CVS 11/15 - $158 retail for only $24 out of pocket!

This was an excellent week for me at CVS despite a couple of glitches. I forgot to take a picture of the items I bought on Sunday, but they involved these deals:

- buy $20 Gold Bond, get $10 ECB
- buy 3 Colgate toothpastes, get $5 ECB
- buy $12 CVS lotions, get $4 ECB

Total retail with tax was just over $49 and I paid $6.56 while also earning $19 in ECBs!! I also earned another $3 in Beauty Bucks and CVS texted me a $3 ECB "just because" yesterday! The glitch was that the $10 & $4 ECB didn't print off even though the manager said my items qualified, so he had to "force" print them for me the next day as the computer system went down (probably why they didn't print).

The items pictured here retail for almost $109 including tax. I made two purchases earning $15 in ECBs to apply towards the 2nd purchase. I paid just over $17 for ALL OF IT after applying coupons and ECBs!!

So putting BOTH days together, I bought $158 in items for just $24 out of pocket! I could have saved more but I forgot my 30% off coupon in my purse 🤦. I will probably earn $9 Beauty Bucks from today's purchase.

CVS - 10/21/2020 Deal (multiple items in one purchase)

To learn how to get started saving money while shopping at CVS, please check out these posts first: First Steps and Second Steps.

This deal is different from the other two purchases that I have detailed here (10/25/2020 and 11/1/2020). I decided to buy ALL of my items at one time using coupons and ECBs to help lower the price to a reasonable amount that I was willing to pay. The TOTAL retail value of all these items was over $58. I spent $14 OOP and earned a $15 ECB, so this was a small moneymaker. However, because I am a Beauty Club member, I earned a $6 ECB for my purchases making my total "earnings" $21 in ECBs to use the following week.

I'll break down this purchase below the picture. I started the purchase with $10 in ECBs plus my monthly $10 Carepass ECB (total $20) in my hand.

CVS sent me an email coupon for the Pantene condition making it $2.97. I also had a CVS coupon taking an additional 25% off. So, note that I can use MULTIPLE coupons for one item!

There was a great deal on certain skin care items - Spend $35, get a $15 ECB - and I had LOTS of coupons to make this deal even better! I bought $42 worth of soap to donate to my local youth shelter. I used a $6 off $30 CVS coupon and several other CVS coupons to help pay for the soap and Beauty 360 body wash. My CVS Carepass membership took an additional 20% off of these CVS brand items.

My total due was $13.09 but I rounded up to $14 for the Feed American campaign. My husband was with me when I did this deal and amazed at what I actually paid for all of these items! The thing to take away from this deal is just how many coupons that you can use in ONE purchase to help lower the amount you pay OOP.

CVS - 10/25/2020 purchase details

Here is the breakdown of a multi-purchase shopping trip that I recently made. You can see another example of how I "rolled my ECBs" in this post. Total RETAIL price with tax and without sale prices for all of the items below was $112. After sale prices, the total price would be $89. I spent $18.07 including taxes ... can you believe it?

First purchase: This deal was for a Gold Bond Spend $20, get $10 ECB. I had two coupons worth $4.50 total plus I used the $15 ECB that I had earned the previous week to pay the rest. 

BOTTOM LINE: I spent $1.84 out-of-pocket (OOP) and earned $10 ECB. This is called a "moneymaker" deal because I earned an ECB that was worth a lot more than I spent OOP.

Second purchase: This purchase included a Covergirl Buy 2/$14, get $7 ECB for which I had two $3 coupons plus I purchased a set of razors because I had coupons and an ECB which was going to cover the rest of the cost. In this case of the razors, I had a manufacturer coupon AND a CVS coupon - you can use multiple coupons for one item at CVS. You'll see this again in the fourth purchase. Also note that the previous $10 ECB I earned was lowered to $9.99 because that was the amount left to pay after all coupons were applied.

BOTTOM LINE: Again, this purchase was a "moneymaker" because I paid only taxes and earned a $7 ECB.

Third purchase: This purchase was Covergirl Buy 2 items, earn a $7 ECB. I had two Covergirl coupons. Then the $7 ECB from the previous purchase was applied. At this point, the cashier asked me if I wanted to use my 40% off one item CVS coupon. I had never used one before and had forgotten I had it saved to my card. 

BOTTOM LINE: I spent $6.10 OOP and earned $7 ECB so this was a small moneymaker.

Fourth purchase: Purchases here included two Beauty 360 (CVS brand) items and one Oral B 2-pack toothbrush (two coupons totaling $4, one manufacturer and one from CVS). I had two CVS coupons for the Beauty 360 items. I also had received by text a CVS coupon for a FREE pack of batteries, but the cashier forgot to apply it. So, he refunded me the money afterwards. 

BOTTOM LINE: After the refund, I spent $6.63 OOP and earned a $3 ECB to use next week.

This was a good day for deals at CVS!

CVS - 11/1/2020 purchase details

I thought I would take you step-by-step through the purchases I made Sunday, 11/1/2020 and I will detail how & why I did what I did. I made four separate purchases so that I could "roll my ECBs" ... what this means is that I used the ECBs from the first purchase to help pay for the second, then used the ECBs from the second purchase to help pay for the third and so on.

First purchase: 

There was a Spend $30, get $10 ECB offer. This week, I worked on replacing some old makeup and also buying some fresh skin care items. So, I bought two L'oreal moisturizers, retails $20.99 each. I usually try to spend the least amount I can, so just the $30, but I had a specific product I was wanting.

The CVS app gave me two $5 off L'oreal moisturizer coupons plus $5 off $30 facial care. Then I used my $3 and $6 ECB. Finally, because this was my FIRST purchase, any % off coupons available to me pop up in the computer for me to use. CVS applies ALL coupons and ECBs first and then applies the % off coupons to the amount leftover. 

Now, I'm pretty sure that I do NOT have to choose to use them on the first purchase because the week before, I used it on my 3rd purchase. However, yesterday's cashier told me I had to use both of them even when I told him I wanted to save the 25% off for the next purchase. I am going to check on this when I go back next week. I have learned that, sometimes, you have to find out the schedule of your favorite cashiers and make your purchases when they are working to make sure you get the best deals you can. It actually worked out to use the 25% off on this purchase as it was my biggest one of the four.

BOTTOM LINE: I spent $14.59 and earned a $10 ECB, so $4.59 out-of-pocket (OOP)

Second purchase: I now have a $10 ECB. Almay was Spend $12, earn $6 and Covergirl was Spend $15, earn $6. I splurged a little and bought a nice Covergirl eyeshadow kit so my retail was $21.48. Almay's retail was $12.98 so much closer to the minimum I had to spend.

Then I had TWO $2 Covergirl coupons, a CVS app $5 off Almay cosmetics, CVS app $4 off $12 cosmetics and my $10 ECB. 

BOTTOM LINE: Spend $13.26 and earned TWO $6 ECBs, so OOP was $1.26

The $4 off nail, cosmetics, etc. coupon was sent to my email/text and I clicked on the link to add it to my card for use this week. The screenshot below confirms that it is now on my card for use. Coupons like this only become available to you if you sign up for ALL forms of communication - email, text and mail. 

Third purchase: Revlon had a Spend $12, earn $4 ECB. 

BOTTOM LINE; You can see that the blush I bought was $12.49 and I used the two $6 ECBs leaving my OOP $1.71

Fourth Purchase: Wet 'n Wild had a Spend $10, get $5 ECB. I had a 40% off Wet 'n Wild coupon. Again, CVS deducts the ECB first and then applies the % off. So, retail was $10.47 - $4 leaves $6.47. Then 40% off $6.47 leaves $3.88+tax left to pay. 

BOTTOM LINE: I paid $4.65 OOP and earned a $5 ECB to spend next time.

After I got home from making my purchases, I had received an email sharing more offers for the week. Some of these offers were NOT in the weekly circular so it's like getting a secret notice of some special offers! One thing I have learned is that the more you shop at CVS, the more CVS coupons will add to your app for your use. It pays to shop their fairly regularly!

I hope this has helped you understand how to make the most of the money you have to spend. The retail for all of these items was $109 and I spent just over $34 on EVERYTHING. I couldn't spend this little even if I went to Wal-Mart and paid their retail prices. I'll share a few more posts like this so you can get a bit more experience in "rolling" your ECBs.

Saving $$ with CVS - Second Steps

If you haven't read the previous post on getting started saving money with CVS, then please read it first. In that post, I forgot to mention that you need to join the Beauty Club. This is a very important part because you will earn so many more Extracare Bucks (ECB) by doing this. You will earn $3 for every $30 spent - BEFORE COUPONS!! - on hair care, skin care, makeup, and fragrances. Trust me, this adds up VERY fast and they award you the ECBs immediately the week after you've earned them. Last week I earned $6 which I used in my purchases yesterday. I think that I will earn $9 ECB this week from yesterday's purchases, so that is $15 MORE in ECBs in just two weeks just for joining the Beauty Club!

The next step is to check out this website each week for a preview of next week's ads. The Couponing Couple uploads shots of the ad circular so that you get a "heads up" on what will go on sale so you can start working on the deals you want to shop. Here is how I write up my weekly list ahead of time: 

Bacially, I sit down early in the week and go through the preview and write down the potential items that I am interested in purchasing. Afterwards, I go through the CVS app and look through the coupons available, both CVS and manufacturer, and I save them to my CVS card to use in my deals. I also check Coupons.com and print out any that I can use.

I have my own notations when making my list. The top line is the ECBs that I have available to me to shop with. I do expect to have $9 more from my Beauty Club dollars, but I'm not sure yet, so haven't noted it. Once I see what that ECB is, I will add it to the top line. 

Let's go through the Maybelline line and I'll explain what I do. Maybelline 12,5 with a © means I have to spend $12 to earn a $5 ECB and I have coupons to use. If I know the value of the coupon, then I note it like I did on the next line, 5C means I have a $5 coupon. You'll see above the Olay note, that I have multiple coupons to choose from for that deal. CVS loads new coupons onto their app each Sunday, so I always wait until Sunday to sit down with the newspaper circular, Sunday coupons and my phone to work on my shopping list.

I like to head to CVS on Sunday afternoons, if possible. This way, I have the most time to shop and grab the deals I want. If I get to the store and the items I want aren't on the shelves, I just ask the cashier when they will be getting more stock and go back the day after that. 

In the next post, I'll go through my purchases from this week and explain how I did it.

Saving $$ at CVS - First steps

** I am not an affiliate with CVS, nor am I earning anything for providing this info. **

Since I love saving money while purchasing items our family needs, I have been a CVS shopper for years. I often buy items to donate to a local youth shelter when I can get them for next to nothing. Several people have commented on my Instagram/Facebook posts about my ability to save money so I thought I'd spend some time explaining what I do. There are super couponers that save even more money than I do (you may have seen the pictures of their garages & basements full to the brim with their purchases) , but I don't buy items that I can't use just because they are free.

The first step is to sign up for an ExtraCare Rewards card & purchase a Carepass. You can do both of these things at your nearest CVS store or online. You HAVE to have the ExtraCare card to be able to purchase items at the weekly sale price. You will also earn 2% of your purchases back each quarter. Be sure and sign up for the emails & texts so that you can receive special offers each week. I also receive a mailing with coupons several times monthly. You will WANT to receive all of these because these offers will help you save so much more money!

If you purchase the yearly Carepass, it is $60 ($5/month) and you are given a $10 ExtraCare Buck (ECB) each month to spend however you wish. What a bargain ... pay $60 to earn $120 - you are doubling your investment!! This pass also gives you 20% off CVS Health brands every day as well as a few other perks. 

The second step is to install the CVS app onto your phone. You will use this to search for current CVS-only coupons & manufacturer coupons that you want to use each week. You will also be able to look through your current Rewards status or even look through the current weekly ad.

The third step is to subscribe to a Sunday paper. You will then get the weekly sales ad and be able to cut coupons from your favorite Sunday paper. Larger city papers usually have more coupon inserts so it may be worth it to subscribe to one of those papers. You can determine if this is the case (more coupons) by scanning the Sunday issues at your local grocery store. I PROMISE you that you will save WAY more than the annual subscription fee for the paper! You can also search and print coupons from Coupons.com. Obviously, you can make a trip to your CVS store to pick up the weekly sale circular; it just depends on how close you live to a CVS and how often you drive by one. I prefer to get the Sunday paper for local news.

In my next post, I'll start the process of explaining how I determine what to buy. I am still learning more about the program each time I go to the store, so remember this is a process and you'll figure out what works best for YOU over time!

Lists

Monday is my favorite day of the week. The normal routine has begun again and so I usually spend the day making lists - goals for the week, errands to run, chores to complete, appointments to make, phone calls to return, etc. Jim and I enjoyed a fairly quiet, cozy weekend due to the four inches of snow we received overnight Friday, so today it was time to look ahead and get down to work.

The kitchen got a good cleaning and decluttering. I cleaned out a closet and inventoried our hygiene stash. I did some work on the checkbook and added some items to my price book. Some magazines finally got the run-through and put into a pile to take to a local doctor's office for their waiting room. Well, you get the idea!

We played Cards Against Humanity last night as a family and we had a great time. I was the winner, too, which actually means that I am very good at being inappropriate and off-color! The game ended at almost 6pm and my plans for dinner had to change because of the lateness. How nice it was to whip one of the Paleo cookbooks off the shelf and quickly prepare a healthy, tasty meal in about 30 minutes. I am so happy to have invested in a bunch of Paleo cookbooks as we all are enjoying the recipes immensely. I'm doing pretty well with my quest to eat better. My sugar cravings aren't too bad, but I made a pan of brownies for dinner tonight. I've gotta work on the drinking water thingy ... bleh. I just don't like water!

I bought one of those ebook bundles last year and I have a course waiting for me to take at Vintage Remedies called "Herbs & Oils - Beyond the Basics" and I believe that I will begin that sometime this week. If I can get motivated this year, I only have to write a research paper on some aspect of aromatherapy and then I could gain my certification in that from Aromahead Institute. I am going to be going through the material again and finish a few classes that I never started in order to learn how to make items for gift-giving. I love diffusing essential oils in my home as they are so much fresher smelling than heavy candles or plug-ins.

I read a wonderfully interesting book on Saturday called The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. In it, she describes how she came to fall in love with a man who wanted to run an organic farm without much mechanization. I was totally fascinated and read the entire book in one day. Their farm is at Essex Farm CSA and Kristin has a fantastic website where she shares her experiences living the dirty life. I would love to own some acreage and produce my own food, but that isn't something we can do right now.

I still haven't started my CAL blanket, but it's mostly because the medicine I was taking for my bronchitis made my head a bit wonky. I found it difficult to concentrate on my last week. I still felt a bit bleh this morning, so decided to put it off one more day. It's not like it's going anywhere and I can catch up any time as needed.

Guess that is all for now. I have many, many thoughts in my head today. I'm pretty sure that I have undiagnosed ADD which also makes sense in that I procrastinate and then, once I do get something started, I may or may not finish the task at hand ... sigh ...

The view from my window

We had a light snowfall this morning and this is the view from my kitchen window. I absolutely LOVE snow! I love to listen to it hit the ground. I love how it makes the world quieter. I also love how it feels under my feet when I'm walking through it and the joy it brings to my dogs as they run around in it! I cannot wait for there to be a good snowfall of 4-6 inches that covers the grass completely.

So many thoughts running through my head over the past few days. I quit my job yesterday and am glad I did. It was a distraction that I know will pull me away from my goals for myself this year. It feels great to not have to worry about when I will get called in and what I will be doing. It was a good decision!

I purchased three books by Maria Emmerich on ketogenic eating and looked through them last night. I cannot wait to get started with this lifestyle as it proposes so many positive things for me and the issues that I deal with on a daily basis. I know it won't be easy in the beginning, but the recipes in the books are easy and tasty. I have to source a few common ingredients before I begin, but I hope to start in February while I work to wean myself off of sugars this month. I have been working on only eating when I feel hungry and avoiding gluten as much as possible and I'm already feeling better plus have lost a couple of pounds. The meds helping me with my bronchitis have me feeling a bit sleepy, but I just nap when I feel like it and all is well.

This morning, I received my email for week 1 of the crochet-a-long (CAL) that I will be taking part in early this year. I hope to keep to the weekly projects and finish the blanket in about 8 weeks. I cannot wait to start on this blanket this week. I do believe that these colors are going to inspire the changes we want to make in our home. We already have some of these colors in our decor, but I love the addition of the purples! Yummy!

I am at a very happy point in my life. Our kids are doing well in school and work, Jim has job security and the chance for advancement in his company, and I am finally ready to focus on my health and do the hard work to make the changes needed to help me reach my goals. I can't ask much more than that at the end of the first week of 2017!

I love a new year!

I saw this today on Facebook and felt it described how I feel each year in January. I'm excited for this year and hope that big changes are in store for me. One thing I have already started is decluttering, mostly my clothing. I go through my closet twice year, usually March/April and again October/November and take out clothing that I haven't worn in a year. I try to pass the clothing to families in need, if at all possible. I have already gone through some drawers which I hadn't been into in a year and have a small pile started. I currently have some clothing in an extra closet and I want to get ALL of my clothes into my main bedroom closet.

Today is sort of a prep day. I'll be working on creating a grocery price book. Since I won't be working, it's time to make sure that I'm almost always paying the lowest price for an item. We have some great resources in town and I need to know what they sell and for how much. I don't mind a little extra driving if it means a big savings.

I will also be working on a daily checklist for making sure I'm eating well. I had an in-depth blood test done called an NMR Lipid Panel and the results weren't good. I'm in the worst category for "possible cardiac life event." I do not want to take statin meds for this as the side effects are horrible. I have some treatments to look into and I have bloodwork drawn every 6 months so I will be able to see if my ideas are helping.

I need to go through my crafting books and decide on gifts for all of my family members this year. That will be fun. My mom is going to teach me how to use my sewing machine finally. I really want to be able to create with it and it's been sitting on the shelf, never used! I am looking forward to deciding on the perfect gift for each person.

Finally, some cleaning needs to happen in the kitchen and bathrooms today! I have to admit that I'm not the best house cleaner, but I know I will get better since I'll be home more and won't be able to stand to look at the clutter or messiness. I like it when Jim comes home to a clean house and he likes it too!

Illness and rest

I was in the doctor's office today, diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis. I was given a steroid shot, 3 prescriptions for an antibiotic, steroid pack and breathing treatments. Needless to say, I'm taking it easy today. This led me to search for a crochet project to begin and I came along this one - The Moorland Blanket - which actually begins this Friday! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought my yarn and should be able to make this blanket in about 8 weeks if I stick to the host's schedule. I'm going to try to create handmade gifts for everyone at Christmas so I better get moving now!

I've decided to ease into my exercise and change in eating plans. Exercise is on hold until my lungs are a bit clearer, so probably next week before I start swimming. This month, I'm going to work on less sugar & carbs and more water daily. I am not one who will succeed by going "cold turkey" with my change in eating. I figure there are 12 months in a year and I'm going to make total use of all of them! I would like to lose about 20 lbs., but would also be happy with a toned, strong body a few sizes smaller - however, the change appears, I will take it as long as it means I am in a better place than I am currently.

I am currently reading the 5th book in The Hangman's Daughter series by Oliver Potzsch called The Werewolf of Bamberg. I have truly enjoyed this series! I hope to read 2-3 books monthly. I have more than enough books on my shelves to keep me busy without adding any more to the library. Hopefully, the money saved will go towards a couple of projects needing to be done in our home. Plans are to get rid of the drop ceiling in the guest bathroom, update the fireplace covering it with stone or reclaimed barn wood and paint the house "greige" (grey/beige). There are also plans to update the landscaping along the front of the house as the rhododendrons have become overgrown and cannot be cut back without looking horrible!

I am looking forward to giving notice at my job this week and taking a break from working outside the home. I will then be focusing my efforts on our home, my health as well as my crafting and other interests. I've asked my mom to help me learn my sewing machine which I have had for many years and never learned how to use! I'm looking forward to taking care of me, for a change. Jim is totally for this and is actually encouraging me to take some time for myself this year. I'm kinda excited about it, too! It's great when you have support at home!

Looking ahead

It is now less than 12 hours until the new year begins. 2016 was not a great year and I believe that 2017 can only go up. I haven't laid down all of my plans for the next 12 months, but I do know there are a few goals I hope to work towards:

- better health, including exercising and eating
- less time online
- more crafting
- no spending on things that I don't need
- more time spent with my kids while I have the chance
- a trip to France
- being a better homemaker

My biggest goal is achieve a better health status by the end of 2017. I am going to swim and walk for exercise. I want to learn yoga and meditation as well. We are starting our year with the Whole30 concept for eating and will follow that with a keto diet. I intend to be 100% gluten, dairy, sugar and nightshade free by mid-year.

Less time online means I will have time for more crafting, spending time with my kids and family and to be a better homemaker. I want to learn how to crochet well and hope to find a class that teaches me how to read the patterns. I have a goal of a 100% handmade Christmas in 2017 so I better get crackin' early!

Jim and I have a desire to visit France, and possibly Rome, sometime this year. This means no frivolous spending on books (plenty on my shelves to keep me reading for the year), no clothes (don't need anything - closet is full!), and no "stuff" just because it's on sale. I truly don't need anything. I love our new Aldi's and hope to work on lowering our grocery bill. We are cutting our TV off and using only Netflix and Amazon Prime for our TV shows. Money may get spent on craft supplies if needed and there is the possibility of needing clothes if the exercise/diet pays off. However, I will cross that bridge if I come to it.

So, lots of beneficial changes coming in 2017. It's going to be a challenging year, but I'm finally up to the task and looking forward to where I will be in 365 days!