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CVS Deals- 4/30 & 5/1

Posted on May 3, 2008 5:36 pm by TheAngelForever

This month I had a really tough time finding most of the April deals at CVS. Pretty much every store I went to after April 2 was out of anything/everything really good. Do not get me wrong, I did really well with other items (especially the M&Ms), but it was frustrating at times. I can only imagine the poor people that work at CVS who had to listen to people all month long about things being out of stock.

Anyway Wednesday night we happened to be near a different CVS so I went in to see what they had. I have had luck at this one in the past. It was unreal – they had everything and tons of it (which when I went back today – was GONE). I was floored that they were overflowing with the 12 and 18 ounce Soft Soap Spa Radiant Body Wash. I quickly maxed out my limit on the 12 ounce and picked up two of the 18 ounce ones as well. They also had three of the rapid release pain relievers that fulfilled my limit. All of these items were FREE once I had my ECB print outs.

In addition to this, the CVS I was at had a great sale on Tide Free. All Tide was BOGO along with the All detergent that was in the ad this week. Although I did not get ECBs for these, I still did great with coupons and the BOGO. For all of the items below with a retail value of $64.89 I paid $2.78 out of pocket after coupons and ECBs. The best thing is I went in with $32 in ECBs and still have over $30!

CVS deals - Part 1 (4/30)

CVS deals - Part 2 (4/30)

The next day (5/1) I made a trip to a different CVS. When I went to check out I found out they were not having a sale on Tide. Strange how some do things so differently so close to each other. I was upset for my mother who was with me to see how the CVS thing is done. During that trip I also received the May montly flier and was able to get the Colgate 360 toothbrushes (free after ECBs) and one other item to try with NHL when brushing his teeth.

My mother had her own CVS card and I helped her with some coupons and was going to do her transaction. When her ECBs printed out I looked at it and saw MY NAME! Ugh, sure enough she had my small card. She has probably had it since I was in college. Problem was – we both were getting 2-3 of the Colgate 360 toothbrushes and could not do this on my one card. This threw me off my came and I had to think quickly. We filled out an application to get my mother her own CVS card and continued. I spent more out of pocket on my items because I was not able to use her ECBs that were mine . . . or maybe it was mine that were hers. You get the picture! My brain was mush at the end of that and I think the poor girl at the counter was too.

We shall see what next week brings.

Thanks to MoneySavingMom for her great scenarios and coupon alerts!

Categories:
deals photos shopping

My CVS deals (week of 4/13)

Posted on April 20, 2008 10:10 am by TheAngelForever

Sunday we did all of the CVS shopping for the week. Hubby actually came to see what I was up to and watched the boys. We stopped at the CVS near our house and got JL his own card and I made two transactions. There were a few complications – some ECBs did not print so I had to call corporate about it. I will explain those below.

These are the items that I was able to get at our first trip to CVS last Sunday. I did them in two transactions and spent no money.

Transaction #1:

The M&M’s were BOGO this week. In addition to this, there was an ECB special for $3 back if you bought two bags. With the price of $3.29 a bag they would be .15 a bag after the ECBs. Pretty amazing price and good time to stock up for upcoming birthday parties. Unfortunately the ECBs did not print out at the end of the transaction. The cashier told me to call corporate. I then saw the manager who looked at the ECB sign and the BOGO and told me that I should get them. She agreed that one deal does not trump another. She thanked me for not yelling at her and told me to stop back if I did not get the ECBs.

10 Bags of M&M (limit 5 deals) BOGO $3.29 each = $16.45 without tax –> $10 used in ECBs and $5 off 15 coupon and then $1.57 from the cash returned from a previous transaction. No new out of pocket.

Again I was owed $15 in ECBs. I called CVS about this on Monday and the woman told me that she would call if there was a problem receiving the money. No call in almost a week, so I should have those ECBs when I go back to CVS after the Passover seders.

Transaction #2

2 Aveeno Soothing Bath Treatment $5.69 each

1 Aveeno Diaper rash cream $6.99

Total without tax was $18.37 –> $5 off 15 coupon and then and two Aveeno coupons for $2.50 total. Next I used a $5 ECB which left my total at $5.98. I used the cash still left over from the other day (leaving me with change now) and left.

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Later on we were out by another CVS. I told JL that I wanted to go in to see if they had any of the Soft Soap goodies that nobody else has had. They did not of course, but I was able to get a few other things. I had to put money in this time thanks to not having the ECBs from the M&M transaction earlier, but it was well worth it.

Transaction #3

2 CVS Rapid Release Pain Reliever $3.99 each (these are giving $3.99 ECBs for the month and have been hard to find)

1 Aveeno Soothing Relief Creamy Wash $5.69 (to finish another ECB monthly deal – Spend $25 on Aveeno get $10 ECB)

2 CVS Toddler Wipes for fillers at $1.49 each (needed to get to $10 in CVS products for one coupon and $15 for another)

Total without tax was $16.65 –> $3.00 off coupon when you spend 10 on CVS products and $5 off 15 coupon. My out of pocket was $8.70. In addition to this I received ECBs for $7.98 and $10

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So even with the goof on the M&M transaction (assuming I do get those $15 printed next time I go in) I only spent $8.70 and received $32.98 in ECBs . . . not too shabby!

For more CVS deals please stop by Money Saving Mom for some wonderful ideas.

Categories:
deals shopping

My CVS Deals (4/10)

Posted on April 13, 2008 9:20 am by TheAngelForever

I keep striking out at CVS. Every time I head into a store they are out of what I am looking for. JSL and I went out the other night to try to get some of the Aveeno eczema cream and after three stores each only had one. Silly me, I did not know that they combine in the computer how much you spend toward Extra Bucks. Oh well you live and learn. Here is what I bought with no out of pocket expense:

CVS bargains

After JSL’s dentist appointment we were near a HUGE 24 hour CVS that looked promising. We went in looking for some items. They did not have any of the Softsoap Spa products. Everyone has been out of these since the day I got them. Nada on the CVS rapid release Tylenol either. I finally found the Essence of Beauty bags that everyone had been writing about. This month if you buy 3 qualifying Essence of Beauty products you can get $5 ECBs back. The bags are $1.49 each, so not too bad. These are perfect for teacher gift bags, as well as to package up washcloths that I make.

Next we went to the baby care area. I could have gotten wipes here, but I was kind of rushed to pick up NHL from school. So I just got what I needed. They had four of the Aveeno baby eczema creams. The deal on Aveeno was to send $25 on their products and get $10 ECBs back. In addition to this I bought JSL some of the creamy wash to try since it said it was gentle on skin that suffers from eczema.

I did two transactions and should have done better with the second, but again trying to go quickly messed me up.

Transaction #1:

3 of the Essence of Beauty gift bags at $1.49 each

4 of the Aveeno Eczema cream at $5.69 each

1 of the creamy Aveeno baby wash at $5.59

Total without tax was $32.92 —> I then used $5 off $15 and two $1.50 off Aveeno products and $14.97 in ECBs. This left my balance at $10.99. During my last CVS trip I received cash back for ECBs that did not work – so those were put toward this using no new money.

$15 in new ECBs printed out.

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Transaction #2:

6 of the Essence of Beauty gift bags at $1.49

1 candy bar $.79 (filler)

1 pack of gum 1.19 (filler)

Total without tax was $10.92 –> I should have bought more items to get me to the $15 to use another $5 off $15, but I was in a rush and not thinking (ooops!). I used $10 of the ECBs that I just earned and another $1 from the cash given back last week. So again nothing out of pocket.

$10 in new ECBs printed out.

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At this point I still have $15 in ECBs and a few additional dollars left. I know I could do better, but it is hard to stay focused when they are constantly out of items. Oh well, I can not complain since I have all of these items and have not invested more money since the original $17 the other day.

Categories:
deals shopping

Weekend of baby walking, knitting and Passover preparations

Posted on April 6, 2008 11:15 pm by TheAngelForever

This weekend was very busy for all of us in Angel Land. We had a 50th birthday party for our neighbor Saturday. The party was very nice. We were able to see many of the people who had become strangers over the winter months. NHL went with us, but we brought JSL to stay with Nana and Papa. He went there a sweet baby who could crawl and get into mischief. He was returned to us a determined child who wanted to walk holding on to anything and everything. He learned to walk with a ride on toy. Nana and Papa actually gave him his birthday present early and he is in LOVE with it. Photos to come later (no time to edit now). The nice thing we just keep him up and walking and he gets lots of energy out easily. Unfortunately it means his hands are higher and able to get into more.

I changed my mind, here is a sneak peek. . .

*ACK* – My baby is growing up way too quickly!

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Before the weekend I finished a washcloth that I had promised NHL when he was sick. He asked me to make him something new and selected one that looked like Snoopy (free pattern found here). This is what it looked like when I was finished.

This morning the last rows of another knitting group were revealed. Once again ten rows were given daily and at the end everyone has the same great cloth. This one was from Shirley’s Knitting Knook Group on Yahoo and designed by Melanie of Lil Knit of This & That. This was the first KAL of the new group and is adorable. I believe I saw that Shirley called it Showers in Spring, but not sure what the official name is.

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NHL went out for the morning/afternoon with Nana and Papa. While they did this we went to purchase Passover groceries since it is just around the corner. We spent an obscene amount of money on kosher for Passover products. Although our receipt showed that we saved $30 – I did not smile. The only part I was happy about was our deal on diapers. The store had a deal on big boxes of Pampers for $19.99. I had a P&G $2.00 coupon and the grocery store was doubling P&G coupons today. Thanks to this I was able to get JSL 72 diapers for $16 – not too shabby!

After putting away groceries and eating lunch, we went to pick up NHL and set up my parents new wireless printer. When we came back home I was set to dry the load of laundry that I put in this morning. Little did I know that I would take on another project. While putting things away I noticed that JSL barely has any clothing that actually fits. I hauled out all of the containers of 0-12 month items, put things away and took some out. Then I went and brought the 18-24 month things up. I decided to put all of those things into the wash. Then I made sure that everything that was 24 month and 2T was ready to grab easily for later in the summer. I certainly got a work out going up and down the stairs to the basement more times than I can remember.

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Randoms thoughts:

My baby is going to be one in just over a month – WAHHHHHHH!
Plans need to be made and set for the 1st birthday party that we will be having on Mother’s Day.
Passover is coming way too quickly. . . I am NOT ready for this.
I want to knit tonight, but I think I am too tired. I am working on a back scrubber for JL (he actually requested this).
New Moon is sitting and gathering dust waiting for me to read.
Wednesday I am going to NHL’s Seder at school – it should be so cute!
Thursday JSL goes to the dentist. Although he has been before they are counting this as his first official visit.
NHL is having problems breathing again (he is winded just talking). He will likely need to go to a specialist to figure out the cause and to help us treat it successfully.
Who Needs Sleep by Barenaked Ladies is my theme song – really it is!

Categories:
deals holidays jsl knitting milestone nhl shopping weekend

I got paid to shop at CVS (sort of)

Posted on April 1, 2008 8:25 am by TheAngelForever

For months now I have been intrigued by all of the CVS bloggers out there. These are people like you and me that go to CVS spend a few bucks (typically less) and get tons of items for their families with ECBs. ECBs are basically CVS bucks that print with your receipt to use within a month on future purchases. One of the best websites I have found is Money Saving Mom. Each week Crystal posts ideal ways to get the most out of the CVS bucks so you spend little, use past bucks and earns lots more for future trips. I also really like I Heart CVS where they post the ads early and have amazing coupons.

Last night was the end of the line for some March ECB deals. JL told me to head on out and try to get those things. Here is a photo of what I ended up buying. It isn’t a lot, but still not too shabby once you hear what I spent and earned in ECBs.

My CVS Bargains - 3/31

Here was my plan. I wanted to get some of the Lypsyl that was on the March ECBs. They were $2.99 each and then you would receive a $2.99 ECB – so essentially they are FREE! There was a limit of 5 for the month. Problem, I waited WAY too long to get these bad boys and the store had none. Oh well, onto the next item on my list.

I wanted to get the Colgate Total toothpaste that was also on the March deals. Again this was $2.99 cost and $2.99 ECBs at the end. Problem, all of the signs showed the new weekly Colgate special of BOGO and did not have this. Still I grabbed ones by a sign and figured I would ask at the register.

Next I wanted to get the Softsoap Spa Radiant that was on this weeks specials. It cost $4.99 and gave $4.99 of ECBs (limit of 5). I did not see any of these and the manager helped me to find more on another endcap.I also picked up some wipes for JSL that had a $3 ECB that made them a decent price.

So I went up to the register. I started with the Softsoap. $4.99 each – got me the $15 total I needed for some major coupons. I used the $1.50 Softsoap coupon from the ads on Sunday, a $3 off 15 beauty products and $5 off 15 purchase from CVS (that’s $9.50 in coupons). My total payout was $6.03 and I received a $14.97 ECB credit!

Next was a problem. The computers were overriding the March sale on the Colgate, so the manager was called over. He said if ECBs did not print out he would take care of it since it was clearly right to the end of the month. Sure enough nothing printed at the end. I was charged $11 for BOGO toothpaste (3 offers for the 6 tubes). He told me to get $15 of free things. I tried to get the wipes, but when those were put through with my $15 free it was a no go there. I asked him to please reverse that and give me the $15 credit back and we would call it a night. He said he would just give me the cash back.

So the end result of my trip was that I spent about $17 of my own money. With that I received $14.97 in ECB for my next CVS visit and he handed me back $18 in cash!!! See I was paid to shop at CVS – LOL! I will likely head back later to get two more of the Softsoap and a few of the new April monthly buys.