhu Zhu pets.  So I still have no idea what those are.  But my favorite CVS store (and the fourth that I went to today) was so nice to honor the $0.99 CVS red machine coupon on anything else Zhu Zhu.  I picked up this lunch box and will keep it for the fall when my Junior League typically does some sort of back to school drive.  I personally think it's ugly as sin but I'm not five, so what do I know.

CVS Money Makers

I just realized I never posted about my CVS trip from Sunday.  Let's see if I can remember the details...

So here's what I purchased...
(3) Centrum Pro-Nutrients  reg. $12.79, sale $9.99
(2) Loreal Root Rescue  reg. $8.29, sale $5.99
(2) Mentos Up2U Gum  reg. $1.49, sale BOGO

Minus...
-(1) $5/1 Centrum Pro-Nutrients CVS red machine coupon
-(3) $7/1 Centrum Pro-Nutrients 12/11 coupons
-(2) $2/1 Loreal coupons
-(2) $1/1 Mentos Up2U Gum coupons
-(1) $4/$20 CVS coupon (emailed to me)
-$7.24 ECB

Total value purchased ... $57.93

Paid out of pocket ... $0.20

Percentage saved ... 99%

Earned ... $10 Gift Card from purchasing (3) Pro-Nutrients and $5 ECB from Loreal

Oh but it's never that easy.  My $5 ECB that I earned from purchasing two Loreal hair dye boxes didn't print.  But I didn't notice it until I got home.  I called the store but they were closed.  So I called CVS customer service and they were very nice but my transaction was not yet available for them to view.  The gal told me it would take up to a week.  But the next day, she called and left a voice mail stating that I didn't purchase two and only even purchased four items and clearly didn't qualify for the ECB but thanks for calling. 

So I called back!  I hate to chase down a store coupon like a crazy lady but I had totally earned it.  And not just because I bought the required products that were marked very clearly on the shelf.  But because the first box I picked up had been previously pilfered by a little sticky fingers.  They stole the dye portion out of the box.  But also left open the conditioner tube.  So when I picked up the box, I dumped the conditioner ALL OVER MYSELF.  Jeans, puffy LL Bean coat and loafers. 

Oh I had soooo earned that darn ECB!

When I called back, the new gal looked up my case and said she was confused why the first gal would call and tell me that.  Because my transaction still wasn't even available for viewing.  She said she would re-open my case and get back to me.

Lo and behold, on Friday, the first gal called back to say my transaction was finally available for viewing and I did in fact qualify for that $5 ECB and she sent it to my card.  When I popped in a store and scanned my card at the magic red machine, the $5 ECB printed easily. 

Victory!

CVS Money Maker

After last week at CVS, I didn't see any deals I really wanted to chase this week.  With one exception.  This Lysol No-Touch Hand Soap System regularly $13.29.  Yikes!  I would never pay that.  But check out how I made money on it...

Lysol No-Touch  reg. $13.29, sale $9.99
-(1) $3/1 Lysol No-Touch manu coupon
-(1) $3/$10 purchase of any hand soap coupon from magic red machine
- $2.68 ECBs

Total value purchased ... $13.29

Paid out of pocket ... $1.31

Percentage saved ... 90%

Earned ... $5 ECB

CVS Black Friday Part II

I ran out to CVS this evening to see if I could snag a few more items that I was unable to get at the first store on Thursday.  Mainly I wanted the Finish.  But this store was out too.  They did have the Benefiber and Excedrin though.  And they let me use my $2/1 Benefiber coupon- didn't mark it down as I expected them too.  Score!

So for what you see here, I paid out of pocket just $0.48.  And earned $0.99 and $1.49 in ECB's.

I have a LOT of ECB's that I get to roll this month!  Woo hoo!!

CVS Thanksgiving/Black Friday Haul

OK I am not giving you my break down because while I am pleased with my shopping trip, I could have been much better.  I went in with two possible lists.  One was a three transaction list and the other was a four transaction list.  However, my store, while completely awesome, was already out of several items.  And once there, I decided not to buy any more deodorant and toothpaste.  Because I really just do not need more. 

So my original play lists were all wonky.  I stood in a quiet aisle and re-worked things.  Because I had a turkey in the oven so I had to get this all wrapped up.

Instead of listing what I did, I will just tell you that I did this in two transactions.  I should have done three to lower my out of pocket costs.  I also started out with $11 ECB from previous weeks.

So for everything above, I paid out of pocket (before tax) $7.36.  And earned (as in not yet spent- I did roll all of my ECB's from transaction #1 into #2) $28.87 ECB's that don't expire until 12/24!  So in theory (because I don't actually think this way but I know most do), I made a profit of more than $21!  I basically paid for the nail polish kit and got everything else for FREE!