Get paid to read emails

SendEarnings is a website that pays you to read your junk emails. You get $5 just for signing up, $0.50 for filling out surveys (I don't fill them out, but you might), and about $0.02 for each email you read. Once you accumulate $30, SendEarnings will cut you a check! I figure it's $30 I didn't have before, and it only takes a couple minutes to read emails anyway.

Free Pillsbury products

Here is a printable coupon for $1 off any Pillsbury frozen dinner rolls, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, or mini cinnamon rolls. Print it off now, before it runs out, and wait for these to go on sale. These usually go on sale for less than $1, so it could be a moneymaker!

Free Rayovac batteries

Here is a printable coupon for $1 off a pack of Rayovac batteries. Just print it off now before it runs out and wait for it to go on sale for a buck. I think Walmart's every day price is $1, or at least pretty close.

Walgreens Freebies -- 11/30/08 - 12/6/08

Nothing really great this week at either Walgreens or CVS. I think all the excitement was for the Black Friday deals. Anyway, these are the few good deals I could find:

Reach Products (Toothbrush, 30 yard Floss) @ 2/$6, get $6 RR
Use B1G1 toothbrush coupon from 10/12 RP
Use $1 floss coupon from 10/12 RP
Final price = -$1

Colgate Max Fresh Toothbrush or Total or Max Fresh Toothpaste @ $2.99, get $2 RR
Use $1.50 printable or use $1 coupon from 11/16 SS
Final price = -$0.51

Excedrin 40 ct Express Gel Caps @ 3/$15, get $8 RR
Use (3) $2 printables
Final price = $1

Also, there is a $5 off your $25 purchase printable coupon, good only on Monday & Tuesday this week.

A list of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving

• My family. I am truly blessed with a family I love, and a family that loves me.
• God has blessed my finances and has put it on my heart to share it with others
• I have a job that I love and look forward to each day. I realize not everyone can say that, and I am truly thankful.
• My health is impeccable.
• My marriage to my beautiful wife, Mary. God has shown mercy to me and given me one of his saints to take my heart of stone and turn it into something useful.

Black Friday at CVS

CVS had a TON of free stuff in its ad this week. The entire back page of its ad was free things. I went to the store at 7 AM. Mary thinks I'm nuts!

I went to the store with $5.49 in ECB's from my previous transaction. I did 5 transactions on Thursday, and brought my ECB total up to $13.98, all while spending less than $1.50 out of our change jar. In order to make this all work, I had to ring up 5 separate transactions. It can get tedious, but there was no one else in the store, except another lady doing the exact same thing! Sometimes I worry that my quest for free stuff will just end up in a stockpile of stuff we'll never use, but today I DEFINITELY feel like we got $1.50 of worthwhile products!

Transaction #1
Bought 2 Bic Soleil razors @ $5.99 + tax (receive $5.99 in ECB's)
Used 2 $3/1 coupons from 11/2 SS
Used $5.49 in ECB's

Total paid OOP=$0.88
Total ECB's received = $11.98

Transaction #2
Bought 2 Aussie Shampoo & Conditioners @ $2.99 (receive $2.99 in ECB's)
Used $1/1 coupon from 10/12 PG

Bought Colgate Advanced Clean toothpaste @ $2.99 (receive $2.99 in ECB's)
Used $1/1 coupon from 11/16 SS

Bought Johnson's Softlotion @ $5.69 (receive $5.69 in ECB's)
Used $1/1 Printable coupon
Used $11.98 in ECB's from Transaction #1

Total paid OOP=$0.18
Total ECB's received=$14.66

Transaction #3
Bought King-sized Mr. Goodbar @ $1 (receive $1 in ECB's)

Bought Playtex Gentle Glide tampons @ $3.99 (receive $3 in ECB's)
Used $1/1 coupon from 10/5 SS or printable

Bought Garnier Nutritioniste cleansing towelettes @ $5.99 (receive $5.99 in ECB's)
Used $1/1 coupon from 11/9 RP

Bought 3 Gatorade G2 bottles @ $1.49 (receive $1.49 in ECB's)

Bought 1 pack of Orbit chewing gum (no ECB's; just needed a small item to get above the $14.66 earned in Transaction #2)
Used $14.66 in ECB's earned in Transaction #2

Total paid OOP = $0.08
Total ECB's received = $13.46 (for some reason, my $1 ECB's from the Mr. Goodbar didn't print off; I didn't throw a fit, because I had to go to church and couldn't wait around)

Transaction #4
Bought Covergirl Smoothers Powder @ $5.99 (receive $5.99 in ECB's)
Used $5.99 in ECB's from Garnier ECB's in transaction #3

Total paid OOP = $0.00!!
Total ECB's received = $5.99

Transaction #5
Bought Colgate Advanced Clean toothpaste @ $2.99 (receive $2.99 in ECB's)
Used $1.50/1 Printable coupon

Bought Covergirl Smoothers foundation @ $7.99 (receive $7.99 in ECB's)

Bought Orbit chewing gum $1.29
Used $4.47 ECB's from Gatorade in Transaction #3 and $5.99 ECB's from Covergirl in Transaction #4

Total paid OOP = $0.34
Total ECB's received = $10.98

Transaction #6
Bought 2 L'Oreal lipgloss @ $6.99 (receive $6.99 in ECB's)
Used $10.98 ECB's from Transaction #5 and $3 ECB's from Playtex in Transaction #4

Total paid OOP = $0.00!!!
Total ECB's received = $13.98

So, for the day, my total was:

Total paid OOP = $1.48
Total purchased = $75.62
Total ECB's left to spend = $13.98

Holy smokes! I bought $75 worth of stuff for $1.48!!!

My $0.09 day at CVS!

Wow. I took Mary with me again. She couldn't believe it herself! I had $15 in ECB's from the week before for the Duracell battery giveaway. Here's what I got:

• Cetaphil lotion - $7.99
• Lysol toilet bowl cleaner - $3.49
• Crest Pro-Health toothpaste - $3.49
• 4 Pepsi 2-liters - BOGO at $1.79
• Orbit chewing gum - $1.29

Used a $1/1 cetaphil coupon
Used the $3/1 snail-mail coupon for Crest toothpaste I posted about earlier this month
Used a $0.75/1 coupon for Lysol toilet bowl cleaner

Total of items purchased = $23.42
Less: BOGO free Pepsi = -$3.58
Less: coupons used = -$4.75
Less: ECB's used = -$15.00
Plus: Bottle deposit = $0.40

Total paid OOP = $0.49
Less: Bottle deposit = -$0.40

And there's my $0.09 day at CVS! Not only that, but I received $5.49 in ECB's to use for the next time I shop at CVS. I think I'll try the $5 scenario I posted below!

CVS $5 challenge -- 11/23/08 - 11/29/08

This is the challenge created by kingdomfirstmom. It assumes you walk into CVS with no ExtraCare Bucks and $5 in your pocket, and the challenge is to get as much as you can in 3 transactions or less. If you have never shopped at CVS, see my post on how to shop there first. Since this week is Black Friday, there were a TON of possibilities. This was my best shot.

Transaction #1
Buy a Bic Soleil Razor @ $5.99
Use $3/1 coupon from 11/2 RP

Buy Colgate Total Advanced, Clean, Advanced Fresh or Whitening @ $2.99
Use $1.50/1 printable coupon

Total OOP = $4.48
ECB's Received = $8.98

Transaction #2
Buy Garnier Nutritioniste cleansing towelettes @ $5.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 8/24, 9/14, or 11/9 SS

Buy Johnson's Soft Lotion @ $5.69
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Use $8.98 ECB's in transaction #1

Total OOP = $0.70
ECB's Received = $11.68

Transaction #3
Buy Maybelline Foundation @ $8.99
Use $3/1 coupon from 10/26 RP

Buy Aussie @ $2.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/12 PG

Buy Playtex 16-18ct @ $3.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/5 SS

Total OOP = $0.00
ECB's Received = $14.98

Total Spent OOP = $5.18
Total Received = $36.63
ECB's left to spend = $14.98

Okay, so I spent a little more than $5 this week, but considering the deals, how could you not?! What an amazing thing! You spend $5.18 + tax, you receive $36.63 of stuff, and you have almost $15 to spend next time you're in CVS. Holy smokes!!

FREE Dr. Pepper

Just visit Dr. Pepper's website any time Sunday, November 23, 2008, and get a coupon for a free Dr. Pepper. The coupon expires Feb. 28, 2009.

CVS Freebies -- 11/23/08 - 11/29/08

Buy 1 Complete Multi-Purpose Contact Lens Solution @ $8.99
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Receive $8.99 in ECB's
Final cost = -$2.00 overage!

Buy 1 Maybelline Foundtion @ $8.99
Use $3/1 coupon from 10/26 RP or $2/1 from 9/21 RP
Receive $8.99 in ECB's
Final cost = -$3.00 overage!

Walgreens Freebies -- 11/21/08 - 11/29/08

FREEBIES 11/21-11/22 ONLY
Buy Crest Spinbrush Pro @ $4.99
Use $3 coupon from December Easysaver (at front of all Walgreens stores)
Use $2 printable coupon
Final cost = $0.01 overage!

Buy Bio Infusion 33.8 oz. Shampoo/Conditioner,Conditioning Balm 16.9z. or Shine Serum 6.75 oz. @ 2/$20
Use $5 coupon from December Easysaver (will take $5 off each)
Submit for November rebate of buy $20, get $10
Final cost = FREE

FREEBIES 11/23-11/29 ONLY

Buy 3 Robitussin @ $3.99
Use 3 $3/1 printable coupons
Receive $5 in RR
Final cost = -$2.03 overage!

Buy 2 Altoids - BOGO @ $1.99
Use $1/1 peelies
Final cost = FREE

Buy 1 Venus Razor @ $9.49
Use $4/1 coupon (vocalpoint mailer)
Receive $6 register rewards
Final cost = -$0.51 overage!

Buy 1 Sure deodorant @ $1.99
Use $1/1 from 10/19 SS or printable coupon
Use $1.50/1 from December EasySaver Catalog (in the front of all Walgreens stores)
Final cost = -$0.51 overage!

Black Friday Previews

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of all the Black Friday deals. There are some GREAT deals here! I'll start sifting through them, and let you know if I find some good deals you might like.

Walgreens Freebies -- 11/16/08 - 11/22/08

Chex Mix: $.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final Price = FREE

Hershey Bars: buy 2 for $.89 each
Use buy one, get one Hershey’s Special Dark coupon from 9/28 or 11/9 SS inserts
Use in-flyer coupon to get each for $.39
Final Price = FREE
Note: It’s very important to use the buy-one-get-one-free coupon first so that the register will deduct the pre-sale price of the Hershey Special Dark bar (in this case, the max value of the coupon is $.79, so it will deduct $.79, rather than $.89). If you use the Walgreens coupon first the register will only deduct $.39 when the BOGO coupon is scanned.

Just for Men Touch of Gray: $7
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Receive $7 Register Rewards
Use mail-in rebate for full price
Final Price = FREE plus $9 overage

Walmart groceries for under $1

Campbell's Cream Soups - $0.60 ea.
Use $0.25/4 coupon from 10/12SS
Final price = $0.53 ea.

Idahoan potatoes - $0.98 ea.
Use $0.75/3 printable coupon
Final price = $0.73 ea.

Green Giant Valley Steamers - $1
Use $1/1 coupon from 11/16 SS
Final price = FREE

Eskimo Pies - $1.50
Use $1/1 coupon from 5/18 SS
Final price = $0.50

Bagel-fuls - $1.50-$1.98 (depending on your store)
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.50-$0.98

Beech-Nut Stage 2 Jars - $0.46
Use $1.50/8 coupon from 10/26 SS
Final price = $0.27 ea.

Strawberry Whole Grain Pop Tarts - $1.66
Each box has a $1/1 peelie
Final price = $0.66

Seapak Shrimp Poppers - $1.25
Use this $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.25

Campbell’s Spaghettios - $0.49
Use $0.40/2 coupon from 9/21 SS
Final price = $0.29

Hershey’s Extra Dark Bar - $1.50
Use $1/1 coupon from 9/28 SS
Final price = $0.50

Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta - $1.50
Use $1/1 coupon from 9/14 SS
Final price = $0.50

Vlassic Pickle Relish - $1.12, or
Vlassic Pickle "Ovals" - $1.38
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.12 - $0.38

Coffee-Mate Creamer - $1.98
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.98

Cascadian Farms Organic Purely Steam - $1.22
Use $1/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.22

Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix - $0.72
Use $0.55/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.17

Kashi crackers - $2.50
Use $2/1 printable coupon
Final price = $0.50

Durex condoms (not yet Jeff & Angie!) - $1.83
Use this $2/1 printable coupon
Final price = FREE!

Rite Aid Freebies

Remember, at Rite Aid, you pay at the register, and then you go online and fill out a rebate form, and they send you a Single Check Rebate (SCR) at the end of the month:

Contour Blood Glucose Monitor - $30
Use $30 mail-in rebate on box
Also, use $30 off coupon in 10/26 RP

St Ives Apricot Scrub 10 oz or St Ives Elements Skin Care - $4.99 SCR
Use this printable coupon for $2/1 - Make $2 profit!!

Drinkin Mate Hangover Defense 2ct - $3.99 SCR

Nova Max Blood Glucose Monitoring System - $9.99 SCR

Unless you need the other stuff, the only one I'd buy this week is the St. Ives scrub or skin care. Otherwise, you pay sales tax on something you don't need or want.

Hint: What I do is I save my RiteAid rebate checks in a separate envelope. That way, every time I shop at Rite Aid, nothing comes out of my pocket again!

Shop at Rite Aid between now and December 24 to earn cash back through their Gift of Savings program. Here’s the deal:

• Spend $25-$50, get $5 cash back
• Spend $51-$99, get $10 cash back
• Spend $100 or more, get $20 cash back

You’ll get cash back in the form of a Rite Aid gift certificate by mail. Just save and submit your receipts online at RiteAid.com by January 26 to get cash back. Quick note that certain purchases do not count toward this promotion, including prescriptions, lottery tickets, stamps, gift cards, alcohol and tobacco products.

CVS $5 Challenge -- 11/16/2008 - 11/22/2008

This challenge was created by kingdomfirstmom. It assumes you have no ECB's and walk into CVS with only $5 in your pocket. The goal is to get as much as you can for $5, with 3 or less transactions (so as to not overwhelm you newbies!).

Transaction #1

Buy Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste - $3.49
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/12 PG insert
Hint: If you had taken my advice at the beginning of the month, you could have gotten a $3 off coupon, but that deal has now expired. Shame on you for not listening earlier!

Total after coupons = $2.49 + tax
Total ECB's earned = $3.49

Transaction #2

Buy Sure Solid 2.6 oz deodorants - $2.79
Use $0.75 Sure coupon from 10/19 SS or $1/1 printable coupon

Buy Windex - $2.50
Use $1/1 Windex printable coupon
Use $3.49 in ECB's from Transaction #1

Total after coupons = $0.05 + tax
Total ECB's earned = $2.00

Transaction #3

Buy RightGuard Extreme, Dry Idea or Soft & Dri deodorant - $2.99
Use $0.50/1 Soft & Dri or Dry Idea 10/5 SS
Use $2 ECB's in Transaction #2

Total after coupons = $0.49 + tax
Total ECB's earned = $3.00

Total spent OOP = $3.03 + tax
Total received = $11.77
Total ECB's Left = $3.00

Essentially, you paid $0.03 after ECB's -- especially if you saved the $3 ECB's from last week!

My $0.15 day at CVS!

I took Mary with me...she couldn't believe it! We got such a kick out of it! I came to the store with a "Buy 2 Clorox products, get 1 Clorox wipes free" printable coupon, and $3 in CVS ExtraCare Bucks.

Well, Clorox Bleach (the big one -- 96 oz.!) was on sale for 2/$3, so I paid with my ECB's and got it for free! The coupon gave me one tub of Clorox wipes for free. All I had to pay was the $0.15 in sales tax!

I walked out of the store with nearly $10 of cleaning products for $0.15!!

Freebies this week -- 11/16/08 - 11/22/08

Keep watching this list. I'll update it through the week, as I find more things:

CVS

Buy 2 Colgate Advanced Total Whitening @ $1.99 (BOGO)
Use 2 $1/1 Colgate coupon from this week's paper

Meijer

Earlier this month, I told you to print off some $1/1 Steamers coupons, because they always go on sale for less than $1. Well, now they're $0.89 at Meijer!! If you printed them off, you'll make $0.11 on each one!

Walmart

Progresso Soup is on sale - 3/$2
Use this printable coupon for $1.10/1 and get it for FREE! (hit backspace when finished printing -- you can print up to 2 per computer)

Honey Bunches of Oats - Just Bunches Cereal on Rollback for 2/$2
Use this printable coupon for $2/1 and get it for FREE plus $1 back!

Durex condoms (not yet Jeff & Angie!) - $1.83
Use this $2/1 printable coupon
Final price = FREE!

Preparation H wipes - $2.98
Use this $3/1 printable coupon
Final price = FREE!

I got paid $1.51 to buy $52.12 of stuff at Walgreens!!

Success!! I love it when I get so much stuff for free! Here's what I did:

I bought:

• 4 boxes of Kelloggs Cereal - $10
• 3 boxes of Sudafed PE - $11.97
• 2 cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk - $3
• 2 cans of Borden Sweetened Condensed Milk - $6
• 2 Scotch tapes - $2.58
• 2 boxes of Clabber Girl Cornstarch - $1.98
• 1 tub of Betty Crocker frosting - $2.49
• 2 Russel Stover chocolate Santas (just to get the total above $20, for my coupon) - $1

Total = $39.02 (They are regularly $52.12; I saved $13.10 by buying some on sale)

I used these Walgreens coupons from the front of the store:

• $0.99 ea. Carnation Evaporated milk
• $1.79 ea. Borden Sweetened Condensed Milk
• BOGO Scotch tape
• 2/$1 Clabber Girl cornstarch
• $0.99 ea. Betty Crocker frosting
• $0.39 ea. Russel Stover chocolates

Total = $7.43 in Walgreens coupons

I used these Manufacturers' coupons:

• 4 $1/1 Kelloggs coupons from 11/9 RP
• 2 $1.50/1 Sudafed PE coupons from 10/5 RP and one $1/1 printable Sudafed PE coupon
• A $1/2 Carnation Evaporated Milk printable coupon
• 2 $0.55/1 Bordens Sweetened Condensed milk coupons from 11/9 RP
• A $1/2 Clabber Girl cornstarch coupon from 11/9 RP (got this for FREE!)
• A $0.50/1 Betty Crocker frosting coupon from 10/19 SS

Total = $11.60 in Manufacturers' coupons

So altogether, I got $52.12 of purchases - $13.10 on sale - $7.43 Walgreens coupons - $11.60 MQ = $19.99 + $0.50 tax = $20.49

I printed off a $5 off your Walgreens purchase of $20 or more -- Friday and Saturday only, so I paid the cashier $15.49 on my gift card (see my post below about how to rack up money on your Walgreens gift card, and potentially never pay another dime to Walgreens again!).

Here's what I received and will receive:

• $7 in register rewards to use as cash on my next Walgreens purchase ($5 for the Sudafed, $2 for the Kelloggs cereal)
• $10 in rebate for buying 4 boxes of Kelloggs cereal (you can take these out of any You Now magazine; you can find this at many grocery stores or at Kmart). If you don't want to get this magazine, just print out this rebate for $2.50 off Kelloggs Smart Start! You'll only get $2.50 back, instead of $10, but you still got $52.12 of stuff without paying a dime out of your pocket (by following my Walgreens gift card recommendations)!

So $15.49 paid - $7 register rewards - $10 rebate = $1.51 profit for buying $52.12 worth of goods!! Holy smokes!!!

And not a dime paid out of my pocket. It literally pays to learn how to shop at Walgreens, folks!

How to make money at Walgreens!!

If you haven't learned how to shop at Walgreens yet, Friday and Saturday will be your best chance!!

1. First, print out this coupon for $5 off your purchase of $20 or more at Walgreens, good only this Friday and Saturday.
2. Pick up an EasySaver booklet at the front of the store. They have the coupons and rebate items in there for the month. Find the two FREE items for this month -- the L'Oreal Age Perfect Radiance Perfector and the Almay One Coat Mascara, even if you don't need them. Just buy them!
3. Use the $2/1 coupon for L'Oreal products from the 10/5RP (if you don't have this coupon, call me and I can get it for you).
4. Use your $5/$20 purchase coupon from the link above.
5. Your total amount owed will be $21.30 after tax. Pay it. Keep the receipt.
6. Go online to Walgreens. Sign up for the rebates for the month, and submit them. You have two options: Either they will cut you a check or you can receive it on a gift card. Choose the gift card!!! Why? Because if you choose the gift card, Walgreens will add 10% to your card! That more than makes up for the sales tax you paid.
7. If you have not done this before, it will take about 4 weeks to get your gift card, but your gift card will be in the amount of $29.68. You just made $8.38 to take their mascara and lotion!! You can either give those products to charity, a friend, sell it on eBay or keep it for yourself. But you just got paid to shop at Walgreens!

Free Family Photo at JC Penney

Here’s a great coupon to print out and take into your local JCPenney Portrait Studio to get a free 8x10 family portrait with no sitting fee. Be sure to call ahead to schedule an appointment and look your holiday best! What a great family gift!

Freebies this week

Keep watching this list. I'll expand it as I find more.

Meijer
Kelloggs Smart Start (strawberry or blueberry) - $2.50
Use $1/2 coupon from 11/9 SS
Use this rebate for $2.50 back, and make $1 profit!

Rite Aid
Trident gum - $0.50
Use $0.55/1 coupon from 9/21 SS

Walgreens
Reach Dental Floss - $0.99 with Walgreens coupon (find at the front of any Walgreens or in Sunday paper)
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/12 RP

World Market
Get a free bag of Costa Riccan whole bean coffee. No coupon necessary!
Offer limited to one bag per person per day. Just walk right in and grab one!

CVS $5 Challenge -- 11/9/08 - 11/15/08

This is the weekly challenge by kingdomfirstmoms. It assumes you go into CVS pharmacy with no ECB rewards, and $5 in your pocket. The goal is to get as much as you can for $5. If you save up your ECB rewards, you could potentially never pay for another thing at CVS again!

Transaction #1
Buy St. Ives Body Wash 18 oz. $3.99 - Sun. and Mon. deal only
Use $2.00 St. Ives printable coupon

Total after Coupons: $1.99
ECB's Earned: $3.00

Transaction #2
Buy Listerine Cool Agent Blue Tinting Rinse $3.99
Buy Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler $2.99
Use $1.00 Listerine printable or $0.50 QP from 10/5 RP
Use $1.00 Garnier Fructis coupon - many out there, most recent from 10/5 RP
Use $3.00 ECB's from previous transaction

BONUS: The Listerine rinse is a UPromise item and Listerine has a $0.50 Ecoupon that will be applied to your UPromise account, if you have linked your CVS ECB card to your UPromise account. You will also earn 2% back for the Listerine rinse.

Total after Coupons: $1.98
ECB's Earned: $5.00

Transaction #3
Buy Glaceau Smart Water 1 Liter $1.59
Buy Palmolive 11 oz $1.49
Buy Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste $3.49 - Nov. ECB item, limit 2
Use look for B1G1 free peelies (coupons) on the Glaceau water to get an extra water for free
Use $0.25 Palmolive QP 10/26 SS
Use $1.00 Crest QP 10/12 PG or $0.75 Crest QP 11/2 PG
Use $5.00 ECB's from previous transaction

Total after Coupons: $0.32
ECB's Earned: $6.08

Total OOP: $4.29
ECB's Left to Spend: $6.08

How to shop at CVS

Shopping at CVS Pharmacy is pretty simple. The first thing you absolutely must do is sign up for an ExtraCare card. Just go to the cashier and fill out a simple form, and the cashier will hand you one ExtraCare card (looks like a credit card) and two keychain cards. When the cashier scans your card, not only do you get lower prices on what you buy, but you get 2% back on your purchases in the form of ExtraCare Bucks (ECB's).

What are ExtraCare Bucks?
Every month, CVS has one item that is free after ECB's. What that means is you pay for the item, and then on your receipt, you get that amount off your next purchase. It's just like cash, except you can only spend it at CVS.

For example, this month (Nov. 2008) at CVS, Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste is the featured item. After you scan your card, you'll have to pay $3.49+tax for the toothpaste, but you'll receive $3.49 in ECB's at the end of your order. When you use coupons, you can sometimes make a profit! In this month's Sunday coupons, you can get $1 off your Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste. So if you use the coupon, you'll pay $2.49+tax, but you'll get $3.49 off your next order.

Make multiple purchases.
You'll have to make an initial "investment" in CVS in order to get your first set of ECB's. After that, read the ads each week to see how you can grow your ECB's. Potentially, you may never have to pay another dime at CVS again!

For example, last week I went to CVS with $2 in ECB's. By figuring out what I wanted to buy before I went into the store, I clipped my coupons and got my first item under $2. Using my ECB's, I got it for free! But there's more!! On that item I purchased, there were $3 ECB's to use on my next purchase. I found something I needed anyway, clipped my coupons, and bought it for $3.50. After using the $3 ECB's, I paid the cashier $0.50, but I got $5 in ECB's.

Be patient.
Just because you can get something, doesn't mean you should. If you don't need it, it's best just to stay home, rather than pay $3 for something you didn't need, just to get $3 of ECB's.

And make sure you know the rules before going into the store. I've had some cashiers who won't round down the ECB's (using $2 in ECB's to pay for something that's $1.99 or less), and some who will. If the cashier won't do it, either add something small to your cart, or just walk away. It's better to not get something, than to pay for something when you didn't need to pay anything.

Link to Upromise.
Go to the Upromise website. Link your CVS card and your Meijer cards (and credit and debit cards, if you want) to the Upromise website. Here's why: On thousands and thousands of name-brand items that you buy anyway, some brands will kick in between 1$-20% to help you pay your student loans, or pay for your kids' college educations. If you're buying the stuff anyway, you might as well! There's no cost to you, and the money racks up after a while.

For example, this week (Nov. 9-15, 2008) Listerine is on sale for $3.99 at CVS. Use a $1 off coupon, and it's $2.99. Use $3 in ECB's (I'll show you how in my CVS Challenge this week), and now the Listerine is free!! But Listerine is also a Upromise item, for 2% of your purchase price. PLUS, Upromise has an ecoupon for $0.50 when you buy Listerine. So not only do you get your Listerine for free, but you also get $0.57 in your Upromise account for college education!

528 Diapers for $27.25!!!

If you need size 1-2 diapers, here's a deal you won't want to miss:Amazon.com has Huggies Snug & Dry diapers for $17.65 for a box of 264 diapers. Shipping is $6.95. That's a good deal in itself, but there's more. If you buy $25 or more in a single order, you get a free subscription to Cookie magazine, which is a $15 value. But you can opt out of the subscription, and get your money refunded instead. (See details about that here.) So, if you buy 2 boxes, that will put your total above $25. Shipping is still $6.95 for both boxes. You'll pay $42.25 for both boxes, and get a $15 refund for the magazine subscription. That comes out to $27.25 for 528 diapers, which is just 5 cents per diaper! If you want to get in on this deal, you'd better hurry before it's gone

How to earn a little cash on the Internet

I just found out about YouData. It's a new company that is letting you decide who gets your attention for advertising and you get paid to look. I just joined, and I've already gotten paid $0.41 through Paypal just for looking at some ads and clicking through to a few sites. The person who referred me to the site made $7.70 in two weeks.

Here's how it Works:

• You sign up for a YouData account
• You create a MeFile (which includes basic information about you, like gender, birthday, etc...no personal information, like name, address, etc.)
• You can either look at your ads on blogs that host the YouData ads or download their viewer.
• When you view an ad, you get paid to view it or click through to the website.
• The site has a great demo video that describes how it works. I love the idea of getting advertisers to pay me for viewing their ads.

Whenever I have to search the internet for something, I use Swagbucks (powered by Google and Ask). Every time I search, I have a chance to earn Swagbucks. Normally, they come in 1, 2, 3 and 5 bucks. However, Swagbucks recently introduced MegaBucks, where you can earn 10, 20, 50 and even 100 SwagBucks for each search. Starting today and every Friday after today, Swagbucks will be giving away 1000 Swagbucks in Mega bills. So, if you win 100 Swagbucks with one search, that's $10 in Amazon gift cards or $10 in Starbucks gift cards!

Once you get 45 Swagbucks, you can earn a $5 Amazon gift certificate. There are other rewards that you can earn, such as a Starbucks gift card, Target.com gift card, etc. Since it takes 45 Swagbucks to earn $5, each Swagbuck is worth about $0.11.

If you need to search for something anyway, you might as well use Swagbucks and earn something :-).

Get a free 8 x 10 photo

Jeff & Angie -- looking to print your engagement picture?

Walgreens is offering a free 8x10 portrait through Saturday, 11/8. Simply go to their website, upload a photo, add an 8x10 to your account, add the promo code FREEPIC to the bottom of the page, and click update total. No shipping charges if you do in-store pickup.

FREE Starbucks coffee

Every Starbucks store is giving away free coffee to every person who votes tomorrow. You don't need proof of voting. It's going on the honor system. So vote, and drink coffee. Ain't America great!

$25 grocery challenge -- 11/2/08 - 11/8/08

The idea behind this challenge is to feed a family of four on $25 or less per week. Some weeks there is enough for more than all the meals that week. Other weeks are a little leaner. But the objective should be to have enough in the house to feed a family of 4 over the course of a month for under $25 a week.

MEIJER

Crest Pro-Health Whitening @ 2/$5
Use this snail mail coupon for $3 off (sign up now, so you get coupon by end of week)
Final cost = FREE

Yoplait Yogurt @ 10/$5
Use two printable coupons to get $1/4
Final cost = 8/$2!!!


2 lbs. grapes @ $0.99/lb.
Final cost = $1.98


5 lbs. Pork shoulder bone-in Western Style ribs @ $1.19/lb.
Final cost = $5.95


Kraft Singles @ $2
Use $0.55/1 coupon in 11/2 SS
Final cost = $1.45


4 Meijer Milk @ $2.50 ea
Final cost = $10

Buy 2 Aunt Millie's Whole Grain Bread @ $0.99
Final cost = $1.98

Buy 2 Aunt Millie's Hamburger Buns @ $0.99 (good for pulled pork sandwiches from pork shoulder above & cheese)
Final cost = $1.98

Buy 3 Hamburger Helper @ $3
Use this printable coupon for $.80/3
Final Cost = $2.20

Buy 6 Kelloggs Special K with strawberries (my favorite!) @ $5
Or buy 6 Kelloggs Frosted Flakes Less Sugar, Gold, Bite Size Mini Wheats, Pops Peanut Butter, Cookie Crunch or Cocoa Krispies @ $2 ea.
Use this printable coupon for $1/1
Final cost = $6!!!

Buy 2 Kelloggs Pop Tarts @ $2.67
Use $1/2 coupon from 10/12 RP
Final cost = $1.67

FINAL COST AT MEIJER = $35.21
(oops, went over, but last week, we only spent $10.35)
By now, you have enough cereal to last you to the New Year!! But $1/1 is too good a deal to pass up!

2 great coupons deals!

Go to coupons.com and print off $1/1 Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers and $1/1 Pepsi ONE 12-pack. These are great deals and they may be printed out soon, so make sure you get it before it's gone. You can print off two of each.

Meijer almost always has the Steamers on sale for $1 at least once a month, so when that comes around, you'll get it for FREE. Pepsi 12-packs go on sales sometimes as low as $2 or $2.50, so wait for that deal and you can get a 12-pack of pop for $1.50 + deposit!

How to shop at Walgreens

Shopping at Walgreens takes patience, confusion, and an initial investment. The initial investment is kinda big, and you'll probably get stuff you don't need. But after that, you'll never have to pay for another thing at Walgreens again!

Steps to saving at Walgreens:

1. Go to your local Walgreens and pick up an EasySaver catalog at the front of the store. This has coupons you can use all month, as well as rebates. Each month, there are usually some items that you can get for free after the rebate.
2. Buy these free things that you can get for free this month, even if you don't need them. I know, I know. It feels like you're spending money on crap. You are. Just be patient.
3. When you're finished, go online to Walgreens.com and register an account. Then, enter your rebated items and always request that your rebate be sent to you on your gift card -- Walgreens will give you an extra 10% by doing this (this should cover the sales tax, plus some). Every time after this, make sure you recharge your gift card.
4. So you just spent some money, and Walgreens is going to rebate you your money + 10%. Be patient. Don't buy anything else at Walgreens (unless you were going to anyway). For new accounts, you will have to wait 4-6 weeks for your gift card. After that, it will be 2-3 weeks to recharge your card.

What I did this month (November 2008):

1. The two free items this month are L'Oreal Perfect Radiance Perfector, 1.7 oz. for $19.99 and Almay One Coat Mascare for $6.99. Obviously, I don't need either. But I bought them anyway, and gave the Mascara to my wife and the Age Perfect to Mom. If you don't like that, you can always sell them on eBay and make even more!
2. I had a $5 off coupon for spending $20 at Walgreens. It is now expired. Don't worry if you don't have one. But if you see one, grab it!
3. I had a $1 off L'Oreal manufacturers coupon.
4. So I spent $22.54 at the register ($19.99 + $6.99 -$1 + tax - $5)
5. Walgreens is going to send me a gift card for $29.68 ($19.99 + $6.99 + 10%)
6. This month I made $7.14! Walgreens paid me to take these items off their shelf!!

Coupon Stacking
The EasySaver Catalog and the weekly store fliers always include a number of store coupons which are good all month or all week, depending on which flier they came from.

Since these are store coupons, they can be stacked with manufacturer coupons. Often, you'll be able to get a really great deal, or a FREE deal, by stacking the store coupons with the manufacturer coupons.

Register Rewards
Similar to CVS ExtraCare Bucks, Walgreens offers Register Rewards. When you buy a certain item, you will get a printed coupon called "Register Rewards" which you can use like cash off your next purchase. By using your register rewards, your store coupons, and your manufacturer coupons, you can often get the item for free or almost free. Then use your gift card to pay the balance.

Note: Register Rewards have expiration dates.

Very Important

1. Walgreens requires as many items as you have coupons. So if you have a store coupon, a manufacturer coupon, and a register reward, you'll need to have at least three items in your cart.
2. Unless the cashier knows what he or she is doing, the order you give the coupons is important. Just play it safe, and hand the cashier the register rewards first, the manufacturer coupons second, and the store coupons last.
3. If for some reason, you get a cashier that can't get a coupon to go through, just ask him or her to void the item off your order. It's better to just void it off and not pay for it than to try and mess with it later.

CVS $5 challenge -- 11/2/08 - 11/8/08

CVS Pharmacy -- $5 challenge


This is the weekly challenge by kingdomfirstmoms. It assumes you go into CVS pharmacy with no ECB rewards, and $5 in your pocket. The goal is to get as much as you can for $5. If you save up your ECB rewards, you could potentially never pay for another thing at CVS again!


Transaction #1
Buy Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste 4.2 oz @ $3.49
Use a snail-mail coupon for $3 off
Or if you're not patient, use a $1/1 coupon from 11/2 PG
Total OOP = $0.49 + tax
Receive $3.49 in ECB


Transaction #2
Buy Gillette Fusion @ $9.99
Use $4/1 coupon from 9/28 PG
Use $3.49 ECB from Transaction #1

Total OOP = $2.50 + tax
Receive $5 in ECB

Transaction #3
Buy Colgate 360-degree, motion, or kids battery toothbrush @ $4.99
Use $0.75/1 coupon from 10/26 SS

Buy Dawn Dishsoap @ $0.99
Use $0.25/1 coupon from Oct PG
Use $5 ECB from transaction #2
Total OOP = $0.00 + tax
Receive $2.00 in ECB

Total Spent = $2.99 + tax
Total Received = $19.46
(note that if you had saved the $4 ECB from last week, you'd get $19 worth of stuff and pay nothing!)