Great week for sales!

I'm a bit early posting this, but it's Super Savings Saturday at Moneysavingmom, and CVS Superstars and Drugstore Divas (both at The "Cents"ible Sawyer).

I had a great week this week - and will likely do a bit more on Saturday after babysitting all day.

Sunday, I traveled 25 or so miles to visit a new CVS store that opened, and also shopped at the other store in that city.

Store #1

Transaction #!


2 Smart Rinse @ $3.49 each
1 CVS after shave gel @ $2.59
2 Oral-B toothbrushes @ $6.99 each

Used
1 $1 Smart Rinse coupon
1 $2 CVS Beauty coupon
$19 ECB's
Paid $1.73 OOP
Received $6.98, $13.98, $1 ECB's back

Transaction #2

3 Colgate Total @ $2.99 each (they were marked $2.49 at this store even though the ad said $2.99 - I didn't catch the mistake until I got home)
2 Brut Deodorant @ $3.19 each
1 CVS swab @ $3.19

Used:
3 $1.50 Colgate coupons
1 $1 Brut coupon
1 $2 CVS beauty coupon
(I also had a 55 cent Brut coupon that somehow got missed)
$6.98 ECB's
Paid $4.73 on a gift card I got from MyPoints
Received back $6, $6, $2 ECB's

Store #2

Transaction #1
2 Colgate Total @ $2.99 each
1 CVS Swab
CVS Quart sized baggies @ $2.49
CVS Snack sized baggies @ $0.89 (B1G1 50% off)

Used
2 $1.50 Colgate coupons
1 $2 CVS beauty coupon
$7 ECB's
Paid $0.80 on gift card
Received $4, $2 ECB's

Transaction #2
1 CVS after shave gel @ $2.59
Used 1 $2 CVS beauty coupon
Paid $0.63 on gift card
Received $1 ECB

After visiting friends, church, etc., we went back to store #1 to complete some deals

Transaction #1

1 CVS Aftershave @ $2.59
1 Oral B toothbrushes @ $6.99

Used
1 $2 CVS beauty coupon
$6 ECB
Paid $1.69 OOP (this store kept having problems with gift cards or I'd have not spent any money at all that day)
Received $6.99, $1 ECB

Transaction #2
1 Oral B toothbrush @ $6.99
Used $6.99 ECB
No OOP
Received $6.99 ECB

Summary - spent $3.42 in cash, $6.16 on gift card, $45.97 ECB's; earned a total of $57.94. I have $30.97 in ECB's left, and $3.86 on the gift card.

Tuesday was my Kroger day.

2 Lipton/Knorr Pasta/Rice side dishes @ $1 each
1 Hunt's Ketchup @ $1
2 Betty Crocker Brownie mixes @ $2 each
1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights cookie @ $1.99
3 bags of Kroger shredded cheese @ $1.77 each
1 Kraft cheese slices @ $3.89
3 J&J Buddy Bars @ $0.99 each
1 Excedrin Back & Body @ $1.99
2 Suave bodywash @ $2.09 each
1 gallon milk (not pictured) @ $3.57
10 Pizza Rolls @ $1 each
1 Fast Fixin Chicken Nuggets @ $2.19
4 Oscar Mayer hot dogs @ $1.50 each
1 loaf of bread @ $1
1 package hot dog buns @ $1

Coupons used:
(Forgot to use a $5/50 coupon!)
1 $0.60/2 Pasta/rice doubled to $1.20
1 $0.75/2 Pasta/rice ecoupon
1 $0.20 ketchup doubled to $0.40
1 $1/2 brownie mix
1 $0.50 brownie mix ecoupon
1 $0.55 Warm Delights doubled to $1.10
(should have also gotten a 50 cent ecoupon - Shortcuts will be giving me $1 credit next time)
1 $3.89 Kraft cheese - for buying 3+ OM products
1 $3/3 J&J Buddy bars
1 $2 Excedrin
1 $0.50 Suave bodywash doubled to $1.00
1 $0.50 Suave ecoupon
(I also had a B1G1 free coupon for the Suave but it didn't get scanned - I will probably return them)
7 $0.55 Pizza roll "doubled" to $1 each
1 $2.19 chicken nuggets (free coupon for sending in 10 UPC's)
2 $1/2 hot dog
Received $3 credit for buying 10 pizza rolls

Paid $23.26 OOP
Received back $1 coupon for next order for buying Excedrin, will also send in for $1.99 rebate

And finally, Walgreens was Friday:

1 Calcium chews @ $5.99
1 Water filter @ $6.99
5 boxes of Lipton tea @2.50 each
2 jars of Ragu sauce @ 1.67 each
1 Dixie plate @ $3.79
1 Dixie bowl @ $3.79 (Dixie was B1G1 after coupon in ad
1 knee high @ $0.34 after coupon in ad

Coupons used:
1 $0.50/2 Ragu
2 $0.75/2 Lipton
2 $5 RR
$5/20 coupon

Spent $18.30 on rebate gift card
Received back $5 RR, $3/2 Dixie coupon
Will receive back $14.28 in rebates on gift card

I then went to another Walgreens and got 2 more Dixie plates using my $3/2 coupon. I spent $0.52 cash after draining my gift card and got back another $3/2 coupon. I'll likely get some more paper plates on Saturday.

All told I spent $27.20 this week on everything!

Works for me Wednesday - Remembering to pay bills!

I have gmail and thus use a lot of Google's other services. I love the reader to keep track of all the blogs I read, etc. A few months ago, I decided to give the calendar a whirl. I now use that to keep track of my bills. When I get one in the mail, I go to my calendar and create an event for the day it's due. I've got it set to email me a reminder a few days before it's due so that I can get online and pay it. I did set my calendar to be private and protected, but even if it wasn't, I don't include things like account number. I just abbreviate who it is and the amount.

Now if I just would remember to ALWAYS log my bills I'd be in good shape. ;)

Works-for-me Wednesday - Making Cookies

I learned this tip from a friend, and I love it! Last time I had to make cookies for a cookout, I made a double batch of chocolate chip/M&M cookies. I chilled the dough and then rolled it into balls. I stuck the balls on a cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer. Once they were frozen, I put them in a baggie and stored them in the freezer. Now whenever my sister and I want a couple of cookies, I can take out a couple and bake them in my toaster oven. (I have already baked some from a frozen state and they did just fine.) That's a lot cheaper than buying the pre-formed cookie dough at the store and we can control portion size at the same time. (Not to mention the fact that I'm not heating up the whole house to cook them!) That's what works for me!

Super Savings Saturday

This is a late addition to MoneySavingMom's Super Savings Saturday. I had family here visiting and just didn't have time to post this until tonight. I also did not get pictures, but here is a summary of what I got this week.

My big savings was at Target. Through several transactions I ended up with:
6 Fushion Razors @ $7.99 each minus $4 coupons. $47.94-$24=$23.94 + earned $30 in gift cards
6 Venus Razors* @ $9.44 each minus $2 coupons. $56.64-$12=$44.64 + earned $30 in gift cards
Total OOP - $18.58 and I still have one $10 gift card remaining for a total cost of $8.58 for 12 razors.

*For the Venus razors, I was able to get 2 different varieties of gift packs. I got 2 packages that included a travel size shaving gel, a razor cap for traveling, and a sample of Olay Quench lotion. The other 4 packs included a nice travel bag and full sized shaving gel.

I also made a fast Walgreens trip:
10 Satin Care shaving gel @ $2 each (buy $20 get $5 RR back)
4 bottles of pop (2 liters) @ 89 cents each
1 Walgreens cold medicine @ $3.99

Minus:
$1 Satin Care gel x 10 (IVC)
$1 Satin Care gel x 10 (mfg)

Spent $8ish OOP, received $5 RR, will get $3.99 rebate for cold medicine

Works for Me Wednesday - Toaster Oven

A couple of years ago, I bought a Sunbeam toaster oven from Wal-Mart for $20. My initial goal in getting it was to make toasted sandwiches/subs similar to Subway. Since then though, I have found so many uses for it! Since I live alone with my sister, we don't need to cook for a whole family. I will often cook dinner for both of us in the toaster oven. We also use it to reheat leftovers (esp. good for restaurant leftovers!) since it's just as fast as the microwave and tastes much better. It's also great for cooking small quantities of cookies, breads, etc. Since my sister is slightly disabled, I love the fact that she can use it while I'm gone without me worrying about it like I might with the big oven. In the summertime, I love that we're not heating up the whole house to cook for two in the oven. Did you know there are even whole cookbooks devoted to toaster oven cooking?? Check out your local library.

The toaster oven gets used almost daily in my house and has been a great $20 investment. It works for us!

Walgreens $5/$20 Coupon

Initially I was bummed when I heard that Walgreens had issued the $5/$20 coupon since I had already been there this week. It would have really come in handy then. But then I got to thinking, and I think I have a deal worked out that will still save me major money.

3 Airwick Freshmatic Mini - $5.99 each
2 packages Wrigley's Gum - B1G1 at $2.49 each (filler item)
Total: $20.46

Coupons:
-$5/$20
- (3) $4 Airwick coupons (printable from airwick.com)
- $1 gum coupon

Total: $2.46

I might tweak this when I get there.

Edit: Well due to stock levels and coupon to item ratio, I did tweak it and the following deal:

1 Airwick Mini Freshmatic - $5.99
1 Airwick Freshmatic Ultra - $5.99
Kids Orajel Mouthwash - $4.99
2 Wetwipes - $1.50 each after in-ad coupon
Calculator - $1
Total: $20.97

Coupons:
-$5/20
-$8.00 (2 Airwick $4 coupons)
-$1.50 (2 75 cent Wet Wipes coupons)
Pretax total - $6.47
With tax paid - $7.95
Rebate on Orajel - $5.49 ($4.99 + 10% on gift card)

Final cost - $2.46

April Savings

For the first time, I tallied up my totals for the month. This is JUST the drug stores - Walgreens, RiteAid, CVS. Some of my numbers may be slightly off, but it should be close.

All total, I should have spent $646.85 based on the SALE price and no coupons.
After using gift cards, ECB's, coupons, and register rewards, I actually spent $96.40 of my money.
Using the rebate programs that Walgreens and RiteAid have, I will be getting back $102.50
I still have $35.46 in ECB's to use at CVS and $10 in register rewards to use at Walgreens (with $10 more expected in the mail due to a register glitch).

This month, I earned about $124 in register rewards at Walgreens and $143.38 in ECB's at CVS.

Not a bad month! :)

(Rebates have been adjusted on the right hand side. WOW!)