Hooray! I didn’t have to cut and paste my items this past week! However, I did find a good Carefree deal at Walmart (they were $1.08 each and I had (5) $1 coupons, making them just 8 cents each!!), so I included that in my CVS picture:

Total Out of Pocket: $10.50
Total Savings (including ECB’s, coupons, & specials): $27.47
Total ECB’s earned to use on a future purchase: $4.00

Michael was excited about the Pepsi deal and I was happy that I got to grab Triaminic for $4 after the sale price and a coupon! We’ve contracted the cold that’s been going around - well, everyone except Lilli & Eleanor - so I was happy I didn’t have to pay full price on that.

If you want to know how to get the most from your money, check out Deal Seeking Mom’s CVS 101 for Newbies. Have fun!

I haven’t made a CVS trip in quite a while, but when this past week’s circular came around, I jumped at the opportunity to save some $$!

Here’s what I got (and don’t laugh at my attempt to cut and paste from two different pictures. I made two trips and added the Excedrins - which are completely not to scale -in on the first picture. I guess that’s what I get for missing a great deal on the first trip!)

Total OOP (out of pocket): $4.06
Total Savings (including coupons & specials): $15.09
Total ECB’s earned to use on a future purchase: $4.27

Oh- and I didn’t buy the Pepsi 3/4 empty…someone (ahem, Michael) had to satisfy their Pepsi craving

Nope, didn’t fall off the face of the planet, so don’t worry I’ve been so incredibly busy & I promise I will catch up on my emails and phone calls…

I took some advice from one of my best friends, Debbie (also known as my Titus 2 woman), and rested. Wait- I’ve been “so incredibly busy” but rested at the same time? I guess you could say, I’ve been busy resting…lol.

For once, I’m not fretting over unloading the dishes, packing my hubby’s lunch, or doing laundry. Instead, I’m trying to make the most of the time - with my family & and by giving myself some much needed quiet time. Seriously, I got to take a nap on Tuesday - woo hoo! Even if I dust today, more will come back tomorrow…so why worry about it…especially when we could be playing outside in the leaves!

So, even though I have SO much that I want to write about: like my awesome CVS trip, my new online Bible study with my friend, Abbie (she makes the Compassion Friends, remember?), my new knitting projects from some books I received from my amazing friend, Laura, as well as our apple picking adventure on Saturday…

it might - and probably - will have to wait until I’m done resting

Again, I don’t have time to break down the transactions, but this all came to only $6.67, which was paid for by a gift card Michael’s Gram had sent (what a sweetie she is!!!)

My total savings (including coupons, specials, & ECBs): $27.47

Did I mention I love CVS?!

I don’t have time to break down the coupons & transactions…but I just had to share my savings!

I got everything at CVS, with the exception of the bread and rinse aid (both of which I got for free with coupons!)

I got all of this for $9.31!

Now for the savings (drum roll please….)

My total savings was: $27.24!! Wow!

Okay, I have a sleeping baby in my lap and the rest of my family is playing outside - it’s a sunny 80 degrees with a nice breeze - I’m jealous. But before I run out to meet them, I just HAVE to blog about my super day (did I mention it was sunny, 80 degrees, with a slight breeze out??):

* Church this morning was wonderful! We had the amazing opportunity to hear Mike Licona speak. What an incredibly intelligent, not to mention quite humorous, man.

* Even though CVS doesn’t have any oh-my-gosh-I-have-to-run-out-the-door-this-instant deals this week, they do have a buy (4) 12 pack of Pepsi for $11.00, get (1) 12 pack free. That deal is great, but when I added my $2 off $10 purchase AND a $2 ECB, that brought it down to a total (including tax) of $7.17 for 60 cans of Pepsi! WOW! And yes, I will be heading back before the week is over to pick up some more Hey, when you’re hubby is a Pepsi-holic, you do what you have to do

* I baked bread. Yes, I’ve baked bread before, but this one is called Sweet Bread. Sweet and bread together? I had to try my hand at it…and I’m happy I did. Not only did I love it, but the fam did too. It is quite similar to a dinner roll type of bread, but it’s lighter and fluffier. YUUUUMMM!

* But where were the girls when I was baking bread?? SLEEPING! YES! All at the same time….incredible

Now I’m off to play outside with the rest of the Clarkes!

Even though blogging has taken a back seat to more important things, I am still CVS-ing and am excited to have a few minutes to blog about this week’s shopping trip. I still have a way to go in learning the ins and outs of the ECB program (Tara recently only spent 2.21 on her recent purchase…which she paid for with a gift card from an Rx transfer), but I’m still happy that I only spent $17.32 on all of this:

Transaction #1
* (1) CVS pantiliner : $ 0.89 & earned $0.99 ECB
* (1) CVS Tampons:  $ 1.49 & earned $1.49 ECB
* (4) Trident Gum   : $ 2.98 after BIGI coupon & earned $2.00 ECB
* (2) Sure Deodorant:$3.38 after $2.00 coupon & earned $3.00 ECB
* - $0.50 CVS rewards coupon

Grand Total OOP: (including tax): $8.75
Grand Total ECB earned:  $7.48
Grand Total Saved (coupons, ECBs, or specials): $5.48

Transaction #2
* (4) VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner: $ 3.00
* (2) Nature Made Vitamins:            $ 7.49 after B1G1 & $2.50 coupon
* (2) Purex Laundry Detergent:        $ 4.99 after B1G1 & $1.00 coupon
* - 7.48 ECB’s from Transaction #1

Grand Total OOP: (including tax): $8.57
Grand Total ECB earned:  $0
Grand Total Saved (coupons, ECBs, or specials): $27.92

Eleanor is going to make her debut ANY day now, so I had to run to CVS while I still could. I’m happy with the savings, but a little bummed I forgot one of my two $2 Kashi coupons at home - I’ll have to take advantage of the 2/$5 later this week (which would make my OOP $1 for two boxes of Kashi)…perhaps I could do this on the way to the hospital
Transaction #1
* (1) Accu- Check Diabetes Monitoring Kit - $9.99 (originally ~ $77!!)
(This will be donated to either ABBA or a nursing home…any other suggestions??)

Total OOP (incl tax): $ 9.99
Total ECB earned    : $ 9.99

Transaction #2
* (1) Vaseline Lotion       : $ 5.99
2 ECBs earned
* (2) Coppertone Sticks  : $ 10.98
10 ECBs earned
- $9.99 ECB (Trans 1)

Total OOP (incl tax): $ 6.98
Total ECB earned    : $ 12.00

Transaction #3
* (4) Diet Pepsi’s @ 4/$12
3 ECBs earned
* (1) Colgate : $ 1.77

- $1.50 Colgate coupon
- $12.00 ECB (Trans 2)

Total OOP (incl tax) : $ 0.31
Total ECBs earned    : $ 3.00

Transaction #4
* (1) VO5 Shampoo     : $ 0.88
* (1) VO5 Conditioner : $ 0.88
* (2) Sunlight Dish
(B1G1 Free)                 : $ 1.39
* (1) CVS Sanitizer      : $ 2.99
* (1) Gold Bond Lotion: $ 0.99

- $1.00 Gold Bond coupon
- $2.00 CVS Skin Care coupon
- $3.00 ECB (Trans 3)

Total OOP (incl tax): $ 1.25

Transaction #5 (Meadow’s Farm Nursery)
* (2) Begonia Flats: $ 2.98

- 1.49 (B1G1 Free coupon)

Total OOP (incl tax): $ 1.56

Mail Samples
* (1) Nivea Facial Lotion
* (1) Pupperoni
* (1) Alaway Allergy Drops
* (1) Tide Laundry Detergent
* (1) Similac Formula (this will be donated to ABBA)

GRAND TOTAL OOP (incl tax)       : $ 20.09
GRAND TOTAL SAVINGS              : $ 109.08 (82% Savings!!!)
(incl ECB, Coupons, & Specials)

Makes you want to run out to CVS, doesn’t it?!

Bright and early this past Sunday morning, I scrolled through this week’s CVS deals and found Pepsi at 4/$11. Now to many of you this may not be a “big deal,” but for me - let’s just say that if my hubby were a fish, he’d be swimming in Pepsi.  And it just so happens I was headed into town with my great friend, Rachel, for some “grown up girl bonding time” (quoted from Enchanted) and luckily CVS is on the way.

So here are my transactions for my third CVS experience:

Transaction #1
(4) Diet Pepsi’s for $11
- $10 ECB’s from 6/13/08

Grand Total OOP (inc. tax): $1.02
Grand Total Savings (ECBs & specials): $18.56

Transaction #2
(2) Johnson’s Baby products at 2/$5
- $1.00 coupon Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
- $1.00 coupon Johnson’s Baby Lotion

This transaction was GREAT because the lotion included a free 4 oz size as well as $1 ECB that didn’t end up printing on my receipt - they literally handed me $1.00 back.

Grand Total OOP (inc. tax): $2.25
Grand Total Savings (coupons & specials): $6.58

I suppose I could have combined the transactions, but hey…I’m still new at this
Then we went to Walmart where I stocked up on some pretty much free cereal:

Transaction #3
(1) Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate Clusters for $1.98
(1) Kashi Crunch for $2.98
(1) Live Active for $2.84
- $2.00 coupon off Honey Bunches of Oats
- $2.00 coupon off Kashi
- $3.00 coupon off Live Active

Grand Total OOP (inc. tax): about $1.00
Grand Total Savings (coupons): $6.00

So for EVERYTHING in this picture, I spent about $4.27 OOP - woo hoo!!