I had a great month at Walgreens & CVS!!! Check this out!
I started August 2nd with:
$25 in cash
2 $2RR
$10.85 ECB
At CVS, I got:
2 Caliber Protractors
1 Softsoap Serum Bodywash
1 permanent marker
1 Dove dark chocolate bar
1 Nurtashield sunscreen
1 Revlon Mineral Mousse foundation
1 CVS aspirin, 100 count
2 packages of PaperMate pens, 10 count
2 packages of notebook paper, 150 sheets
2 recycled pencil cases
1 Phillips sport headphones
4 bottles of Sobe LifeWater
2 Dry Idea roll on deodorants
4 packages of Poise liners 16 ct
4 packages of Carefree ultra pantiliners 16 ct
1 Adidas deodorant
1 Excedrin Migraine 24ct
1 Kotex Ultrathin pads 18ct
At Walgreens, I got:
1 2pack Gum toothbrushes
1 bottle of Vitamin Shampoo
2 jars of Skippy peanut butter
4 jars of Ragu spaghetti sauce
1 Dove deodorant
1 Dove body mist
1 Colgate Total enamel strength toothpaste 4 oz
8 packages of Bic pens, 10 count
1 box One-A-Day drink mix, 2 pack
2 packages of Ecotrin aspirin
1 package of StayFree pads, 16 count
1 package of Carefree pantiliners, 56 count
6 packages of Bic pens, 8 count
1 Colgate Total enamel strength toothpaste 4 oz
1 Jergens Naturals Lotion 16.8 oz
1 bottle of Listerine
2 Reach toothbrushes
2 boxes of Ecotrin
1 box royal pudding
1 package of BlueDiamond almonds (20% bonus package)
1 Aquafresh ISO toothpaste
1 SoftSoap Nutri Serums
1 Conair Professional brush
2 Tylenol PM, 24 count
1 package of Goody Ouchless ponytail holders
2 Carmex lipbalms
At Dillon’s (Kroger) I got:
4 packages of Bic pens, 10-count
4 CoverGirl eyebrow pencils, 2-pack with sharpener
2 bottle of CoverGirl nail polish
2 CoverGirl eyeshadow
At Staples I got:
12 spiral notebooks, 70 sheets
As of August 28, I have:
$5.59 in cash
1 $1.50 RR and 2 $2RR
$19.58 in ECB
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
How I Organize My Coupons/Shopping Lists
First off, let me say there is no wrong way to organize your coupons; everyone I know does it a bit differently.
When I first started this, I would cut out every coupon from the Sunday paper, magazines, etc and divide them into two categories: food and non-food. Then, I would go through and group them together by expiration date (all the coupons that expired in June would go together, etc.) Then I would paperclip them together and put them in a labeled envelope (food or non-food.) As I started visiting more blogs to help me find more and better deals, I found out that most people leave the coupon section whole and then can find the coupons easier. This is what I do now with the Sunday coupon sections, but I still use the envelopes for other coupons. I only get 1 Sunday paper a week, so all of my coupon sections fit in simple 2 pocket folder. I place all of my printed Internet coupons on one side, and the inserts of the other. Every couple weeks, I go through the sections and remove any expired coupons. It is much easier to find coupons this way.
So far, my coupon kit includes: 2 envelopes with clipped coupons, 1 two-pocket folder with coupon sections and Internet coupons, 1 pair of scissors, 1 small memo pad, 2 ink pens, a box of paperclips and a small plastic accordion file I purchased at Target in the dollar section. The file has dividers which I have organized by store. Before I go shopping (I go every Sunday for major shopping, but sometimes during to the week too for deals) I write my shopping list. I use the little memo pad and make a list for each store, clip it together with any coupons and place it in the divider. If I only need 1 or 2 things from a store, I'll just write it on the previous weeks list, or jot it down on a list for another store. I'm very proud of this, as I used to use 1 master list and would forget to buy something at Target and not realize it until I got to Walmart. Not any more!
Here's what my CVS list looked like for the week of 8/2/09:
CVS - 8/2
1.98 Caliber 10 pencils 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Caliber 20 pens 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Flex ruler 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Note/glue/eraser 1.98ECB ---
3.98 Book cover 3.98ECB ---
3.98 Compass/Protractor 3.98ECB ---
5.98 Scissors 5.98ECB ---
.98 Portfolio .98ECB ---
2.99 Softsoap 4.00ECB $2.00
6.49 Blink Tears 7.99ECB $1.50
The first number is my out of pocket (OOP cost) This is especially important at CVS as they often have coupons for $ off of $$ (like $4 off of $20) I need to make sure I meet the minimum if I'm going to be using one of those coupons. Then I list the item, followed by how many ExtraCare Bucks (ECB) I'm getting back. After that, I list the amount of any coupons I have. The Softsoap cost me $2.99 after the $2.00 off coupon and I got back $4 in ECB.
For more information about shopping at CVS, please visit check out "Cents"able Momma's post: CVS 101 . Also check out her Walgreens 101 post, for information about Walgreens and their Register Reward Program. Most people find the Walgreens program a bit trickier, but she does a great job of explaining it!
When I first started this, I would cut out every coupon from the Sunday paper, magazines, etc and divide them into two categories: food and non-food. Then, I would go through and group them together by expiration date (all the coupons that expired in June would go together, etc.) Then I would paperclip them together and put them in a labeled envelope (food or non-food.) As I started visiting more blogs to help me find more and better deals, I found out that most people leave the coupon section whole and then can find the coupons easier. This is what I do now with the Sunday coupon sections, but I still use the envelopes for other coupons. I only get 1 Sunday paper a week, so all of my coupon sections fit in simple 2 pocket folder. I place all of my printed Internet coupons on one side, and the inserts of the other. Every couple weeks, I go through the sections and remove any expired coupons. It is much easier to find coupons this way.
So far, my coupon kit includes: 2 envelopes with clipped coupons, 1 two-pocket folder with coupon sections and Internet coupons, 1 pair of scissors, 1 small memo pad, 2 ink pens, a box of paperclips and a small plastic accordion file I purchased at Target in the dollar section. The file has dividers which I have organized by store. Before I go shopping (I go every Sunday for major shopping, but sometimes during to the week too for deals) I write my shopping list. I use the little memo pad and make a list for each store, clip it together with any coupons and place it in the divider. If I only need 1 or 2 things from a store, I'll just write it on the previous weeks list, or jot it down on a list for another store. I'm very proud of this, as I used to use 1 master list and would forget to buy something at Target and not realize it until I got to Walmart. Not any more!
Here's what my CVS list looked like for the week of 8/2/09:
CVS - 8/2
1.98 Caliber 10 pencils 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Caliber 20 pens 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Flex ruler 1.98ECB ---
1.98 Note/glue/eraser 1.98ECB ---
3.98 Book cover 3.98ECB ---
3.98 Compass/Protractor 3.98ECB ---
5.98 Scissors 5.98ECB ---
.98 Portfolio .98ECB ---
2.99 Softsoap 4.00ECB $2.00
6.49 Blink Tears 7.99ECB $1.50
The first number is my out of pocket (OOP cost) This is especially important at CVS as they often have coupons for $ off of $$ (like $4 off of $20) I need to make sure I meet the minimum if I'm going to be using one of those coupons. Then I list the item, followed by how many ExtraCare Bucks (ECB) I'm getting back. After that, I list the amount of any coupons I have. The Softsoap cost me $2.99 after the $2.00 off coupon and I got back $4 in ECB.
For more information about shopping at CVS, please visit check out "Cents"able Momma's post: CVS 101 . Also check out her Walgreens 101 post, for information about Walgreens and their Register Reward Program. Most people find the Walgreens program a bit trickier, but she does a great job of explaining it!
My Goal for this blog
Hi! I'm Lecia. I'm 25 and live in the Midwest. I'm an unemployed artist and I live with my boyfriend. We're saving up a lot of money for some future goals (like a wedding!) and recently put together an aggressive budget. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at home Mon-Fri and are trying to cut down on going out to eat on the weekends. Currently, our grocery budget is $200 a month and we use the cash envelope system for this. I also get $20 a month to spend as I wish on the great CVS and Walgreens deals I find. We've both noticed this has greatly cut down on our health and beauty aid spending. I also feel I'm making a difference in our community, as I donate many items we don't need to a local youth center.
So, this blog will be tracking my purchases, spending and saving, as well as offering tips and tricks to help others save money. Thanks for visiting!
So, this blog will be tracking my purchases, spending and saving, as well as offering tips and tricks to help others save money. Thanks for visiting!
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