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Archive for March, 2008
Ahhhh … I could listen to this over and over and over
Published March 28, 2008 Uncategorized 1 CommentI first heard Amos Lee on the way home from a trip to NC. Coming through Charlottesville I caught the end of a live concert of his that some obscure station was airing. It was one of those “ahhhh” *sigh* moments. I just love his voice. It’s kind of like Otis Redding meets hmmm . . . I’m not really sure who to compare him to. Kind of bluesy, jazzy, sultry. I just love him. And I love that he’s a southerner : ) ! This is one of my favorites.
Love this photo of my baby girl creating.
for today’s recent excursion to Target. And NO I am not pregnant–just get that thought right out of your head! I just had the “need” to go shopping today. I had some coupons that were ready to expire that I really wanted to use (2 were BOGO free coupons) and well, I just needed some time to myself. Some “retail therapy”! I was able to get all this:
Can you guess how much it all was? Go ahead . . . . try to figure it all up and guess. I’ll give you a hint–the DVD was $19.99 and I didn’t have a coupon for it! Aaron and I play this guessing game every time I get home from a shopping trip. He’s actually gotten pretty good at it! I’ll give the breakdown since I didn’t give my last CVS breakdown:
Special K $2.99–a splurge because I needed it for a recipe I am going to make tonight! (-70 cent coupon)
Pampers Pull Ups $8.83 on clearance (-$2 coupon)
2 Huggies flushable wipes $2.39 each (-$3 in coupons)
1 Kotex maxi pads $4.15 on clearance (-$1 coupon)
Enchanted DVD (a late Easter gift for the girls) $19.99
Chocomallows 99 cents
5 boxes Pizza Rolls $1.22 each (-2.00 coupons)
2 bottles Windex antibacterial cleaner $2.33 each (-BOGO free coupon)
Corn Syrup $1.42 (a splurge because I needed it for a recipe I am making tonight!)
Aleve trial size 97 cents (-75 cents coupon)
2 Oral B Pulsar toothbrushes $4.02 on clearance (-BOGO free coupon)
1 pack sleepover invitations 98 cents on clearance
1 pack magnets 98 cents on clearance (for the girls room!)
I also had a $5 off of a $50 purchase coupon from Target.
Total before coupons: $64.88
Total after coupons: $44.08
I saved $20.80 in coupons! Now I confess, it wasn’t all stuff that we desperately needed, but it is all stuff that we use so I feel okay with it! And I’ve still come a long way in the last 2 months!
March total coupons used (so far): $107.04
Total CVS ECBs earned in March (so far): $76.46
I found this deal over at Slickdeals.net–go to Kohl’s and check out their clearance section. They have some cheap stuff on there–especially in the men’s section. When you check out, use the code SAVE15MAR and get 15% off your order, then use MVC2207 and get FREE SHIPPING! You have to be a Kohl’s card holder to use those codes. Make sure you enter it in in all caps exactly as it is above. It brought my total down from almost $30 to just $16.78 for a sweater for me, a long sleeve polo shirt for Aaron and a long sleeve shirt for Annagrace. Go find yourself some awesome deals! Happy shopping!
Well, if you asked me that question 2 months ago, I would’ve said this:
2 cans of Oust, bought on sale at CVS would cost $2.99 each which would have totaled around $6.08. However, since I have learned about CVS-ing and ECBs, I was able to purchase all of this for $6.29 out of pocket:
Pretty cool, huh? I’m not going to give the breakdown cause it would just take me way too long. But basically, I bought stuff on sale (the drinks, pretzels and cheese puffs were 88 cents each!) and used coupons. I had $7.00 worth of coupons and then paid for the rest with ECBs that I had earned last week. The total before any coupons was over $65! I ended up paying $6.29 out of pocket and earned back $7.00 in ECBs to use next time. I was kind sad to let go of all those ECBs but I was able to buy several things we needed (Pull-Ups, Pepsi and Pretzels are a must in this house!). I got the toothbrush free with a coupon, the eggs were 50% off (I told Annagrace we would go back and raid the candy aisle next week when it’s marked down to 75% off!), and I had coupons for the Pull-Ups and the Oust.
For more info on CVS-ing, visit Crystal’s blog and read THIS , and THIS. And then swing over to Be Thrifty Like Us and read THIS. All great advice for getting you started in CVSing! I am so thankful that I found those two sites. I love to shop anyway and if I can actually save money doing it then it’s even more fun!
Thanks to Thriftyfloridamama for bringing my attention to this. This is copied from the IRS site. The checks will be mailed out according to the last 2 digits of your SS number. If you file jointly, whoever is listed first is the one to go by. Here is the chart:
Below are the schedules for economic stimulus payments related to tax returns processed by April 15, 2008.
Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns
Received and Processed by April 15
| Direct Deposit Payments | |
| If the last two digits of your Social Security number are: | Your economic stimulus payment deposit should be sent to your bank account by: |
| 00 – 20 | May 2 |
| 21 – 75 | May 9 |
| 76 – 99 | May 16 |
| Paper Check | |
| If the last two digits of your Social Security number are: | Your check should be in the mail by: |
| 00 – 09 | May 16 |
| 10 – 18 | May 23 |
| 19 – 25 | May 30 |
| 26 – 38 | June 6 |
| 39 – 51 | June 13 |
| 52 – 63 | June 20 |
| 64 – 75 | June 27 |
| 76 – 87 | July 4 |
| 88 – 99 | July 11 |
You have to file by April 15 of course!!!! We are totally excited about this because we need a new kitchen floor and a new dryer. Hoping we can fit both of those into our budget once the return gets here!
DH and I had some coupons for IHOP (BOGO free entrees!) so that’s where we went for our big night out! I said something to the waitress about is being so busy (and well, full of silver haired folks) and she said, “Yeah–Monday’s are senior night. They get 50% off their ticket.” So apparently this is every Monday night for anyone 55 and older! (Mom–I thought you might want to know that).
Also of interest:
Ham’s (found in VA and NC) has kids night every Monday–kids eat free with a paying adult. And if you click HERE your kids can get a free kid’s meal when purchased with an adult entree that can be used any night (except Monday, of course). We will definitely be using those!
Country Cookin’ has 99 cents kids meals every Tuesday.
Qdoba has a loyalty program–sign up HERE for a card and you can earn points towards free entrees. Plus if you give them your e-mail address HERE you will get an e-mail with a coupon for free chips and salsa (I am anxiously waiting for mine!).
Arby’s has some printable coupons HERE for a BOGO free sandwich.
Happy Eating! Anyone else have any tips for eating cheap or any links for coupons?
Me and my DH got to go out alone tonight–haven’t done that in ages–and we made a little stop at CVS on the way home to pick up Easter basket stuff for the girls. I spent a lot more out of pocket than usual but I got back more than I spent in ECBs! So I feel like I did pretty good! And usually I go way overboard on the girls stuff and spend around $30-40 each year on their Easter baskets. This year I cut way back and got all their things at CVS! Here is the breakdown . . . I did all this in one transaction–I definitely could have spent less oop by splitting the sales up, but I figure in the end it will all balance out because now I have tons of ECBs to use over the next few weeks!
Whew . . . this is gonna take awhile. We got:
2 Reese cup eggs @ 0.50 cents each
2 Peeps @ 0.99 cents each
1 Hershey’s Pot of Gold @ $4.99 (earned $4.99 ECBs)
2 Mennen deodorants @ $1.99 each ($1 off 2 coupon, earned $2 ECBs)
1 Bic Soleil razor @ $5.99 ($2 coupon, earned $3 ECBs)
1 Bic Soleil razor refills @ $5.99 ($2 coupon, earned $3 ECBs)
2 Listerine Smart Rinse for kids @$2.99 each (earned $5.98 ECBs plus a rebate to send in for $2.99)
2 Oral B toothbrushes @ $4.99 each (earned $9.98 in ECBs)
1 Crest ProRinse @ $3.99 (earned $3.99 in ECBs)
1 Egg coloring set @ $1.49
1 Kids Golf Set @ $4.79 (20% off)
3 bags Jelly beans @ 0.99 cents each (earned $1.98 in ECBs)
1 Toothtunes @ $9.99 ($1 coupon)
1 Beggin’ Strips @ $4.59 ($1 coupon)
1 CVS envelopes @ $1.69
1 trial size Degree deodorant @ 0.99 cents ($1 off coupon)
2 bags Dove chocolate @ 4.29 (BOGO free coupon)
1 Johnson’s Bath Buddies bar @ 0.99 cents ($1 off coupon)
2 chocolate Easter bunnies @ 0.99 cents each
Subtotal (before any coupons): $81.44
Total amount in coupons: $23.28
ECBs used: $11.96
Gift cards used: $24.12
Total OOP: $$29.59
ECBs earned for next time: $34.50
Grand total of coupons used so far in March: $75.24!!!
Total ECBs earned in March (so far): $69.46!!!
Be Thrifty Like Us has a GREAT post about working the CVS deals that you can find HERE. If you are just starting out at CVS then you need to read it! I am hoping to find some time tomorrow to get by a CVS or 2 and look for those darn Venuz razors again! I also got yet another $25 gift card due to my other child being sick. Madalyn has another earache so I made sure my dh had a coupon to take with him when he got her medicine at the pharmacy. (I don’t like my kids being sick but these $25 gift cards have really been helpful since we have had to shell out so much money to the pediatrician the last 3 weeks! Yet another reason that I am in love with CVS!)
Counting My Pennies 