Sunday, March 27, 2011

MONEY MAKER shopping trip! Made $1.80

Well, it's the end of the month and I have to hurry and use all those coupons that I want to use that expire this week.

I did really well.


First stop:  Dollar General.  I bought:
one very large Clorox bleach (clothes)
one regular sized DG bleach (dishes)
one large vinegar (laundry)
1 jar Cummin (I had run out.  Who runs out of Cummin?)
2 cans hominy
1 buy one get one free Excedrin Migrane (so two total)
2 jars chili powder (again I had run out)

price before coupons and gift card I won:  $16.30. 
Total I paid:  $3.30
Total saved: $13.00


CVS:
2 bags of Halls
1 Skintimate Shave Cream
1 Physician's Formula Mascara
2 Cadbury Creme Eggs
2 Cadbury Mini Eggs
1 Old El Paso Enchalada Sauce

Total before coupons:  $23.52
Total after coupons: $5.45
Total saved:  $18.07
Total I'll get back in mail in refund:  $9.99
Total I got back in Extra Care Bucks for my next purchases: $11.50


Foodland:
2 bananas
4 onions
12 pepperoni rolls
3 jars baby food
2 stalks celery
1 Take and Bake deli pizza
(and bonus, found some Coke Coupon booklets!  Whoo hoo!)

Total:  $20.05
Total I will get back in mail in refund:  $10



Walgreens:

9 cans/jars of nuts
1 package dried blueberries
1 fridge pack Diet Coke
2 48 count Stayfree Maxi Pads
1 48 count Poise Pads
1 Colgate Toothbrush
1 Colgate Total Toothpaste
2 Gain dishwashing liquid
2 Skintamate Shave Gels

Total before coupons: $67.92
Total after coupons:  $16.40
Total I received back in Register Rewards: $8.50
Total I will receive from mail in refund:  $7.00

So, my grand total for today:

Total before coupons:  $127.79
Total after coupons: $45.20
Total in mail in rebates:  $27.00
Total in Register Rewards/ Extra Care Bucks good on next purchases: $20

Or I made $1.80 after buying all this stuff if you take into account the money good on my next purchases!


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Paid $23.23 for $153.05 of groceries.

There once was a joke on a sitcom about "Who buys groceries at a pharmacy?"  Well, I do! 

I usually do a couple big shopping trips before winter hits, and it's about time to replenish.  So this was a great day for me!

My guinea pig has been needing lots of care and I had a break for a few hours this afternoon right after I fed him and decided to run into town just to get out of the house.  I wanted three things at Walgreens, but they were sold out of two of them!  However, I discovered a treasure in the frozen foods.  They had tons of stuff on clearance.  I bought things I knew that we would use. 

Then I went to CVS.  CVS had a promotion on their Facebook page that if you were their "fan" you could print a coupon for one totally free candy or single serve beverage to $2.00.  My clerk tried to argue that "any" didn't mean "any" but what waas pictured on the coupon.  She wouldn't even try it.  Never mind that the dictionary says "any" means "Without specification or identification".  She kept insisting I could only get Orbit gum with the coupon.  I pulled out my phone and started dialing the number to corporate.  (I rarely go this route, but have called corporate from the store before.  I've found they will at least try whatever I want before I actually call corporate and I have never asked them to do something that isn't allowed.)  At which point she said that was fine, no need to call, she would see if the register would accept the coupon.  (It did with no problem.)  Then she made me get something that was sixty cents.  I'm not sure the reasoning behind that, didn't argue that one, just grabbed a blow pop.

So what all did I buy in my shopping trip?

CVS:
4 fridge packs of 12 cans Diet Pepsi
Whopper Robin Eggs, 10 oz. package
1 can Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Ravioli
1 Charms Blow pop

After coupons I paid 83 cents.  I received $3 back for my next shopping trip at CVS.  I saved $24.39

Walgreens:

1 carton Walgreens ice cream, Rocky Road
9 Stouffer's Stuffed peppers
4 Mama Mia microwave pizza 4-packs
4 Stouffer's chicken and vegetable skillet meals
4 Jimmy Dean Sausage bowls
2 Always Maxi pads
1 Lean Cuisine Sesamae Chicken
1 Cafe W Taquitos
5 Ore Ida Crispy Friea
5 French Bread five-cheese pizzas
3 Reese's cup candy bars
1 can Walgreens Mixed nuts
1 fleece throw (great for holding guinea pigs)

I paid a total of $22.40 and saved $105.43 and I got $8 back to spend on my next shopping trip.

So my total today while shopping?  I spent $23.23.  I saved $129.82.  I have $11 to spend on my next shopping trips.  (And I came home with $153.05 of groceries.)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Book Review: Lazarus Awakening

I usually can read a book in two to three days. This book, however, was a two month journey for me. Why? Because I couldn't get into it. I didn't really enjoy it, but there isn't really anything to say negatively about it either. The one exception is I felt her calling a town “Lazarusville” and then later in book saying that wasn't the real name was confusing. (I thought at the time why not just say “The town could have been called Lazarusville.”) I also didn't particularly like the use of Lazarella in one point. Do we always need to make a name feminine to relate?
I do have to say overall I was disappointed. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review this book. I wanted to like this book. I wanted to write a good review. I am sure this book will be well loved by some people, and likely some women will find it life changing. Me? Not so much. I kept thinking that it would be getting more in depth soon, but I didn't find that. I expected more of a deeper book, after all the subtitle is “Finding Your Place in the Heart of God”. It felt more of “Women's Study Lite” to me. It may be I've read a lot on this subject and didn't find anything new in this book, or it could be my personality.

I really, really hoped to be able to post a review saying this book was fantastic, but unfortunately, all I can say is “It's okay.” I hope others enjoy it more than I did, but for me it was difficult to get through.

I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. I read the entire book, and the free copy in no way influenced my opinions of this book.

I would appriciate if you would take a moment and rank my review (5 is the best, 1 is the worst). Your doing this allows me a better selection of books.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Walgreens last week

My Walgreens trip last week was pretty good, even though I didn't have any Register Rewards.

I saved $19.57, which is exactly what I paid.

I got the following:

2 Motrin PM
3 Chicken of the Sea tuna
1 Baby Magic Lotion
1 pound Mr. Coffee coffee
NasoGel for Dry Noses
1 Colgate Total
1 Aquafor Lip repair

I paid $19.57 and got $18 in Register Rewards back for my next Walgreens trip.  Also I received a Register Reward for free Poise Pads.

Last week: CVS money maker

I'm still nursing a sick guinea pig, but stopping by to tell about my CVS trip last week.

I got 2 tubes of Crest toothpaste and one Physician's Formula eye liner.

I had  $3, $1, and 75 cent coupons.

My total came to $7.89, and I saved $12.74.  I received $15.58 in ECBs back.

But, there was a "try me free" offer on the make up.  I sent off for a $10.95 refund.  Even if they only refund the price I paid for everything I'll still be making a few dollars on this.