Spending Smartly with Jessica

Still Here...

2008-09-18T19:24:00.003-05:00

I am still here! The past two weeks have been crazy at work and home. Thankfully the busiest part of the tax season is over and I should be able to start blogging on a more regular basis!

Talk to you soon...

Yummy!!!

2008-09-04T19:13:00.005-05:00

I am always looking for a good recipe to mix in with old favorites. I stumbled upon this particular recipe through a new blog I visited. I have a feeling this will be the first of many of her recipes I try out for dinner. Take it from me - this was a really good twist to chicken. Probably not the healthiest, but I did use light ranch (that counts right?!?)! My husband gave it an 8 of 10 stars (he said it could be a 10 with more bacon, but I thought it was just the right amount). This recipe will definately get added to the "old favorites" rotation. It's nothing fancy, but it is soooooooooooo good! Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 lb bacon (or bacon bits)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large skillet, heat oil & butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with teriyaki sauce and dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and top with bacon bits. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

To see step by step instructions and a lot of other great recipes visit Amanda's blog

Do you have any favorite cooking sites you would like to share!?! I have to admit I am a cooking blog junkie as well. I would be alot more productive (and skinnier) if I could stay away from Pioneer Woman and several other cooking blogs!!

August Spending

2008-09-02T21:47:00.008-05:00

It's "Financial Shape in 2008" at Money Saving Mom. Here's how I did this month...

My grocery shopping was exteremly random in August. Since it's only my husband and I it's very easy to skip a week if I don't have to time to shop. That happened a couple of times in August due to work and youth events! I have listed my out of pocket expenses as well as my mail in rebates. I seperated my Walgreen's rebates out, because I get that on gift card and use it to lower my out of pocket in future transactions.

August Spending:

Total Merchandise Purchased: $899.69
Total Coupons/Store Sales: $662.70
Total paid out of pocket: $213.75
Gift Card (that i received for free): $23.24
Less Mail in Rebates: $55.24
Total OOP after cash rebates: $158.51

Average Weekly Spending: $35.22 (after cash rebates)

Total Walgreen's rebates: $37.69

How did you do in August?

CVS Shopping, September 1

2008-09-01T19:15:00.011-05:00

Traffic was nonexistent on my way home from work on Monday - so decided to take advantage of that and get my CVS shopping done!

Store #1:

$3.49 - CVS brand dryer sheets
$1.29 - 1 Goody's Extra Strength, 6 ct. (earn $1.29 ECB, limit ??)

$5.98 - 2 Tubes of Colgate Total Advanced Whitening (earn $2 ECB each, limit 2)

---------------------------

$10.76 Subtotal

Less Coupons:

-$2/$10 CVS Coupon)

-$1.50 Colgate Printable

-$1.00 Colgate Total Avanced (8/24 SS

-$5.79 ECB

---------------------------

$.47 OOP (plus tax)

I earned $4 in ECB's for the Colgate and $1.29 in ECB's for the Goody's Powder

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Store #2:

$12 - 6 Bottles of Suave Bodywash (earn $2 ecb wyb $6 of Suave)
$1.25 Scotch Satin Tape (on clearance and I needed it to stockpile for Christmas)
---------------------------
$13.25 Subtotal

Less Coupons:
-$2/$10 CVS Coupon
-$6.00, 3 B1G1 Suave Bodywash (6/22 RP)
-$5.00 ECB
-------------------------
$.25 OOP (plus tax)

I earned $4 in ecb's for the Suave

Check out everyone else's CVS ideas at Money Saving Mom and Centsible Sawyer

I am Publix Super Saver

2008-09-01T18:57:00.007-05:00

This week I will be joining in on the Publix Super Saver's at Fiddledeedee! Sarah is so great at finding the deals - go check out the other Publix Super Savers' "here"!

Here's a run down of what I purchased. To make a shorter post I have put the corresponding coupon in parenthesis beside the item. I also put the sales price (not the original price) therefore, my savings is merely coupon savings, not actual savings from non-sale price.

$3.50 - 4 Lender's Bagels (-$3.00; used 4 $.75/1 Lender's Bagels, Toss for Cash Publix Coupon)
$.99 - 1 Head of Lettuce
$4.09 - 2 Velvetta Cheese (no coupon, but qualifiny purhcase for Kraft coupon)
$3.18 - 2 boxes of Kraft Pasta (-$2.00; used 2 $.50/1 Kraft Salad peelies that double to $1.00)
$2.40 - 12 Packets of Koolaid
$8.00 - 4 Kraft Single Slice Cheese (-$8.00; used FREE wyb Kraft coupon)
$4.00 - Sara Lee Bread (-4.00; used FREE coupon)
$5.98 - Greeting Cards (-$2.49; used B1G1 Publix greeting card coupon)
$3.49 - 2 Bags of Green Giant Vegetables (-$2.00; used 2 $1/1 Green Giant Printables)
$2.19 - 2 Jars of Mt. Olive Relish and Pickles (-$2.00; used 2 $1/1 Mt. Olive)
$1.99 -1 Jar of Jalapenos (-$1.00; used 1 $1/1 Mt. Olive)
----------------------------
$39.81

Less:
-$24.49 in coupons (see detail above)

$15.32 (plus tax) OOP

I agree with my friend Katrina - Publix is becoming my favorite place to shop!!!

Happy Shopping!!

Cheap Lender's Bagels at Publix

2008-08-31T07:49:00.002-05:00

You can get a super cheap breakfast at Publix until Wednesday (or Thursday depending on your sale week). Here's the deal:

Lender's Bagels are on sale B1G1 this week at Publix. You can get two for $1.75. The best part is Publix has a new coupon book out, Toss for Cash, that has a $.75/1 Lender's Bagels!! If you use two coupons you can get two bags of bagels for $.25 (plus tax)!

Special Notes to help you...the Toss for cash book was at the front of the store (where the sale ad's, Advantage Buy flyer and other"flyer" type items). In addition, the Lender's bagels are located in the dairy section, beside the cream cheeese!!!

CVS Scenarios for week of Aug 29th - Sep. 4th (Aug. 31- Sep 6 in most areas)

2008-08-30T21:14:00.008-05:00

Oh, how I LOVE CVS! I somehow managed to get a rather high balance of ECB's. While I enjoyed knowing I had nearly $70 in ECB's - it was a lot of pressure. I think mainly due to busy season at work (since I do most of my CVSing at lunch). Regardless, I made the decision to use "moneymakers" to get items that I need for my home. Therefore, my first scenario is very tailored to what I needed this week; however, I wanted to show everyone how you can do it too! I also included a couple more scenarios for those of you who may want to "grow" or "roll" your ECB's to a better week! Enjoy...

Scenario #1 - I need dryer sheets!!

$4.99 - 1 box Bounce Dryer Sheets
$5.98 -2 Tubes Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste (earn $2 ECB's/each, limit 2)
-------------------------------
$10.97

Less Coupons:
-$2/$10 CVS Coupon
-$1.50, Colgate Printable Here
-$1.00, Colgate (8/24 Insert) -Note: it would be ideal to use 2 $1.50/1, but it wouldn't let me print 2 of these coupons)
-$.25/1, any Bounce (P&G Insert)
-------------------------------
$6.22 Total Due (plus tax)

I will pay with $5.79 in ECB's and earn $4 in ECB's.

Scenario #2 - I can never have to much make-up!

$11.98 - 2 Covergirl Wetslicks with Crest (earn $5.99 ecb's, limit 1)
------------------------------
$11.98 Subtotal

Less:
-$2/$10 CVS Coupon
-$5.99, BOGO any Covergirl Lip Product (9/1 P&G Insert)
-----------------------------
$3.99 OOP (plus tax)

I will use a $4 ECB and earn $5.99 in ECB's

Scenario #3 - Squeaky Clean :)

$12 - 6 bottles of Suave Bodywash (earn $2 ecb when you buy $6, limit 5 offers)
----------------------------
$12.00 Subtotal

Less:

-$2/$10 CVS Coupon
-$6, 3 BOGO Suave Bodywash (6/22 RP)
----------------------------
$4.00 OOP (plus tax)

I will use an $4 in ECB's and earn $4 in ECB's

If I am able to do all 3 scenarios I will have gained $.20 in ECB's this week! Not to bad considering I got several useful things and dryer sheets (which I am in desperate need of).

Do you see any good deals that I missed!?! Let me know?

Please make sure you check your local ad with the deals before you purchase anything!!

Happy Shopping!

CVS, week of August 22-28

2008-08-24T06:45:00.012-05:00

Still getting used to the new ad week, but it seems we are still getting the same ECB's as everyone else (so I am not complaining)!! I haven't seen anyone mention the Viva paper towel deal (it's an 8-pack paper towel roll for $6.49 with a $1 ecb), but that's actually something I have been wanting to stockpile, so I set off to make a good transaction. Here's what I did:

Transaction #1;

$6.49 - Viva paper towels (receive $1 ecb)
$5.99 - Pop Fizz Energy Drink Mix (receive $5.99 ecb's)
$1.49 - Kotex Lightdays (receive $1.49 ecb's)
--------------------------------------
$13.97 Subtotal

Less Coupons:
-$.50/ Viva, printable
-$1.00/1 any Kotex Product (August Edition, All You)
-$2/$10 CVS Coupon
--------------------------------------
$10.47 Total Due

I paid with a $10 ECB and earned $8.48 in ECB's. Not bad (in my opinion) for good paper towels!!

I will post some more scenarios later - I am headed to church!!

If you want to see what everyone else is doing this week at CVS check out MoneySavingMom and Centisble Sawyer and Jenn at Coupon Coup

Free Shampoo/Conditioner at Rite Aid

2008-08-18T20:58:00.005-05:00

I know, I know. But who can pass up FREE (plus tax) shampoo!!! L'Oreal Vive Pro Shampoo & Conditioner is BOGO this week at Rite Aid. There is also BOGO insert coupon (07/13 SS). Combine both and get two free bottles!!

Check out more Rite Aid deals at I Heart Rite Aid!

CVS, Week of August 17-23

2008-08-18T20:07:00.003-05:00

I wasn't to excited with the CVS ad this week. However, I have several ECB's expiring and I would like to roll them. Here's what I have come up with to roll my ECB's to a better week!

Scenario #1:

1 Schick Quattro @ $7.99 (earn $5 ecb)
1 Pedialax Enema @ $2.19 (earn $2 ecb)
2 Glade Air Freshners @ $.88

$11.94 Subtotal

Use:
$2/$10 CVS Coupon
$5 ECB
$4/1 Schick Quattro Coupon (08/03 SS)
BOGO Glade Spray (08/03 SS)

$.06 OOP (plus tax)

Earn: $5 ecb and $2 ecb

Scenario #2:

1 Neosporin @ $5.49
2 Bandaids $2.99/each

$11.47 Subtotal

Use:
$2/$10 CVS Coupon
$1/1 Neosporin Coupon (various inserts)
$1/1 Bandaids (various inserts)
$1/1 Bandaids (various inserts)
$6 ECB's

$.47 OOP

Earn $5 ecb

What will you be buying this week? Need more ideas? Head over to Centsible Sawyer's CVS post for more ideas.

Missing...

2008-08-18T19:58:00.003-05:00

I am back! Sorry for the absence, but life has been crazy to say the least. Between busy season at work, planning youth events and catching up with family members I haven't had a lot of time to shop or blog. But I think things have settled down and I should hopefully get more blogging time in this week!

I want to leave you with a HILARIOUS post. Is is sad that I can recall every coupon/sale that he is referring to?!?

Enjoy - I married a Couponaholic

Thanks for the laugh, Frugal in Virginia!

Friday Freebies!

2008-08-07T01:34:00.005-05:00

A little early-but we are leaving for Georgia after work on Friday, so I didnt' want to forget!

Here are a few freebies to get your Friday started:

I often get asked if I sign up for freebies/samples. I do! But I sign up for a lot less now that I coupon. However, I still sign up for samples for several reasons. First, the deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste and other tolietries are great for vacations! Second, they are perfect for trying a new product before buying it (since samples are usually for newer products). Lastly, they sometimes lead to great coupons!! However, I must warn you: I use a "junk" e-mail for most of my samples. Most of the samples I sign up for are don't send spam, but if I am not familiar with it (aka it's not Wal-Mart/Costco/Sam's) I will give them a spam e-mail. Now on to the freebies.

Tide

Kotex Pads

Platex Sport Tampons

Natural Lip Balm

Ponds Clean Sweep Towelettes

Reach Access Daily Flosser

Scott Xtreme Rags

Pantene Color Expressions

Cover Girl Advanced Radiance

Nature Made Vitamins

"All You", August Edition

2008-08-06T20:53:00.005-05:00

Okay folks! Run, don't walk, to your nearest Wal-Mart! But read this first...

In the August Edition of All You (a woman's magazine sold exclusively at Wal-Mart) there is a page of Kraft coupons. Each one is for a free Kraft item when you buy 3 other Kraft items. There are 5 seperate coupons for Crystal Light, Wheat Thins, Kraft Single Slice cheese, Kraft dressing and Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs. Still wondering why this is such a great deal?!? You can use those little individual packets of Kool-Aid as your qualifying "3 Kraft items"!! So for the price of 15 kool-aid packets (priced from $.10-$.20) you can get 5 AWESOME Kraft items!!

Okay, now you may run to your nearest Wal-Mart!

P.S. Thanks for the reminder Susanna!!

Blog Award

2008-08-04T20:49:00.006-05:00

I was honored with a blog award today. I think this blogging business can be hard. It takes a lot of time to type up the deals, scenarios, etc and I have to admit it can feel unrewarding at times. But this brightened my day! Thanks Hippie Mom!!! I aslo want to add that I LOVE this because I can highlight my favorite blogs (and why I love them so much).

Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 5 other blogs.
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog- Don't forget this step. This is great free advertising!
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I nominate...

Carlie @ "Why Ask Why". Carlie has great CVS scenarios!!

Sarah @ "Fiddledeedee". Sarah is a pro at Publix shopping. If you are a Publix Shopper she is a need to read blog!!!

Andrea @ "Mommy Snacks". I love reading her snacks on Kroger (and all the other ones), but she is one of the few Kroger blogs that I can follow (i.e. same sales).

"Southern Savers". I have recently discovered this blog. I was looking for local blogs and discovered this one.

Suzanne @ "Hounding with Frugalsuz". This is my go to blog for the drug stores sales. On those weeks that I just don't have time to research all the deals at Wag's, CVS AND Rite Aid I know I can make 1 stop and see it all here!!!

Thanks ladies for all you do in the wonderful blogging world. I tend to be quiet in the blog world, but I am slowly coming out of my shell and commenting more...

P.S. Blogger would not let me put that picture in my post for some reason.

Enjoy!!!

Kellogg's Fuel For School Deal!!!

2008-08-04T19:42:00.006-05:00

Did you catch the awesome deal in the Kellogg's special insert!?! There are several stores running "promotions" in conjuction with these coupons and rebate offer. I will be taking advantage of the Walgreen's deals because they have my favorite cereal bars on sale!

In case you didn't catch the Kellogg's Mail in Rebate offer here's the short story: buy 10 participating products on 1 reciept between 8/5/08 and 9/30/08 and receive a $10 rebate by mail.

Here are the participating products:

Any Kellogg's cereal
Any Keebler Product
Any Sunshine Product
Any Eggo Product
Any Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal bar
Any Kellogg's Special K Cereal bar
Any Kellogg's Pop-Tart
Any Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats Squares
Any Kellogg's Fruit Flavored Snack
Any Kellogg's Cereal Straws
Any Kellogg's Grab 'N Go Cereal Packs

Now on to the store match-up's:

Here's the dealio at Walgreen's:

Kellogg's Cereals are 4/$10 this week. Plus, when you buy 4 you will receive $5 Register Reward (basically a coupon good on your next order). And finally there were coupons for $1/2 on all these cereals in the paper on Sunday. Cereals included in this deal: Raisin Bran, Smart Start, Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Special K or Frosted Flakes.

Kellogg's Snacks are on sale $4/$10 also. Plus, when you buy 4 you will receive $5 Register Reward (basically a coupon good on your next order). Snacks included in this deal: 6 or 8 packs Nutri Grain bars, 6 Packs Special K bars, Keebler Sandies Pecan Shortbread or Keebler Club Crackers. There were $1/2 coupons for the Special K and Keebler cookies in the paper on Sunday.

Kellogg's Cookies/Snacks (seperate from above) are on sale 5/$10!!!!!! Plus when you buy 5 you will receive a $5 Register Reward (coupon good for your next order). Snacks included on this deal: 8 packs Pop-Tart's, Cheeze-It crackers, 8 pack Rice Krispies Treats, Keebler Fudge Shoppe Fudge Stripes Cookies. There were $1/2 coupons for the Pop-Tart's, Rice Krispies and Keebler cookies.

So what does all this mean?!? Here's what I will be doing to get a lot of food for basically nothing (okay a few dollars!):

Transasction Detail:

4 Special K Cereal Bars (use 2 $1/2 coupons from the paper; Note: I buy multiple papers, if you don't you will have to add $1 into your scenario)
2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies (use $1/2 coupon)
2 Rice Krispie Treats (use the $1/2)
2 Kellogg's Pop-Tart's (use the $1/2)

Your subtotal should be $22.00 (plus tax). Then you will (proudly) hand the cashier all your coupons (should be 5 coupons for a total of $5). You will pay $17.00 (plus tax) out of your pocket. BUT you will have 2 $5 Register Rewards to spend on whatever you want next time you come in the store!!!! Then you will IMMEDIATELY (I will - if I don't I will forget) drive home and fill-out your rebate form (remember to read all the instructions and cut your UPC's out).

There are tons of ways to "work" this deal to your advantage. I worked the above scenario out for beginners and assumed you only had 1 insert from Sunday.

In the end you will pay $17.00 (plus tax) at the store. Send in a Mail in Rebate for $10, which brings your total to $7.00 OOP. BUT, remember you have 2 $5 RR to spend on your next trip to Walgreens - so you really "made" $3.00 for all that (junk) food!!

Jessica's WARNING: There seems to be a few issues with the Register Rewards printing on both offers in one transaction; however, you must have 1 receipt for the Mail in Rebate. It should print 2 $5 Register Rewards since they are seperate offers. However, some are reporting it's only printing 1 $5 Reward. You may have to call a manager up to get both of your Register Rewards.

Confused?!? Let me know and I might be able to help!! Got another scenario you will be doing?!? Let me (and my other readers) know what you will be doing to take advantage of this awesome rebate!!

CVS, week of July 27- Aug. 2

2008-07-28T18:33:00.004-05:00

I loved my transactions today!! I got several things that I really need/will use!! Here are my scenarios for the week.

Scenario #1:

4 Dark Choc. M&M's ($5 ecb wyb $10 select candy) ..................$10.00

================================

Subtotal: $10.00

Less:

$7 ECB

===============================

Subtotal w/tax: $3.27

Less Manufacturer Coupons:

$.75/1 Dark Chocolate M&M's (6/1 RP)

==============================

$.27 OOP (but I used a gift card, so zero for me!)

Transaction 2:

6 Dove chocolate bars ($5 ecb wyb $10 select candy) .................$9.00

3 Watchamacallit Candy Bars (same as above)..............................$1.50

1 Bandaid Ultra ($2 ecb)....................................................................$2.99

4 Benadryl Tablets (Johnson & Johnson ecb deal)......................$20.00

1 Revlon Limited Edition Make-up ($9.99 ecb)............................$9.99

==========================================

Subtotal: $43.48

Less:

$28 ECB's

==========================================

Subtotal with tax: $16.91

Less Manufacturer Coupons:

$9.00, 6 - $1.50/1 any Dove chocolate, Insert ??

$.50/2 , Hershey's bars (found in a gas station)

$1.00/1, any bandaid, 5/18 RP

$4.00, 4 - $1/1 Benadryl, 6/22 RP or 7/27 SS

$2.00/1 Revlon, Insert ???

=================================

$.41 OOP (nothing for me, I used Gift card)

I think that may be it for me for the week. Unless something else pops out...go check out more deals at MoneySavingMom and Centsible Sawyer

Missing...

2008-07-23T21:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. My husband and I are helping with VBS, getting ready for a wedding this weekend (that we are both helping/DJing) And Harris Teeter is having a Triple Event....why does it all fall in one week!?!

See you next week!

Shhh...don't tell my husband!

2008-07-14T19:38:00.010-05:00

I discovered a $3.49 ECB on my husband's card (long story). I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep 2 cards going and decided against that idea. Here's what I purchased to get rid of my ECB's. My husband would not be happy if he saw that I purchased more Shampoo/Conditioner. But what he doesn't know will not hurt him!!!

Here's how the transaction went:

6 Bottles HE Shampoo/Conditioner........................$15.00
==================================
Subtotal $15.00
Less:
$3/$15 CVS Coupon
$3.49 ECB
==================================
Subtotal with tax: $9.29

Less Man. Coupons:
-$3.00/2 Herbal Essences (7/6 P&G Insert)
-$3.00/2 Herbal Essences (7/6 P&G Insert)
-$3.00/2 Herbal Essences (7/6 P&G Insert)
==================================
$.29 OOP

Want to see more CVS deals? Head over to Centisble Sawyer...

CVS, week of July 13-19

2008-07-14T19:00:00.009-05:00

Due to the new CVS $$/$$$ coupon I am back in the CVS game - maybe CVS will take the hint ;)
I had a $10 ECB expiring today and here is what I purchased:

1 BIC Soleil Razor ($5 ECB wyb razor & refill).................$6.99
1 BIC Soleil 4-Pack razor refill........................................$6.99
2 CVS Tampon, 5 pack ($1.49 ecb on each).....................$2.98
1 CVS Pantyliner ($.99 ecb on each)..................................$.99
1 Speestick 24/7 ($2 ECB)..................................................$3.99
=============================
Subtotal: $21.94
Less:
CVS $3/$15 Coupon
$10 ECB
$1.50 24/7 Speedstick (CVS CRT coupon)
=============================
Subtotal with tax: $8.12

Less Man. Coupons:
-$4/1 BIC Soleil (6/22 SS Insert)
-$4/1 BIC Soleil (6/22 SS Insert)
=============================
OOP $.12

I "spent" $10 ECB's and earned $10.99!! Not a great "moneymaker" but I just wanted to roll that ECB!!!

Want to see more CVS deals? Go to Centisble Sawyer's blog and see all the good deals people got this week!

Electrasol Deal at Rite Aid

2008-07-14T18:32:00.005-05:00

Something I really haven't found a great "stockpile" price on is dishwashing powder/packs. Until now that is...

Rite Aid has Electrasol Gel Packs (20 ct) on sale for $2.99 with a SCR of $2.00 plus there was a coupon on in this past Sunday's paper (7/13 Insert) for $2.25/1 Electrasol. This means you will "make" $1.00 (after SCR) when you buy a box! I had extra coupons and decided to buy 4 boxes.

In the end I paid $4.07 and will send in for a $2.00 rebate - meaning I paid $2.07 for 80 gel packs!!!

Side note: I actually bought these in two transactions. On the second one I purchased 3 boxes. When I got to the counter the lady was looking at the box and mentioned that her sister/aunt/someone liked this. I agreed and said it was actually my favorite too. I then mentioned that it was a great sale (just to be friendly). She said, yeah, I might tell "xx", but then you bought all 3 boxes, so I can't. I just proceded with my transaction, a little in shock. I completed my payment while she bagged. THEN she took a box out of the bag and said, "Hmm...Electrasol Gel Pacs. Good deal, but you bought all 3 boxes on Monday, so I guess no one else can get this deal." WHAT IN THE WORLD!!! This is a fairly busy Rite Aid and if that store was only ordering 3 boxes for a sale it is not my fault. I just smiled and left - but I thought it was rude for her to act like that! I am debating calling - I wouldn't be rude, just let her manager know that they need to order more and train their employees from being when a customer is making a purchase. Any thoughts or ideas? Was it wrong for me to buy 3 boxes (I honestly didn't realize it was all they would have - they had space for 2 rows of this particular item). Am I overreacting? Should I nicely call the manager?

New $3/$15 Coupon....Yay!!!!

2008-07-12T13:21:00.004-05:00

A new CVS $3/$15 Coupon has been found!! This is really exciting for me - as I never seem to get the e-mail's people talk about receiving!

Here are the instructions (via Denise at Centisble Sawyer)

Go to Valley Breeze newspaper online - HERE
Once on the page there is a orang and white button that says, "Search The Breeze". Click on the button.
Scroll the bottom and type "CVS" in the "Search this Week's Ads"
Choose, "click to view PDF"
Print and enjoy!!

CVS, Week of July 6-12

2008-07-11T18:43:00.006-05:00

I was a little down about not getting a CVS e-mail on Thursday - I never seem to get them. But enough of my whining and onto the transaction.

6 Dawn Botanicals ($1 ECB wyb ...........................$6.00
3 Febreeze Air Effects ($5 ECB wyb $10)................$7.50
1 Febreeze Air Refresher (Fbrz deal above).............$3.99
1 BIC Soleil Razor ($5 ECB wyb 2 BIC)...................$6.99
1 BIC Soleil Refill (BIC deal above).........................$6.99
======================================
Subtotal: $31.47
Less ECB's: $16.00
==========================
Subtotal w/tax: $16.90

Less Coupons:
-5.00 (5 $1.00/1 Dawn 7/6 P&G Insert) I only had 5 coupons
-$2.50 (Free Air Effects wyb Air Refresher 7/6 P&G Insert)
-$1.00 (2 $.50/1 Air Effects, home mailer)
-$.50 (1 $.50/1 Air Refresher, home mailer)
-$8.00 (2 $4.00 BIC Razor or Refills)
==============================

0.00 OOP (actually negative, but it was .10, so I had them adjust an ECB)

I "used" $3 ECB's to make this purchase - but I use all of these products regularly, (i.e. I have 20 stinky teenagers that are at my house on a regular basis - which means we will go through this Febreeze in no time) so I was extremely excited to get it all with no cash leaving my pocket!!!

Note: Just in case you stumbled on my blog and don't know me personally - my husband is a youth minister - so while not all 20 of them are stinky there really are 20 or more teenagers at my house on a regular basis and we do have to Febreeze every time they leave!

Now go check out everyone else's CVS Superstars at Centisble Sawyer and Super Savings Saturday at MoneySavingMom!!!

How's that going for you...

2008-07-10T19:34:00.007-05:00

I started "couponing" in Feburary as an effort to reduce our monthly spending. It was the first step in many to reduce our budget and become a better steward of the money God has blessed my family with.

I have managed to go in "phases" with reducing our budget:

Phase 1:

I was appalled by how much I was spending in the Grocery/H&B/Cleaning part of our budget. We were spending atleast $500/month. Some people may not think that is a lot - but I have always been a penny pincher and this wasn't cutting it for a two person (no animals/children) budget.

After I started using coupons I have been able to reduce this to $150-$200 month (see my June spending here) ! This is a $300-$350/month savings!

Phase 2:

Another piece of our budget I was surprised by was our "eating out" budget. We were spending about $100-$125/WEEK eating out. I just simply got tired of cooking and we ended up eating out way to much. While my husband doesn't realize it, I have managed to cut this to $60-$75/week. This may seem high to some, but my husband and I both work outside the home and he does not like bringing his lunch and typically spends $15-20/week eating lunch out - this is included in the $75/week. We then eat one "sit down at a restaraunt so my wife doesn't have to cook" meal a week, 1-2 fast food/cheap meals a week. This is one area I struggle with - it seems so high - but eating out is expensive and my hubbie will not budge on the eating out at lunch thing. If you have any tips on this I am definately open to them!!!

Through controlling how often we eat out I have managed to decrease our monthly spening by $180-$225/month.

Phase 3:

Reducing our television/cell phone/ internet/home phone cost has been a huge priority. We were spending approximately $275/month in this area. Now before you have a heart attack - we live in a more rural area in which we only have TWO cable/internet options! This equates to higer cost for these items and accounted for $175 of the $275. We recently started finding ways to cut this and switched cable/internet companies. After some moving around we have reduced this to $170!!!!

That's $100/month savings!!! The only thing we (i.e. my husband) had to give up was internet on his phone. We did switch internet/cable - but the plan is very similar and according to my husband better now that he can get HDTV. I feel such a relief to see this go down. I have to say my frugal, penny pinching self was a tad embarassed by this!

In total we have reduced our budget by approximately $600-$700/month. This enabled me to dramatically increase our savings. My next step is start increasing our debt payments and inceasing our emergency funds. I hope to really get serious about this in July - guess you will have to check back and see!!

I have made one step towards this - a baby savings account. Josh and I made a decision to start a savings plan for our first child. As in, we will have a certain amount sitting in a specific savings account, before we even consider having a child. I know people say you can't ever be truly ready for a child - but I think our savings goal will certainly make me feel better (financially of course) when that time comes. Did any of you out there to do this? I would love to know your opinions? If you did this, how much did you decide to save?

Now it's time to go check out everyone else's savings at Money Saving Mom!!!

Rite Aid, Week of July 6-12

2008-07-10T18:54:00.004-05:00

I decided to try a new store today - Rite Aid!! Two people, that I would like to think I helped get started with coupons, have recently shared their Rite Aid deals/experiences, so I decided to give it a try...

Herbal Essences Shampoo (SCR $2 wyb 2)................$2.50

Herbal Essences Conditioner.....................................$2.50

Crest Pro-Health (SCR $1.74)....................................$2.49

Infusium 23 (SCR $1.99)...........................................$4.99

Advil, 50 ct ($1.00)....................................................$4.99

==========================================

$17.47 Subtotal

-$3.00 $3/2 Herbal Essences (7/6 P&G Insert)

-$.75 $.75/1 Crest Pro-Health (7/6 P&G Insert)

-$3.00 $3.00/1 Infusium 23 (7/6 P&G Insert)

-$2.00 $2.00/1 Advil 40 ct or larger (not sure which insert)

===========================================

$8.74 Total OOP (not including tax)

-$6.73 Rebates I qualified for

-------------------------------------------------------------

$2.01 Cost after SCR

PLUS, the Herbal Essences I picked up have the MIR for a free manicure/pedicure w.y.b. 2 HE products!!! YAY!!!

Does anyone out there shop Rite Aid regularly? I am new and open to any tips you can share. I don't really know that it will be a favorite, since we have to pay for tax on the pre-coupon price - which makes it impossible to get anything truly for "free", but I still got two favorite items of mine - Herbal Essences and Advil!

CVS Week of July 4th

2008-07-05T01:02:00.006-05:00

I haven't really been into the CVS deals lately, but I got a $4/$20 coupon in my e-mail on Thursday - so I decided it was finally time to make a trip to CVS.

The trip was a complete disaster (which hasn't happened in a long time) and they actually refused to take all of my B1G1 Lifesaver coupons, which made my OOP EXTREMELY high (for me). They kept telling me the company would not reimburse them if they let me use the coupon. I think that was just an excuse - they weren't going to turn in the receipt with the coupon. THEN when I gave them my $4/$20 it kept beeping and they basically accused me of not receiving the e-mail directly (i.e. in my personal e-mail box). So I kindly showed them the name on the e-mail and then showed them my ECB's (that have my name printed on them) and they still didn't want to let me use it. I really don't think I will go back to that CVS - they always make me feel like a criminal and it's quite embarassing. I have much better customer service at the one close to my work - so I think I am going to stick with them! I was able to find the Coppertone Baby Sticks - which is the ONLY reason I didn't just ask for my coupons/ECB's back and leave!!

Okay, enough with the commentary and down to business...

2 Coppertone Waterbabies Sticks........$8.98
2 Sure APDeo......................................$5.98
1 Physician's Formula Mascara............$7.98
8 Gummi Saver's/LifeSaver's (b1g1).....$8.76
--------------------------------------------
Subtotal $31.70
ECB's Used -$19.00
CVS E-mail -$4/$20
--------------------------------------------
Total after ECBs/CVS Q's $8.70
Tax $ .81
2 Lifesaver/Gummi b1g1 -$4.38
2 $1/1 Sure Deo -$2.00
--------------------------------------------
OOP $3.13

$20.99 ECB's Earned: $10 (WYB 2 Coppertone), $3.00 (WYB 2 Sure - Plus I will send in for MIR), $7.99 (Physicians Mascara)

Now go check out everyone else's savings at The Censtisble Sawyer

Joy of Summer Gift Pack

2008-07-01T21:40:00.008-05:00

Enjoy the best that summer has to offer with our July gift pack, which includes a free 50-count box of Ziploc® Brand Sandwich Bags and $5 in coupons for great SC Johnson products you use every day.

The first 10,000 people* to respond will receive a Clean Home Journal™ Joys of Summer Gift Pack containing coupons for OFF!®, Ziploc®, Scrubbing Bubbles® and Glade® —with a total value of $5.

Go here to get yours!

Thanks to MoneySavingMom for highlighting this deal!!!

June Spending

2008-07-01T21:18:00.007-05:00

I can't believe June is over...

Below is a breakdown of my spending by store - I really wanted to see what stores I was spending/saving at - so I will pass it on to you (for what it's worth!). I have to say I was a little surprised at my spending - I thought for sure I had decreased my spending this month. Overall I still stayed under $40/week, which was good, since that is my "goal". I also have to remember my pantries are VERY full!! Hopefully, I can take a break in July and enjoy my stockpile!

CVS
OOP: $5.13
Savings: $160.35
% Saved: 97% :)

K-Mart
OOP: $4.22
Savings: $44.95
% Saved: 91%

Kroger
OOP: $81.62
Savings: $140.62
% Saved: 63%

Publix
OOP: $58.00
Savings: $160.45 (Oh, how I love Publix!)
% Saved: 73%

Rite Aid
OOP: $4.31
Savings: $1.00
% Saved: 19%

Walgreen's
OOP: $12.11 (less $10.00 ESR)
Savings: $20.53
% Saved: 91% (after ESR)

Wal-Mart
OOP: $4.22
Savings: $8.00
% Saved: 65%

Grand Total
OOP: $170.00
Savings: $706.00
% Saved: 76%
Average Weekly Spending: $37.69

Did you have really good savings this month!?! Any set backs, disappointments or awesome deals you just have to share!!! Please do...

CVS Deal

2008-06-30T19:56:00.005-05:00

At CVS this week you can receive $10 ECB's WYB 2 Coppertone products! It is reported (and confirmed - see below) that you can buy the Coppertone Water Babies Facestick's (around $5/piece) and receive the $10 ECB's - making it FREE!!!

Hurry up to get this deal - we all know how fast CVS sells out of these "hot" items!

Thanks to, Alyssa at Keeping The Kingdom first for pointing out this deal!

I'm backkkk!!!

2008-06-30T19:48:00.003-05:00

My husband and I have officially made it through our second year of youth camp as the Directors; however, this was my 8th summer camp to be a counselor/leader/director at. I am hoping now that camp is over I can enjoy my summer and get back at couponing! Plan on seeing a lot more of me. I have 2 weeks of coupons to clip - so I really shouldn't be blogging at this point - but I just couldn't resist.

Talk to you soon!

Kroger Hershey's Catalina Movie Promotion

2008-06-30T19:11:00.009-05:00

This deal is only good through July 13th...

When you buy 4 bags of Hershey's Candy (size 10.5-17.25 oz) in one transaction with your Kroger Plus card you will receive a free movie ticket voucher with your receipt with a code to redeem at Fandango. I am guessing you could expect to pay $2.50-$3.00 a bag.

HOWEVER, to make the deal even better - there are specially marked bags of Hershey's that are part of a "Mega Movie Bonus" promotion. Each bag should have a "point decal" worth about 5 points and for every 15 points you collect you can send it in for 1 movie ticket (limit 4 per household)!!! For this promotion you simply have to cut out the decal and postmark on or before 3/1/2009.

It could get even better with coupons!!!

So for about $10-$12 you can get 4 bags of candy and TWO movie tickets!!! I don't know about you but it beats paying $8.25 piece for a ticket and no candy!!!

Let me know if you have done this promotion or what candy you bought at Kroger!!

Thanks to the lovely ladies at HCW for pointing out this deal!!!

What I am reading...

2008-06-19T20:57:00.004-05:00

Since we are leaving for church camp in about 3 days I haven't had much time to blog about my savings, but I have managed to get in a little internet time to find deals. Here's what I am reading this week:

Fiddle dee dee - This is my FAVORITE place to get the Publix sales - I love the format and that I can rely on it every Thursday!! It also reminds me how lucky I am that my store doubles (she doesn't post doubled price - so it's nice to think I can get it even cheaper)!

Handprints on the Wall - Reminding you not to forget to "order" your quarterly P&G/Homemade Simple booklet - these coupons are higher value than the monthly newspaper inserts (for me)!

Be CentsAble - Easy place to get a quick run-down of all the drug store sales! They also have grocery stores - but they are different than my sales (Kroger is regional) so I stick to CVS and Walgreen's on this site!!

CVS Garnier Deal, week of 6/8-6/14

2008-06-12T19:41:00.007-05:00

It's being reported that when you buy 2 Garnier Nutri-Pure Microbead Scrub Cream (UPC #603084270255) at $5.99 each you will receive $10 in ECB's.

Here's the scenario I plan to use:

$11.98, 2 Garnier Nutri-Pure Scrub
$3.19, CVS Cotton Swabs ($2 ECB's, June Monthly)
___________
$15.17 Subtotal

-$3/$15 CVS Coupon
-$2/1 CVS Face Product (details here)
-$1/1 Garnier (4/20 & 5/11 Inserts)
-$1/1 Garnier (4/20 & 5/11 Inserts)
___________
$8.17 Total after coupons

If you use $8 in ECB's your final total should be around $.55 (if you are in TN) and you will receive $12 in ECB back ($10 Garnier, $2 CVS Cotton Swabs)

Happy Shopping!!

Info via the wonderful ladies at A Full Cup!

Nivea Shave Gel, Week of 6/8-6/14

2008-06-12T19:07:00.009-05:00

I haven't made it to CVS this week, but I thought I would share two scenarios I plan to do (hopefully tomorrow during lunch).

This week there is an ECB in which you can earn $5 ECB when you buy $10 in Nivea products. There were also some great coupons in last Sunday's paper!

Here's what I plan to do:

$15.96 - 4 Nivea Extreme Care Shaving Gel, $3.99/each

- $3/15 CVS Coupon

-$4/2 Nivea Coupon (6/8 Insert)

_______

$4.96

I plan to pay with $5 ECB and will receive $5 back.

will repeat the same scenario. This time I will earn $10 in ECB because my total after the second transaction will be $31.92!

This will increase my ECB's by around $4 (less tax) AND my husband will have some great shaving gel!

I found this deal via the wonderful ladies on A Full Cup

Walgreen's Sunday Paper and more...

2008-06-11T21:05:00.005-05:00

A fellow coupon friend at work told me that Walgreen's will be selling their Sunday paper's for $.99 all summer! Not sure what their definition of summer is - but take advantage while you can! This is a GREAT way to get extra inserts if you really like the coupons in the paper!

This "sale" brings up a topic I have never addressed, but get asked a lot.

How many inserts do you usually get/purchase?

I typically end up with 5-6 sets of inserts each week. I have several family members that give me their coupon inserts and I also purchase a couple.

In addition, I have a couple of ladies at work that I "trade" coupons with. One of them has a lot of animals, another has a baby and then there is me - with neither of the above. I try to give all my baby coupons to one friend and my animal coupons to the other - and they give me random ones in return (I say that b/c I don't have specific needs like them).

Lastly, if there is something I REALLY want to stock up on I go to Coupon Master. At Coupon Master you can get extra coupons for a small fee. Please note that you are not paying for the coupon, but rather the time it takes for her to cut the coupon and send it to you. If I order on Sunday, I usually receive the coupon by Thursday - so you definately have to know several days in advance of the sale if you want to go this route. Also note that the service is EXTEMELY quick, the delay is due to the fact that she is shipping from up north (New England area) and I live in the sunny South!

That leaves me with A LOT of coupons!! My poor binder is feeling the love!

I have also heard that you can cruise around to Starbucks and other similar stores to get extra copies of coupon inserts. I haven't tried this yet, but that's because we don't have a Starbuck's on my side of town (that is convenient or on my way home from church). I just wonder how you would do this...anyone willing to admit they have done this and tell me how they do it?!?

I could do it with less - but I think buying/receiving/trading several copies of the coupons has dramatically helped me achieve my stockpiling goals. If you are really hesitating on spending that extra couple of bucks on 2-3 copies of the paper each Sunday - look through the paper and evaluate what coupons you will use - if there are several good coupons it's probably best that you buy a few extra copies so you can stock up - I think you will really see a difference in your stockpile!!

From what I can tell - it's seems like most experienced couponers recommend at least 1 set of coupons per person in your household. I get a lot more than that - but I also give a way a lot of my stuff (one of the main reasons I love to coupon).

Does anyone else have any tips on getting extra coupon inserts? How many inserts do you usulally get?

I would love to hear more ideas!

What I am reading...

2008-06-10T19:25:00.010-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know what I have found to be helpful this week and would like to pass along...

Mommy Snacks - A great blog post on how to build your stockpile! Building a stockpile of our grocery necessities at the cheapest price is what we are trying to accomplish by couponing- and the post tells you what to and more importantly what NOT to do! She also has several other posts that are great.
The "Cent"sible Sawyer - This post talks about all the great Walgreen's deals this week and is another great blog to peruse when you are finished looking at the Walgreen's deals. I know I will be headed to Wag's for $.14 foil!
Money Saving Mom - Free Magazine subscriptions for Good Housekeeping, Redbook and Parent. All you have to do is "watch" (I am usually cruising other sites and just listen - I am actually earning points as I type this) a few ad's, each promo you watch earns you points, after a certain number of points you get a subscription. I have a couple of other subscriptions through this website and haven't had any trouble. For all the mommies reading - when you are watching all the Johnson & Johnson promos for Redbook there is a $2/2 coupon for J & J products to the right of the screen (it may not show up until after watching the first ad)!
The Pioneer Woman Cooks - This is one my all time FAVORITE cooking blogs - I have been checking it frequently for about a year now! I have also used several of her recipes and they really are as delicious as they look!

That's it for tonight...do you have any favorite blogs, blog posts or websites that you frequent? Let us know!

Get Red Plum/Valassis insert's delivered to your home!

2008-06-08T21:20:00.008-05:00

Who can't use extra inserts? My mother-in-law recieves the Red Plum inserts (in the paid subscriber's edition of our local newspaper) on the Wednesday before they come in the Sunday paper! She usually gives me hers - since she can't coupon. THEN I found out my mom was also getting them in her local paper (that she just doesn't pay to subscribe to - it's the Hendersonville Star for anyone who recieves this). I started looking around to see if I could get them in my mailbox - it's an extra set of inserts every week for FREE, why not give it a try.

I currently receive the "junky" version of the Red Plum insert. However, I wandered around online and found this link and thought I would give it a try. Let me know if you try it and what you get!

Does anyone else receive the Red Plum inserts in their local paper? Is it a paid/unpaid subscription?

CVS Shopping 6/1-6/7

2008-06-07T08:19:00.006-05:00

I managed to get three CVS Shopping trips in this week. I am hoping I will be lucky enough to get the Bounty paper towels later on today. I just haven't had any luck finding them - I guess it's just THAT good of a deal. Today I have several camp related shopping trips and I will just happen to be passing 3 CVS stores. Hopefully I will get lucky - my husband insists on Bounty paper towels.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but my camera is MIA at the current moment!

CVS Shopping Trip #1:

4.00 - 4 bags of Check Mix (on sale $1/each, no ECB's)
3.49 - Listerine Smart Rinse ($3.49 in ECB's, June Monthly Deal)
2.97 - 3 Dove Deodorant ($3 ECB WYB $10)
3.19 - 1 Brut Deodorant ($3.00 ECB)
______________________________
$13.65 Subtotal (OKAY, so I realized my total doesn't total $15, but she took my coupoon - maybe it's because before store sale my total would have been $15???)
-$3/15 CVS Coupon
-$4 ECB's
_____________________________
$6.65
+$.61 Tax
_____________________________
$7.26
-$1.00/1 Brut Deo. (June editon All You AND 04/06 Insert)
-$1.00/1 Chex Mix (Here)
-$1.00/1 Chex Mix
-$1.00/1 Chex Mix
-$1.00/1 Chex Mix
-$1.00/1 Dove (coupon ordered from The Coupon Master)
-$1.00/1 Dove (same as above)
-$1.00/1 Smart Rinse (recent insert and Here)
_____________________________
$.26 OOP

ECB'S Earned: $3.49 (Smart Rinse), $3.00 (Brut). So I increased my ECB's by $3.00 AND snacks for camp!
___________________________________________________________________

Shopping Trip #2:

2.00 2 Bags of Chex Mix
2.00 2 Bottles of Dawn Dish Liquid ($1.00 ECB WYB 2)
3.49 Listerine Smart Rinse ($3.49 ECB)
3.49 Listerine Smart Rinse ($3.49 ECB)
1.99 CVS Bandages ($1.99 ECB)
3.19 Brut Deodorant
__________________________
16.16 Subtotal
-$3/15 CVS Coupon
-$8.00 ECB's
__________________________
$5.16
+ $.47 Tax
__________________________
$5.63

-$1.00/1 Chex Mix (see trans. #1)
-$1.00/1 Chex Mix
-$.25/1 Dawn (06/01 P&G Insert)
-$.25/1 Dawn
-$1.00/1 Smart Rinse (see trans. #1)
-$1.00/1 Smart Rinse
-$1.00/1 Brut (see trans. #1)
_________________________

$.13 OOP - I think this may be my lowest transaction ever!!!

Plus the cashier was SUPER nice AND really excited for me - she said she was a couponer too! Which reminds me I have found a new CVS on my side of town (well kinda - it's of Lebanon road - which will eventually take me to my house!). If anyone lives in the Old Hickory/Hermitage/Donelson area let me know and I will tell you about this great find! Stacey - it's really close to someone you know ;) I won't say who for privacy purposes!

Okay - ECB's earned $6.98 (Smart Rinse), $1.00 (Dawn) $1.99 (Bandages), $3.00 (Brut Deo). I increased my ECB's $4.97!!!!

__________________________________________________________________

Shopping Trip #3

$3.49 Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash ($2.00 ECB, June Monthly)
$3.49 Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash ($2.00 ECB, June Monthly)
$3.49 Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash ($2.00 ECB, June Monthly)
$3.49 Huggies Natural Care Baby Wash ($2.00 ECB, June Monthly)
$1.99 CVS Bandages ($1.99 ECB, June Monthly)
________________________________
$15.95 Subtotal
-$3/15 CVS Coupon
-8.49 ECBS ($3.00, $3.49, $2.00)
________________________________
$4.46
+ $.41 Tax
________________________________
$4.87

-$1.00/1 Huggies (5/18 Insert)
-$1.00/1 Huggies (5/18 Insert)
-$1.00/1 Huggies (5/18 Insert)
-$1.50/1 Huggies Mailer (for signing up on the mailing list)
_______________________________
$.37 OOP

ECB's Earned: $8.00 (Huggies), $1.99 (Bandages)

I increased my ECB $1.50! Not to bad, but I wanted to do this deal, because I have several families that I give my excess items to that have babies. I also have several pregnant friends (around 12!!!!!!!!!!) and I know I am going to be hitting a lot of showers very soon - so these little additions might come in handy!!

Is is wrong to bargain shop for presents? I obviously would add SEVERAL other items. But I love giving practical gifts to new parents - they get plenty of cute little outfits and blankets!!

Finally the end of my long post!

How did you do at CVS this week? Did you have any luck with finding the Bounty/Charmin deal? I didnt', but will report back tonight if I find them!!!

Have a good weekend!

Missing...

2008-06-03T20:48:00.003-05:00

Just want to apologize to all my readers for the lack of posts. I have been shopping, I just haven't had time to post my shopping trips. As most of you know my husband has two jobs - one at a healthcare company and one as a youth minister. Our youth summer camp is less than 3 weeks away - and the crazy part of the planning has kicked in! Juggling both has been quite tedious - I will try to get in as many posts as possible, but PLEASE keep checking back and reading!

How much did I spend in May?

2008-05-31T14:27:00.008-05:00

I have now been "couponing" for about 3 1/2 months. That may not seem like a long time to some people, but I went from never touching a coupon to now feeling guilty if I need something and I don't have a coupon for it. Luckily, I don't have that problem anymore. I have used the past three months to "stockpile" our daily grocery, cleaning and hygene products. I think I finally feel as if I have a good stockpile and have pretty much been able to purchase free or cheap items at the grocery store each week for the past 3-4 weeks (versus buying "need" items every week)! Which brings me to the subject of this post. I calculated all my spending in May and here they are...

$181.69 OOP
$863.21 Savings
$1,044.90 Total Value of Products Purchased
81% Cummulative Savings
$40.38 Average weekly spending (YAY - this is $40-50 lower than my pre-coupon days!)

I didn't do many rebates this much - $4.00 to be exact. I have learned I don't "do" rebates very well. Unless they are on the computer. Do any of you complete Mail-in-Rebates? If so how do you manage to stay motivated to get them in on time - any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Coupon Inserts

2008-05-22T20:32:00.003-05:00

Just a friendly reminder that there will be no insert coupons in the Sunday paper due to the Holiday weekend!

It's sad, I know! Enjoy your couponless Sunday. I know my husband will!

Here's a link to a coupon insert schedule for 2008. It's not 100% (except there really are never coupons on Holiday weekends), for example you may get 2 SS Inserts on a week you are only supposed to get 1 (like last Sunday). But it's fairly accurate!

CVS Shopping

2008-05-22T19:41:00.004-05:00

I don't have a picture this week. I didn't do a lot of shopping at CVS this week. I didn't see much that was inticing. To be quite honest, I have become spoiled. I think I need to "make money" on every transaction, as if breaking even is so bad!!!

Here's what I purchased:

$13.98 2 Almay I-Color Mascara's, $6.99/piece, received $5 ECB for each

$1.99 1 Dial Soap, received $1.00 ECB

___________________________

$15.99

-$5/$15 Coupon

-$1/1 Almay Coupon (Sunday Insert, not in database though)

-$1/1 Almay Coupon

-$.60 Dial Soap
___________________________

$8.37 Subtotal

I used $8.00 in ECB's to pay my balance and PAID $.64 OOP

EARNED $11 in ECB's (see detail at top)

Happy Shopping!

Kraft Dressing at Kroger

2008-05-20T21:17:00.007-05:00

When you buy 5 bottles of Kraft Dressing you will receive a Catalina (coupon that prints out with your receipt) for $3.00 OYNO. This deal is good during May; however, they are on sale this week for $1.67 each.

There were recent coupons for $.75/2 AND if you receive the Kraft Food and Family magazine (free quaterly magazine here) you may have noticed there was a coupon for a FREE Kraft dressing.

Here's what I did:

$8.35, 5 bottles of dressing ($1.67 each)

-$.75/2 (5/11 SS)

-$.75/2 (5/11 SS)

-$1.67 (Kraft Food & Family Magazine)
_________________________

$5.18 OOP

Plus $3.00 OYNO, so in the end you will pay $2.18 for 5 bottles of dressing (that's $.43/bottle).

Coupons on your Kroger Card

2008-05-20T20:37:00.010-05:00

Seems like the new coupon trend is to have coupons loaded on your loyal customer card (for me that is my Kroger Plus Card)! I have been loading coupons on my card for about 2 months now, but haven't really taken it seriously...until today (thanks for the motivation Katrina!).

There are three different "sites/companies" that are allowing you to do this; however, you can go here to sign-up for all three:

Short-Cuts
E-Coupons (Unilever Products)
E-Saver (P & G Products)

While all of these sites seem to be seperate sites I did notice that Short-Cuts and E-Coupons must somehow be linked, because I could only load 25 coupons to my "card" from Short-Cuts AND E-Coupons combined.

The best part about the coupons are that they can be COMBINED with your "paper" manufacturer coupons! Below are a few items I picked up today using the two types of coupons.

Deals:

Crest Pro-Health, $5.49 (everyday low price)

BOGO, from E-Saver

$.75/1, Coupon from recent P&G Insert

Total for two: $3.99 (if you have two q's) or $4.74 (if you have one coupon)

_____________________________________________

Wisk Laundry Detergent, $3.49 (on sale this week??)

$1.50/1, E-Coupon

$1.50/1, Recent Insert

Total: $.49

____________________________________________

Bertolli Dinner for Two frozen pasta, $5.29 (on sale, normally $8.19)

$1.50/1, E-Coupon

$1.50/1, Recent Insert

Total: $2.29 for a quick dinner on those nights you just don't want to cook!!!

____________________________________________

Aussie Hair Products, 2/$5 (on sale, normally $4.19)

BOGO, E-Saver

$2.00 off Styler WYB a Shampoo or Conditioner, recent Coupon insert

Total: $.50 for both

____________________________________________

Oscar Meyer Deli Creations, 2/$5 (on sale, normally $3.49)

$1.00/1 Short-Cuts

$1.00/1 Recent Insert

Total: $.50

__________________________________________

That's all I saw, let me know if you find any other deals with these coupons!!

Dr. Pepper Coupons

2008-05-20T17:58:00.010-05:00

Follow the link below to save $1.00/2 12-packs of Dr. Pepper! BUT read my tips before you click...

Dr. Pepper Coupon

Instructions/tips:

Go to bottom of page and click "need a code?" to receive a free code sent to your e-mail.
Once you have your code, go back to site above and register (really quick).
On next page you will enter code.
You may win something, if not it will lead you to a page that says, "you're not a winner, but click here for Dr. Pepper" savings (or something close to that).
Click and print coupons. However, if you have never printed coupons from coupons.com you will need to let them install their coupon printer. It just takes a second!!

Rush to your local store!! Dr. Pepper is on sale at Kroger, CVS AND Publix (starting 5/21)!!!

All You Magazine

2008-05-17T07:46:00.005-05:00

I get the majority of my coupons from the Sunday paper. However, I do have a few other sources I use for coupons. One of those sources is All You magazine sold only at Wal-Mart. It usually has $40-50 in coupons every month! They also tend to be a lot higher value than you will find in the Sunday paper.

The shelf price is $1.77-1.97. However, after researching I was able to find a site that has a 12 issues for $10, 24 issues for $20 and 40 issues for $30. Not free, but close (this is for you Susanna)!! Just in case you don't feel like doing the math, I will do it for you. You will be paying $.83 an issue for the 1 and 2 year subscription and $.75 an issue for the 40 month subscription!!!

Now rush HERE to get your subscription!

Just to give you an idea, here are some of the coupons in the May Edition (still available at Wal-Mart):

Free Adidas Deodorant (and CVS will 'give' you $4.99 in ECB's for buying this during the month of May, MAJOR "money maker")
$.35/1 Baker's Dipping Chocolate
$.50/1 Cheerio's Snack Mix
$1.50/1 Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste
$2.00/1 Glade Car Scented Oil Holder (when used with the MIR from the Sunday inserts - it's free!)
$1.00/1 Hershey's Bliss Chocolate
$1.oo/1 Orgeta Mexican Foods
$1.00/1 Oust Air Sanitizer
$1.00/2 Ziploc Bags
and LOTS more!!

Tuesday Shopping!

2008-05-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

I paid $16.11 for all of the above!!! I could have done a lot better if the Walgreen's sales this week were better- but I dedided it was better to buy "need/want" items to offset my Kroger spending. Read below to see the details for each store!

Walgreen's, Week of 5/11-5/17

2008-05-13T20:58:00.006-05:00

Another Walgreen's trip

Purchases:

3 Betty Crocker Bowl Appetit`, on sale 3/$4
2 Hefty Freezer Bags, on sale 2/$2.80
Heinz Vinegar, $1.79
1/2 Gallon Milk, on sale $1.99

--------------------------------

$10.58 Subtotal

-$10.00 Register Reward

-$.20 Hefty, these were on the package, I had better Q's, but grabbed the wrong ones :(

-$.20 Hefty, same as above

-------------------------------

$1.44 OOP

Walgreen's, Week of 5/11-5/17

2008-05-13T20:54:00.006-05:00

I earned tons of RR's last week and decided to spend them on things that I would normally purchase at Kroger (grocery items) to offset my Kroger spending.

Purchases:

5 Cream Cheese, $1.29 each
2 Hefty Freezer Bags, 2/$2.79
2 Swanson Chicken Broth, $1.19

--------------------

$11.62 Subtotal

-$10 Register Reward

-------------------

$2.17 OOP

CVS Shopping Week of May 11-17

2008-05-13T20:30:00.008-05:00

Another CVS Shopping trip for the week!

Purchase:

1 York Peppermint Patties, 2/$4 (Earn $5 in ECB WYB $10 in Hershey's products)
2 Hershey's Bliss $4.29 each (Earn $5 in ECB WYB $10 in Hershey's products)
1 Colgate Total, $2.99 (earn $2.00 in ECB)
1 Viactiv Chews, $5.49 (earn $3.00 in ECB)

-----------------------------

$19.06 Subtotal

-$3/$15 CVS Coupon (here)

-$7.98 ECB

-$3.99 ECB

---------------------------

$4.09 Subtotal before taxes and Man. Q's

-$2.00 off Viactiv from 3/02 RP Insert

-$1.50 off Colgate (here)

-------------------------

OOP $.79

Note: As I am typing this up I realize that I totally screwed this up. I somehow miscalculated the amount of ECB's I needed. I actually gave the cashier a coupon for a FREE Hershey's bliss, but it isn't showing up on receipt. In the ended up "losing" $2.00 in ECB. However, IF I had paid attention, I could have taken the $3.99 ECB out and used the $4.29 coupon for a Free Hershey's Bliss (that I did give the cashier) and made $2.00 off the transaction. Oh, well! I still got chocolate out of it!

I included the last part to make a point: DOUBLE CHECK your calculations! I always write my transactions out and list them similar to what I do for you above!!

CVS Shopping for week of May 11-17

2008-05-13T20:11:00.008-05:00

I LOVED my CVS shopping this week! Why, you ask? Because I was able to get a "need" for my husband for extremely cheap!! This transaction used up some of my ECB's, but that's one of the reasons that I am "building" my ECB's! Now onto the shopping:

Purchased:

5 Coke Products, on sale Buy 4, Get one Free (with CVS card), final price 5/$11
1 Viactiv Chews product, on sale for $5.49, earn $3.00 in ECB
1 Colgate Total, on sale for $2.99, earn $2.00 ECB

--------------------------

$19.48 Subtotal

- $3/$15 (here)

-$8.98 ECB (earned in previous transaction)

-$3.99 ECB (earned in previous transaction)

--------------------------

$3.51 Subtotal Before taxes/Man. Q's

--------------------------

-$2.00 Viactiv (from the 3/02 RP Insert)

-$1.50 Colgate (here)

-------------------------

$.01 Before tax, $.33 after tax

I also earned $3.00 in ECB's (Viactiv) and $2.00 (Colgate)

How I Stay Organized

2008-05-08T21:00:00.009-05:00

Most of you who know me fairly well, know my OCD tendencies. When I started couponing and accumulating coupons I quickly found out I needed to find an organization system other than the standard "accordian style" coupon organizer. Since I was fairly new to the "couponing" world I was completely clueless when it came to how I would find something that would be up to "my standards". After searching high and low I found the "Binder Method" of organization. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for me!

Just so you aren't compeltely confused, let me explain. The coupons are organized into "sections/groups". Each group has a tab in my binder (taking you back to middle school, right?). On the front of each tab I have a list of sub group's within that section and on the page of each tab I have numbered the sub groups. Then within each section there are photo pages (I have a mixture of 2/3 per page), each "slot" has a number that corresponds with that a subgroup. Now onto the pictures...

For the budget minded, I was able to put my coupon binder together for about $10 (or less depending on what you already have):

Photo pages, $1.40 for 10 (I think I have 30-35)
Binder, Free 9I knew I kept all my old college stuff for a reason!)
Tab Dividers, $1.99 (I needed two packs of 8)

This is the front of my binder. On the left you will notice a 3 slot photo page. I have them titled Kroger, Publix and "Unused". When I get my list ready every week, I slip my coupons in there according to store and head off to the store. Since you never know when something is sold out - the unused slot comes in very handy!

Next is a close-up of one of my sections (p.s. I am aware of the misspelling, I just haven't gotten around to correcting it!).

Next is a close-up of the coupons in the photo sleeves:

Lastly, a picture of my tabs. This is the only negative. I can't clearly see all my tabs; however, I flip through this so much, I rarely even use them anymore.

If you have any questions or would like to know my sections feel free to ask!

Kroger Shopping this Week

2008-05-06T15:00:00.005-05:00

I don't plan to post my Kroger shopping in as much detail, but I do want to point out some deals you can get this week! Most of them are even from coupon inserts this week. If you haven't had time to check out my acronyms to the side, now would be a good time, because I plan to use alot of them in this post! I also highly reccomend checking out couponmom for more specials! I also want to point out that my stores double, so I will be posting the "doubled" value of my coupons! You should always check with your Kroger for their policy's.

Here they are:

Fischer's Hot Dog's on sale for $1.25 ($1.00/1 in the RP 05/04 insert) Final Price $.25

Healthy Ones Lunch Meat on sale for $1.25 ($.75 in the SS 05/04 insert) Final Price: $.50

Sweet Corn on the cob on sale for 10 ears for $3.00

Various Lysol Cleaning on products are on sale 2/$4.00 ($1.00 in the SS Insert) Final Price: $1.00

Eggo Waffles B1G1 Free, ($.55 in recent insert??)

Old El Paso Taco Shells/tortillas are on sale for $.99. Last week there was a coupon attached on the hard shells for a free seasoning WYB 2 shells/tortillas. Final Price for all three items: $1.98

There are a lot of good sales this week! Howver, my pantry is pretty full and I only buy it if it is at least 60% off retail now, so you may have found some other deals. Please comment and shart any that you may see.

Lastly, don't forget to check HCW for all specials the ladies over there have found!

Happy Shopping!

What would you do?

2008-05-05T20:51:00.003-05:00

If you read below you will see my recent CVS trip. I purchased a toothbrush in which you can earn $3.99 in ECB's for purchasing it. Mid way through my transaction I noticed my total was up to $34.00. Apparently, my cashier forgot to hit the clear/total button or something from the last transaction and so my total was just adding to it. She voided it or something, I paid and left the store, not paying much attention since my OOP was correct. On my way home I was reading my receipt and noticed that I had received 2 ECB's for $3.99 and 1 for $4.99 (another product). I think it's because she scanned the toothbrush twice?!?

I technically didn't earn the $3.99 ECB. Would you give it back? I wasn't about to turn around and go back. This was my last of many long and complicated transactions (see Wag's post - I had to "fight" for all my coupons) and I was ready to get home, but now I feel bad and I think I might take it back tomorrow. I didn't do anything wrong, but I don't want the cashier to get penalized.

Am I over analyzing? Has this happened to you? Let me know your opinions!!!

CVS - Buying something I needed with ECB's

2008-05-05T20:38:00.003-05:00

This was a quick CVS trip. I need something personal (not pictured), but didn't want to pay for it, so I thought I would run by CVS and see what I could do. Here are the details:

1 Product X $12.49, no coupons and not on sale (agh...)
1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush $3.99, get $3.99 in ECB's (valid all month)
1 Addidas Deodorant $4.99, earn $4.99 in ECB's (valid all month)

__________________________

$21.47 Total

-$3/15 CVS Coupon (here)

-$4.99 Free Addidas Deodorant ("All You" Mag May Issue, sold at Wal-Mart for $1.97)

-$12.00 ECB (from prior transaction)

__________________________

$1.48 Total plus tax

Plus I earned $8.98 in ECB's ($3.99 from toothbrush, $4.99 from Addidas). I decreased my ECB's; however, I was able to get a product I would have paid for for "free" and still earned some of it back.

Fun at Walgreen's

2008-05-05T19:15:00.016-05:00

I made several stops today! I planned to do all my transaction in two stops (1 Walgreen's and 1 CVS), but couldn't because one of the cashier's didn't understand the coupon language. I am going to divide it up into several posts to make it a little easier for the 'newbies' reading!

Trip #1:

7 Crest Pro-Health 2/$5
2 Crest Whitening with Scope 2/$5 (it's a better deal to get the Pro-Health, but they only had 7 PH tubes)

________________________

$22.50 Total

-$4 4 $1 off Crest Pro-Health

-$1.50 3 $.50 off Crest Toothpaste

-5.00 Register Reward from previous transaction

-10.50 $3/2 Walgreen's coupon (in the May EasySaver book- you will only need one coupon)

________________________

$1.50 plus tax

Plus I earned $20.00 in RR's for my next purchase (which I will use in my next transaction!)

_____________________________________________________________

Trip #2 & #3: (still Walgreen's)

Trip #2:

1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor (for men) $9.49
1 Schick Quattro Razor (for women) $9.49
1 Schick 4 count Razors (for men) $8.99
1 Schick 4 count Razor (for women) $8.99

__________________________________

36.96 Total

-$8.99 Free 4 Count of Razors when you buy a Schick Titanium Razor (04/20 SS)

-$8.00 2 $4.00 off Schick Women's Razor/Refill

-$6.00 2 $3.00/1 Schick Razor system's (Wag's ESR May - you only need one coupon)

-$6.00 2 $3.00/1 Schick Razor refill's (Wag's ESR May - you only need one coupon)

-$10.00 Register Rewards from transaction #1(Crest Deal)

_________________________________________

($2.03) Total plus tax

After tax I paid $3.42

Trip #3:

1 Schick Quattro Titanium Razor (for men) $9.49
1 Schick 4 count razor refill (for men) $9.49
2 Schick 4 count razor refill (for women) $8.99

_________________________________

36.96 Total

-$8.99 Free 4 Count of Razors when you buy a Schick Titanium Razor (04/20 SS)

-$8.00 2 $4.00 off Schick Women's Razor/Refill

-$6.00 2 $3.00/1 Schick Razor system's (Wag's ESR May - you only need one coupon)

-$6.00 2 $3.00/1 Schick Razor refill's (Wag's ESR May - you only need one coupon)

-$10.00 Register Rewards from transaction #1 (Crest Deal)

_________________________________________

($2.53) Total plus tax

After tax I paid $.57

__________________________________________________________

Transaction #4:

3 DIFFERENT Cover Girl Eye Shadow's $3.49 each
1 Cover Girl Cheek $3.99
1 Cover Girl Make-up Puffs $2.99
1 Cover Girl Powder Puff $2.99

____________________________

$20.44

-$5.00 Cover Girl Make-up is B1G1 50% off - the percentage is taken off based on order on receipt

-$3.99 Buy 3 Cover Girl Products get a free Blush Product

-$5.00 2 $2.50/2 Cover Girl Products

-$1.00 1 $1.00/1 Cover Girl Products

_____________________________

$5.45 Plus Tax

Plus, I earned $20 in Register Reward's for my next trip!!

That's the end, if you have any questions on the transactions comment and I will clarify for you!!

CVS Trip

2008-05-02T18:10:00.008-05:00

This is a purchase I made on Monday. Part of this deal is over (the Cover Girl was an April Deal that ended Wednesday); however, it is a fairly simple transaction to show how easy it is to "build" your ECB's (see here) and stretch your dollars!

Here's what I purchased:

1 Touch of Gray (Just for Men Brand) $7.99 each, receive $7.99 in ECB's

2 Cover Girl True Blend 9.49 each, receive $6.00 each in ECB's

-----------------------

26.97 Subtotal

-$3/15 CVS Coupon Here

-$2/1 Just For Men Coupon Here (Touch of Gray is a JFM product)

-$9/49 BOGO Free on any Cover Girl Product

-----------------

$12.48 Plus Tax

-$4.99 ECB

-$7.98 ECB

-----------------

.52 OOP --->This is what I should have paid; however, the cashier did my coupons funky and I ended up paying $1.81 OOP. Remember to MAKE them ring ALL your ECB's before your Manufacturer's coupons!

PLUS, there's a MIR for the Touch of Grey HERE for 7.99!!!

I used 12.98 in ECB's, paid $1.81 in cash and earned $19.99 ECB's. So I "made" $7.00 in this transaction ($5.20 if you must count the $1.81 in cash).

Target

2008-05-01T21:27:00.011-05:00

I love Target!

But my bank account does not! Since I havthe started my 'couponing' I have tried avoiding Target at all costs. However, I figured I needed to find a way for my news "ways" to meet my old favorite!!

I started by looking on a couple of my favorite sites (see links to side). Turns out that Target has coupons on their website. In addition, one of my favorite websites, A Full Cup, has a forum on Target deals! They also have a handy coupon generator, so that you can print multiples of the same coupon and save on paper (Target doesn't have a restriction on how many you can print). What follows is my first Target trip with coupons!

Here's what I got:

- 5 1.5 Liter Diet Green Tea (there are only 4 in the picture, because I have already started on 1 of them!) $1.40 each
- 2 Boxs of Lipton Family Tea Bags $2.14 each

- 3 Lipton to-go (4 packs) $.99 each (I found these in the check-out lanes)

-----------------

14.25 Subtotal

- 10 $1/1 Lipton (Target Printable)

----------------

$4.25 OOP before taxes!

Not bad for one of my favorite drinks!! The Lipton Coupons expires 5/10/2008 so hurry up to get yours!!

How to Calclulate "Out of Pocket" (OOP) with CVS

2008-05-01T20:47:00.004-05:00

This post is relevant to non-food items in TN. Every state vary's on how they charge taxes. Some states charge tax after tax (very lucky people). Tennessee charges taxes on items before taxes in most situations (read futher). This makes it difficult to calculate your OOP cost when you are trying to figure out your OOP cost while you are shopping (or before you get there). Here's my simlple solution. However, one requirement is that you MUST give your coupons in this order: any $X/XX coupons (i.e. $3/15), then ECB's, and LASTLY give manufacturer's coupons. I usually hand the cashier the coupons one "step" at a time to ensure they are in that exact order.

Okay, now onto the calculation:

Add all your products prices together.
Subtract any CVS $x/xx coupons and ECB's you will be using from the subtotal in Step #1.
Times your new subtotal in Step #2 times 1.0925 (9.5% tax rate).
Subtract your manufacturer's coupons from the subtotal in Step #3. The new total is your OOP estimate.

Basically, you are not being charged tax on your ECB's (because you already paid tax on the item your purchased to recieve the ECB and hence the ECB is not "attached" to any item in your new purchase) or $X/XX coupons (once again this amount is not tied to a product).

Example:

10.99 Product

3.99 Product

2.99 Product

----------------

17.97 Subtotal

-$3/15 CVS Coupon

-$5.99 ECB

---------------

$8.98 Subtotal

1.0925% Tax (9.25%)

---------------

9.81 After Tax Total

-$6 in various Manufacturer's coupons

==========

$3.81 OOP (out of pocket total) This is what you will pay!!

Remember 9.25% is generally the non-food tax and 8.25% is the food tax in Tennessee. If you are purchasing a mixture, you will have to modify the forumla.

Hope this helps, ask questions if you need help!

CVS Shopping Trip #1

2008-05-01T20:08:00.016-05:00

I stopped on my way home from work today to make a few additions to my ever popular stockpile!

Purchased:

2 All Small & Mighty (BOGO Free) $6.49 each

3 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening $2.99 each

2 Colgate 360 Toothbrushes $3.99 each

1 3-M Lint Roller $2.50 each

-----------------------

25.94 Subtotal

- $3/15 CVS Coupon Here

-$3 *3 $1/1 Aquafresh Advanced (04/06 SS)

-$2 *2 $1/1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush (04/27 SS)

-$2 *2 $1/1 All Small and Mighty (04/20 RP)

-$1 *1 $1/1 3-M Lint Roller Here

----------------------------

14.94 Subtotal Before taxes and ECB's

Paid with $15.00 in ECB's (earned in previous transactions)

Total Out of Pocket (OOP) (and after tax) : $.67

I earned the following ECB's for my next trip: $16.95

$7.98 (Colgate 360's earned 3.99 each)

$8.97 (Aquafresh 2.99 each)

started earning ECB's for my 3-M ECB (spend $15, earn $5 ECB)

CVS Basics

2008-05-01T19:52:00.006-05:00

If you aren't familar with CVS, I suggest checking out Money Saving Mom's post on "CVS 101", if you need a two minute crash course keep reading.

CVS has a rewards program called Extra Care Rewards. You can earn Extra Care Bucks (ECB) based on certain products you purchase. An example would be "Buy X Toothbrush, receive 3 ECB's". You can spend your ECB's on your next purchase. The great part about this is that on some items you can purchase an item for less than you will receiving in ECB's, this is called "making money". You can do this buy using a coupon to purchase the item. For example, if there is a promotion for "buy X Toothbrush for 2.99, receive 2.99 in ECB's and you have a $1.00 off that item, you will be "making" $1.00 on that item (please note, CVS will not actually give you money; however, you "make money", because you spent less than your received in ECB's).

In order to take part in the Extra Care Rewards Program you can sign up at your local CVS or here.

Now let's get started...