Friday Finals - Times 2

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We sure did. I did not do any grocery shopping this week, but I would love to hear how you did this week. I am also posting an additional link to see how you guys did shopping on Black Friday. 


Macy's had a great coupon for $10 off $25. I love the create your own sale coupons, since you can combine those with any other items already on sale. I even buy my coffee when I get these coupons.



First is GROCERY LINK UP:






BLACK FRIDAY LINK UP:

Thoughts for Thursday - Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is having a happy Thanksgiving today. I am thankful for being able to celebrate this thanksgiving with my family. We are going to eat lots of turkey and all kinds is sides today. I love all the kids will have a chance to play with their cousins and create their own thanksgiving memories.

I have several questions today. You can choose to answer one or all. It will be fun to see what everyone is doing.

What are you thankful for today?

Are you eating a lot today to build your strength to go shopping tomorrow?

If you are going shopping tomorrow what is the store you are hitting first and what do you hope to get?

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving y'all from Texas.

Tips for Tuesday - Black Friday

It is almost here, Black Friday. I really like finding out the history of things. Most people don't know why it's called Black Friday. This is the day of the year most retailers go from operating "in the red" (a deficit) to operating "in the black" (making a profit). Thus Black Friday. This is a big day for retailers, and I think it should remain to just Friday. Let the employees enjoy their thanksgiving with their families and not be so greedy to make them work on thanksgiving. Ok that is my two cents. If you agree please do not shop on Thursday.

Here are a few of my tips for surviving the day. Do your research on the items that are going on sale to make sure that is the item you want. Sometimes it is last years model at a deep discount to clear the shelves. The item may not be the quality you really want.

Just like grocery shopping, you should have a plan and a budget and stick to it. Start by planning which stores are open earliest and have the item(s) you really want.

If you can convince someone to go with you, divide and conquer. Have one person go to one store while you go to another to get the most out of the time limited deals.

Don't worry if you don't get the deal you wanted. Another deal will come along during the holiday season.

Remember to:

1. Research

2. Have a plan and budget and stick to it.

3. Divide and conquer

4. Don't worry if you don't get the deal, another one will come along.

I enjoy shopping online and staying with my family on that day. I really don't like the crowds, but I would love to hear from my readers and I will have an additional black Friday linky for you to share your great deals you find on that day. I can't wait to hear from you.

Whatever Wednesday - Cake Mix Whatever Cookies

Cake mix whatever cookies - Pumpkin Spice Cookies


This is a great stockpile recipe. You should have everything on hand you need to make these fabulous cookies. These are my favorite since you can put whatever you have on hand in them and they still turn out fabulous

1 cake mix - you can use whatever you have on hand. I used Spiced cake mix

Oil - I used the puréed pumpkin instead of oil. This makes the cookies softer, less crunchy, let  them bake a couple more minutes if you use fruit or pumpkin

Egg

1 1/2 cup of whatever:

Chocolate chips

Oatmeal

Butterscotch chips

Pecans

Almonds

Raisins

Mix all the ingredients together. It is great if you have someone to help. 


Spoon mixture on to baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-11 min. This makes 3-4 dozen cookies. I like to make mine small, so I can eat two and not feel too guilty. These are great in time for thanksgiving and super easy the kids can help.

Money Saving Monday - Stockpiling

I wanted to write about stockpiling today, since we are in another season where it is good to stockpile items. If you have noticed all the baking supplies in the stores have gone on sale. It is baking season and it is time to stockpile on all your baking supplies. Each season has different items you want to stockpile.

Here are a few items that are on sale right now at most stores and have great coupons to match:

Yeast

Sugar

Canned Soup

French Fried Onions

Corn Starch

Flour

Chocolate chips

The time you want to stockpile and item is when it is FREE or 70% off retail price. I will be making a list and publish it soon of what I found to be my rock bottom or stockpile price for an item. I started my extreme couponing hobby in Feb. of this year and I have now seen all four seasons and I am more familiar when to stockpile an item and when to wait. I used coupons before, but I would only clip the ones I was going to use and when I went to the store the next time I would buy that item. I shopped at Walmart so the prices didn’t change. Or so I thought. Walmart does change their pricing and they do have sales on items. Especially this time of year. Walmart will change prices about once a month or once a quarter depending on the season and the item.

At first this is difficult creating a stockpile. You need to manage having enough food for your family to eat each week and create a stockpile. You may wind up spending more in the first month, but once you acquire a lot of coupons and a lot of variety of items and learn the sales cycles, you will be a pro in no time. If I can learn how to do this, so can you. After the second and third month you should start to see a significant savings in your grocery budget. You will find your list of items you need will decrease, and you spend more money on less expensive items. Saving you money all around.

In order to stockpile you will need a large number of coupons to combine them with the sales. The more coupons you have the easier it is to match up with the items on sale. The general rule of thumb is to purchase as many papers as there are members in your family. I purchase 4 papers and clip the coupons from those in order to match them with the sales when they come along. I print additional coupons on items I really think my family will eat. But normally four papers will do it for us. I can then purchase four of the sale item and create my stockpile when that item is at its rockbottom price and this will be enough to last me through the next time this item will go on sale. You don’t need to clear a shelf of an item. That item will go on sale again and it will have a coupon to match.

I am now at a point where I have a great variety of food to where I can buy at the rockbottom price and still have enough to eat. This takes around four to six months before you have a wide variety of food in order to do this. Stockpiling takes time. If you are like me trying to stockpile and are on a very strict budget it is difficult to accomplish both, but I like a challenge.

Here is what my stockpile looks like.

My pantry

Canned and Baking goods

Boxed items, cereal, breakfast items, Boxes meals, Pasta

My laundry room shelf with juice, Paper towels, a few other items

A shelf in my closet with my bathroom items

Friday Finals Kroger- Mega Event, Tom Thumb, Walmart 11/18/11

It has been a busy week for me. I have done two weeks worth of shopping this week. I will not be shopping next week, but I will still have a shopping linky. I might have two, one for grocery deals and any Black Friday deals you want to share. Let me know if you would like to see two to see other deals people have gotten.

Visit these ladies sites to see other great savings trips. TOP Three Visited Sites Last Week:

Family Fun on a Small Budget

Grocery Shop for FREE at the MART

HomeMaking Mom

If you are still new to couponing, now is the time to stock up on all your baking needs for the year. This is when you will find your lowest prices and great coupon matchups on items like sugar, corn starch, baking powder, yeast and more. Be sure to check expiration dates when stocking up for a long time. There is no sense in buying something to last a year even if you have a coupon, only find the expiration date is 6 months out. However, items like sugar never expire, so grab what you can to stock up now. I was so excited when I saw Tom Thumb had really great store coupons for the month of November that matched with a lot of regular coupons I had for baking items making them FREE or really cheap. Remember Tom Thumb will double or triple one coupon. So I had to make a couple of trips. This store is on my way to take my son to school, so I didn’t feel like I was wasting any gas making the extra trips. I am trying to stock up for the rest of the year for all my baking needs now and stay within budget. This is challenging.

I have decided I am not going shopping in the grocery stores next week. It will be way too crowded, so I doubled my budget for this week to make up for it. Since I am still working on growing my stockpile, I am a tinsy bit over budget. But I did a lot of shopping this week. Here are the results:

SPROUTS 11/15/11

1.71 lbs Whole Wheat Flour @ $0.69 lb - $1.18

1.11 lbs Broccoli @ $0.77 lb - $0.85

1 32 oz Stonyfield Yogurt $2.50 - $1/1 Sprouts magazine

            -Final $1.50

1 32oz Stonyfield Yogurt Vanilla $2.50 - $1/1 Sprouts magazine

I spent $4.98 and saved $2.05 on $7.03 worth of produce and yogurt this week. If you use your own bags at Sprouts you get a $0.05 credit for each bag you use.

Tom Thumb 11/14/11

1 Safeway Mac and Beef $0.99 – Catalina Print FREE Safeway MAC and BEEF

            -Final FREE – I LOVE FREE

1 Wesson Best Blend oil $3.99 – Store Q $0.75/1, $0.30/1 tripled

            -Final $2.34

2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese $1.99 – B1G1 Store coupon

            -Final $0.99 each

1 Wheat Bread $1.50

I spent $5.83 and saved $6.74 on $12.57 worth of food. I went because the mac and beef coupon was about to expire. I will probably donate this when my daughter has a canned food drive this Feb. at school. We have enough Chef already at our house.

Tom Thumb 11/15/11

1 Crisco Shortening Sticks $3.39 – Store Q $0.50/1, $0.50/1 Doubled

            -Final $1.89

1 Betty Crocker Cake Mix $1.79 – Store Q $.50/1, $0.75/ Cake and Frosting purchase

            -Final $0.92

1 Betty Crocker Frosting $1.69 - $0.75/ Cake and Frosting purchase

            -Final $1.32

2 Kraft Parmesan Cheese Tubs $2.50 – 2 $1/1 Peelies found at store

            -Final $1.50 each

2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese $1.99 – B1G1 Store Coupon

            -Final $0.99 each

1 Mission Tortillas $2.19 – Store Q $1/1

            -Final $1.19

2 Dole Tropical Fruit $1.25 – Store Q $0.99 each, $0.50/2 Doubled

            -Final $0.49 each

1 Argo Corn Starch $1.39 – Store Q $0.50/1, $0.30/1 tripled

            -Final FREE – I LOVE FREE

1 Safeway Marshmallows $1.09 – Store Q $0.50/1

            -Final $0.59

1 Fleischman’s Yeast $1.79 – Store Q $0.50/1, $0.30/1 Tripled

            -Final $0.39

2 Bisquick 40oz $2.99 – Store Q $1.00/2, 2 $0.50/1 Printable 1^st Doubled

            -Final $1.99 each

1 McCormick Vanilla 1oz. $3.39 – Store Q $1.50/1

            -Final $1.89

I spent $19.46 and saved $25.97 on $45.43 worth of retail groceries this week. The receipt printed all weird and different on this transaction, so I did my best trying to make it all match up. The regular price for the item printed all at once, then the Reward Card savings printed, then the Store Q, then the Manufacturer Q’s. It was hard to read, but it looked like every transaction took. I went back to the same Tom Thumb later in the week and it printed fine.

Tom Thumb 11/17/11

1 Marshmallows $1.09 – Store  Q $0.50/1

            -Final $0.59

2 Cans Pineapple $1.25 – Store Q $0.52/2, $0.50/2 Dole Pineapple

            -Final $0.49 each

1 Fleischman’s Yeast $1.79 – Store Q $0.50/1, She missed my coupon here $0.40

            -Final $1.29

1 Crisco Stick Shortening $3.39 – Store Q $0.50/1, $0.50/1 Crisco Product Doubled

            -Final $1.89

1 McCormick Vanilla 1oz $3.39 – Store Q $1.50/1

            -Final $1.89

1 Argo Corn Starch $1.39 – Store Q $0.50/1, $0.30/1 Argo corn Starch tripled

            -Final FREE

I spent $6.63 and saved $8.76 on $15.39 worth of groceries. I am stocking up for the holidays and on baking items for the rest of the year. I may do one more small trip to Tom Thumb this week to get the free or close to free items.

Kroger 11/15/11 MEGA EVENT

MEI = Mega Event Item $0.50 off of item

2 Gallons Milk $1.99 each

2 18count Eggs $1.88 each

1 Turkey Bacon $2.00

1 Bananas $1.18

10 Del Monte canned Veggies $1.00 – MEI

            -Final $0.50 each

3 International Delight Creamer 32oz $2.49 – MEI, 1 $0.75/1 Kroger E-Q, $1/2 Int’l Delight creamer

            -Final average $1.40 each

2 I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter $2.49 – MEI, 2 $1/1 ICBNB Q

            -Final $0.99 each

4 Hormel Turkey Pepperoni $2.99 – MEI, $0.55/2 Hormel Pepperoni Products

            -Final $2.22 each

4 Pringles Cans $1.49 – MEI, $1/4 Pringles Q

            -Final $0.74 each

1 Cool Whip $1.49 – MEI

            -Final $0.99

1 Hillshire Farms Lunch Meat $3.49 – MEI, $0.35/1 Hillshire Lunch Meat

            -Final $2.64

3 Kleenex Tissue $1.49 – MEI, $0.50/3 Kleenex boxes

            -Final $0.82 each

2 Honey Grahams $2.97 – MEI, $1/2 Nabisco Products

            -Final $1.97 each

2 Ritz Crakers $2.00 - $1/2 Nabisco Products

            -Final $1.50 each

2 Kroger Tuna $0.69 - $0.40/2 Kroger E-Q

            -Final $0.49 each

1 Heluva Dips $1.50 - $0.75/1 Heluva Dips

            -Final $0.75 each

1 Carnation Dry Milk $2.00 - $0.50/1 Carnation Dry Milk

            -Final $1.50

2 Nutri Grain Bread B1G1 $4.09

            -Final $2.05 each

I spent $55.50 and Saved $48.45 on $103.95 worth of groceries retail. This should have been more.  As I was reviewing my receipt I noticed a few price discrepancies that should have made it more like 50% savings. I am now stocked up for the winter on baking and canned goods, which is something my pantry was lacking. I can’t wait until the frozen veggies go on sale in a few months. I really would rather buy frozen, but canned it good when you need something fast.

Walmart 11/17/11

2 Huggies Slip on diapers $9.47 – 2 $3/1 Slip on diapers

            -Final $6.47 each

1 Millstone coffee $11.88 - $2/1 Millstone K-cup

            -Final $9.88 each

1 Celestial seasonings Chai Tea $2.28 - $1/1 Celestial Seasonings Tea

            -Final $1.28

1 Eight o Clock Coffee $4.88 - $0.75/1 All You

            -Final $4.13

1 White Chicken Chili Pack $1.08

2 Minute Maid Juice $2.98 – 2 $2/1 Minute Maid Boxes Printable

            -Final $0.98 each

2 lbs Sweet Potatoes $0.65 - $0.33 lb. TIME TO STOCK UP. You can cook these and freeze them

1 Marzetti Pepperocini $1.72 - $0.50/1 ALL You

            -Final $1.22

1 Ovaltine Malt $3.48 - $1/1 Ovaltine

            -Final $2.48

4 Libby’s Veggies $0.75 - $1/4 Libby’s Veggies

            -Final $0.50 each

2 Nestle Cocoa 6 pack $1.00 - $0.55/1 Printable

            -Final $0.45 each

I spent $40.02 and saved $17.35 with coupons for $57.37 items at Walmart. There were a few coupons on items that I wanted and didn’t want to wait to try to fit them into the budget, so I just got them without having to keep coming back and work them into the budget each week. Some of the coupons were close to expiring, so I used them instead of wasting that coupon.

GRAND Totals for the week. I spent $132.42 and saved $109.32 on $241.74 worth of grocery and household items this week for two weeks worth of shopping. I am a little over, but I can make that up in the next weeks.

How did you do this week? Did you stock up on baking items? Share your results below, so others can learn from your savings trips.

Great Gifts

I found the website Personalization Mall.com last year and I fell in love with them. They have gifts for every occasion all year round.  Their prices are reasonable. I ordered something for everyone in my family. I just love personalized gifts. It means more to me when the gift was picked out for me and it has been personalized just for me. 

Last year I ordered the Can and Bottle wrap for all the men in the family in their favorite teams color and put their name on it. To this day this is my husbands favorite can wrap and he uses it all the time. I also ordered a monogrammed cutting board for my brother that he loved!


What better gift to send than a personalized gifts this season. I am glad I can offer this great deal to my readers. There are also a couple coupon codes you can use:


SHOPEARLY before 11/20/11 for 15% off
PMALL15D before 11/20/11 for $15 Off $75


This may contain affiliate links.

Tips 4 Tuesday

First I would like to make sure you are getting all you can from Pounds4Pennies. I offer additional savings information and HOT coupons on my Facebook page and in my BlogFrog community. Please be sure to LIKE me on Facebook to keep up with the latest coupons and savings deals. I also offer additional tips and coupons on BLOGFROG. If you do like my site be sure to click Top Mommy Blogs and vote for me. One click = one vote. I am 108 and would love to get into the top 100 this week just eight more places to go. I know all my fabulous readers can take a few moments to vote for me. THANKS in advance.

I have a few tips to share with you about not throwing things out. My wonderful husband and I try to avoid throwing anything away. If something is about to spoil or we don't think we will use it in time, we just pop it into the freezer. Why let something go bad and have to throw it away. You might as well take that money and throw it in the trash that you purchased that food with. It is basically the same thing.

Do you ever make a pot of coffee and have some left over? Don’t throw it out. My husband and I love ice coffee. We make a little extra during the summer, so we can have ice coffee in the afternoons. We take the left over coffee and put it a plastic cup or make ice cubes out of it. We use plastic cups, since this is water and it will expand and break a glass container. We then put confectioners sugar and creamer and blend to make a great tasting frappe or just have iced coffee. The confectioners sugar dissolves quickly in ice coffee and you don’t have to worry about the grainy texture from granulated sugar.

What do you do with the left over heels of a piece of bread? Again don’t throw them out. There are several great uses for these. I put some butter on them and toast them in the toaster. Then I place them in my food processor to finely chop them up. I never need to buy bread crumbs. Another thing I do with the bread is make croutons. I butter them and cut them into cubes. Then place them on a cookie sheet and put the oven on broil. Watch very closely as these can burn quickly. I even sprinkle some seasonings on them to make them extra tasty. The kids all time favorite is to save these for duck food. We also keep a bag in the freezer and put left over hot dog buns, hamburger buns or bread crusts in there. When we want to go to the park we automatically have duck food ready for the kids to feed the ducks. This also make a great time for family photos.

My husband and I try not to throw anything out. I hope you will be able to use these tips in the future. Do you have any great tips on how to save or use the extra things you might consider throwing out? I love your comments and I would love to hear from you.

Money Making Ops

I know a few of you are interested in how can you make money online in time for Christmas? Wouldn't it be great to pay for Christmas with gift cards this year? There are a couple of websites I use on a regular basis to earn FREE gift cards or Money. A great site is Swagbucks and  another is Inbox dollars.

 

Swagbucks is an awesome site where you can earn points for doing all kinds of tasks. There is the daily poll to earn 1 point each day. Then other categories include games and watching commercials. One of the best features is every time you print a coupon and it is redeemed you earn 10 points. This is makes your coupon more valuable. You can also use their search engine to search for topics and earn points. Fridays are great, since they are Mega Swagbucks days. You will earn more for searches on Friday than any other day.

After you have accumulated points you can cash them in for various items. I like a $5.00 Amazon Gift card for 450 points. It can take anywhere from two to four weeks to earn 450 points. It depends on how frequently you use this account. I have gotten several gift cards and used them.

The next way I would like to share with you how to earn money on the internet is InBoxDollars. Just for clicking above and signing up you will get $5.00 in your account. I recommend setting up an email account you use for your coupons to keep this separate from your personal account. You will receive emails several times a day to click the email and look at offers sent directly to you. The more offers and surveys you complete the quicker your money will grow. Inbox also has a coupon area to print coupons. Every coupon you print and redeem you will earn $.10. This makes a more valuable coupon. What a great way to coupon and make money while you are couponing. It is like a little savings bank. You will need to get up to $30.00 before you can receive a check, but it doesn't take long.

Pay online at your bank and earn Cash Back

eBillme is a free payment service that helps people pay safely online and save money with Cash Back rewards.

Shop at over 800 online retailers or the eBillme Gift Card Mall, then pay for your order using your bank's online bill pay service, just like a utility bill. No personal or financial information is shared.  Get a jump start on all those Black Friday deals. 

Save money. Earn up to 10% Cash Back!

For every dollar you pay through eBillme, you will earn cash back.

• Earn rewards at eBillme retailers and on gift cards
• At $10 earnings you can create a coupon
• At $50 earnings you can get a check by mail

eBillme Cash Back Program

Not only does eBillme help you stay safe when shopping online, we help you save money too. Our free Cash Back rewards program allows you to earn on every order(For a limited time earn up to 10% - see offers) that can be redeemed for coupons on future eBillme orders, or get a check by mail when you have earned $50. Plus you can now earn even more! Tell a Friend and earn extra cash back rewards.

How to Join

Sign up is free and easy.

• To join, simply pay your bill, and click the ‘JOIN CASH BACK’ button on your bill or receipt. Or fast track and click the 'JOIN CASH BACK' button below.
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Friday Finals 11/11/11 Kroger Mega Event

To all veterans, including my dad, THANK YOU for my freedom. Happy Veterans Day on this 11/11/11. I have heard there are a lot of marriages and other celebrations going on this landmark day. Do you have anything fun planned?

I have had sick kids all week this week. The little got the stomach bug too. AUGH! So for two days I have been cooped up in the house and have not done much shopping this week. But I plan on going out this weekend and getting a few more things from other stores. I will list them here next week.

Be sure to check out these ladies posts. They had awesome savings last week and were the top three clickiest:

Frugal Stepmom

Couponing Away Debt

Weekly Grocery Shopping

Kroger Mega Event

MEI = Mega Event Item -$0.50 off each item listed

1 Kroger Cheese - $1.99

3.69 lb Bananas @ $0.39 lb - $1.44

6 Aunt Annies Mac and Cheese $1.19 – MEI, $0.75/1 Printable Coupon Facebook

            -Final $0.56 average each

2 International Delight Creamer $2.49 – MEI

            -Final $1.99 each

4 4lbs Bags of Domino Sugar $2.49 – MEI, 4 $0.50/1 Domino Sugar RP 10/16/11

            -Final $1.49 each

1 Idaho Potatoes $1.00 – FREE All You Magazine Oct.

            -Final FREE – I love FREE

16 Campbells Condensed Soup $1.00 – MEI, 4 $0.40/4 Campbells Coupons SS 10/09/11

            -Final $0.40 each

8 Ricola Cough Drops $1.49 – MEI, 4 B1G1 Ricola Cough Drops 10/02/11, 4 $0.75/1 Ricola Cough Drops

            -Final $0.12 each

1 Hillshire Farms lunch Meat $3.49 – MEI, $0.35/1 Lunch Meat RP 10/16/11

            -Final $2.64

2 Hormel Turkey Pepperoni $2.50 – MEI

            -Final $2.00 – Printable coupon now available. PRINT NOW!

Altogether I spent $33.19 and saved $49.64 on $82.83 worth of retail grocery products. I know I don’t need 8 bags of Ricola Cough Drops, but I would like to give this as a gift along with some soup (I am picking more up next week) for friends who might be sick. There are several of us moms whose husbands travel from time to time and no matter what someone gets sick when the husband is gone. I can run this by quickly and cheer them up a bit.

CVS – FREE this week

Nov. 5^th

1 Shick Quatro Razor refill $8.99

1 Milk $3.99

Used:

$5.00 ECB

$1.00 ECB

$5.00/1 Shick Quatro Razor or refill Printable

OOP

$1.98

Recieved:

$4.00 ECBs 

I spend $1.98 and saved $11.00 on 12.98 worth of retail items at CVS this trip. I didn’t realize milk went up to $3.99. Ouch! This is really good milk and I had $5.00 ECBs that were expiring so I combined it with an extra $1.00 to get the price of Milk down.

Nov. 7

1 Illy Coffee Drink $2.00

2 Hydro 5 Razors $10.49 each

Used:

$2.00 ECB

$1.00 ECB

$4.00 ECB

$3.50 ECB

$2.49 took off - FREE Illy coffee drink printed Nov. 5^th.

2 $5.00/1 Shick Hydro razor

Received:

$10.00 ECB for Razors

$1.00 ECB for Bag Tag

I paid $0.00 for $22.98 worth of retail products at CVS this week. I LOVE FREE!


Sprouts - Farmers Market

.49 lb Peanuts - $0.98
1 lb Raisins - $1.49 - Great price on Raisins
1 Yogurt - $2.00
1 Pk Cinnamon $1.25
1 Broccoli - $1.05
1 Bell Pepper - $0.49
3 Lemons - $1.00
3 Limes - $0.50
1.74 lbs Onions - $0.85


Bag credit -$0.10


Total $9.51 on fresh produce and dairy.

All together I spent $44.68 and saved $83.72 on $128.40 worth of items this week. I think I have my groove back. I had 65% savings overall savings for this week. Unlike some couponers, I do buy fresh produce nearly every week. Fresh is better than canned or frozen. I usually budget around $10.00 for Sprouts.

How did you do this week? Link up your awesome savings below. I can't wait to see how you did this week. It is great to see how others shop to learn how to save.

Kids

My daughter has been battling a stomach bug, since last Wednesday. She has occasionally thrown up, nothing consistent. In case you are wondering, I don’t clean up throw up. YUCK. It  becomes two messes for me to clean up and I really don’t need more to clean. I am glad that she is finally at the age that she knows she better run with all her might to make it to the bathroom in time. And YES! she has made it each time. I gave her a washcloth to clean off the seat of the toilette and another for her mouth. I even got her some water to rinse her mouth out with. All from afar. I have a very weak stomach for that. I am happy to say we only had one mess this time.

I had a lot of energy yesterday and planned on getting all caught up on clipping my coupons, I am about 3 weeks behind. AUGH! I put little face down and of course he did not go to sleep right away. I then get a call from the school nurse she has done it again. Before I leave the house to get her I call the dr. to make an appointment. Something is obviously wrong. What she eats needs to stay down. Meanwhile I got a call that morning that my stepson was not feeling well either and that I may need to pick him up if he is sick.

So I ask the nurse if she had seen him and she said yes, but he was not running any fever so she sent him back to class. I get little miss and we all head to the dr. The Dr. did some tests and determined it must be a virus and gave us some nausea medicine. My daughter hates the word medicine and all forms of it. She was not excited.

As we are leaving the Dr. I get a call. It is time to pick up child number two. So I head back to the school once again to pick up sick child number two.  He did not throw up, but just felt bad. Again no fever. So on our way home, which is about 5 min. Little face falls asleep in the car. It is 2:00 way past nap time. More like wake up time and he is out. I get little face out of the car very carefully and place him in bed. Get all sick children on the couches. I always make sure I provide them with a large open container to catch anything that might come up. I also make sure this is as close to their mouth as possible and inform them of appropriate places of disposal if needed. If they move they must carry the bucket with them. This is their new best friend until the queasiness passes. I am serious!

After a couple of hours little face wakes up and no incidents have happened, so on to homework. They have gotten into math homework I do not understand. I am glad they were both here so I could cheat and look of f of each other’s papers to see how they did it. My daughter and stepson are in the same grade and go to the same school. This makes it easier when they do homework and planning for family vacations.

And all of this to say, I got nothing done yesterday that I wanted to do. So is the life of a mother.

Money Saving Monday - CVS

If you haven't read my other couponing 101 articles over the past weeks I suggest you start at the first post and read through. This is a lot of information. Take some time to read each section and go over it before you dive right in. 

1. Part 1 How and Where to get Coupons 

2. Part 2 Go Shopping

3. Part 3 How to Save Big on Your Grocery Bill

Part 4 Drug Store Shopping

Shopping at the drug store is different than shopping at the grocery store. Most drug stores print their own money at the register. They want you to use this money at their store. Walgreens has Rapid Rewards RR, CVS has Extra Care Bucks ECB’s and Rite Aid has Single Check Rebate Program SCR’s. I am going to be mostly informing you on CVS today.

With the money they print for you at the stores, you can roll this each time you check out and not pay a lot of your money out of pocket, OOP.

HOW IT WORKS for CVS

First of all you want to make sure you get a CVS card. Ask for one when you enter the store before your first purchase. To register your card complete the form on line. You will receive additional coupons and sometimes ECBs through email. You can load these onto your card so next time you enter the store you can use your savings and not worry about finding a piece of paper.

Now you will need to scan your circular to see if there are any items you want or need that print ECB’s. Now look to see if you have a coupon to matchup with this item to bring your total OOP down even further. Please keep in mind the ECB prints at the end of the transaction. At first it is difficult to get started. Please check out Simply CVS for beginner $5 & $10 OOP scenerios she posts each week. Once you have checked out you will have ECB’s you can use towards your next transaction. Please be considerate of others

I roll my ECB’s a little differently than other people. I like to have ECB’s left over at the end, so I can get my items for the advertised price or free. I try to do all my purchases in one transaction with all my ECB’s and coupons at one time. This way I don’t have to worry if they are out of an item in order for all my transactions to work. I also know what I am going to spend before I get there. My budget is $5.00 on toiletries and $5.00 on diapers when I can get it.

THE LITTLE RED BOX

There is a little magic red box when you walk into CVS. This is a coupon dispensing machine. It spits out extra CVS coupons. You can stack or combine these with any additional coupons you may have to get items for free or really cheap. It frequently gives away free items. You just need to make sure you print it out. This is the first thing I always do when I walk into the store and see if it gives me anything good. This is a must in my book.

BAG TAG

CVS has a bag tag program. You can purchase this little tag or sometimes it gives you a free one at the magic red box. Every four times this is scanned it will print you a $1 extra buck. Yup that is FREE money just for visiting the store. You can only use it once each day and it only will scan after an item is scanned.

BEAUTY CLUB

On more program CVS has is the Beauty Club. This is free to sign up. To sign up look near the register to see the Beauty Club tear pad. Just hand this to the cashier when your make your first purchase. For every $50.00 you spend you will receive $5.00 back.

QUARTERLY EARNINGS

CVS will add up all your purchases before ECB’s and Coupons and give you 2% back at the end of every quarter. You can receive this at the little red box or it will print at the register. Again free money you can use to purchase additional items at the store.

Things you need to do when you go to CVS:

1. Get a CVS card – Sign Up on line

2. Get a Bag Tag – You may need to pay $1.00

3. Sign up for the Beauty Club – FREE tear pad at registar

4. Scan the red box when you go to the store.

Items I often get at CVS:

Razors – FREE

Make up – FREE or $1

Nail Polish – FREE or $1

Food – FREE or CHEAP

Milk – CHEAP when on sale

Hair Care – CHEAP

Diapers – CHEAP