Free Swagbuck code

Swagbucks is offering another free swagbuck today. Just go to the homepage, click on your swagbucks, and enter the code TOOLBARWIN.

For those of you who don't know what swagbucks are, it's an internet search engine that gives you points (called "swagbucks") for your searches. Once you've accumulated 45 swagbucks, you can get a $5 Amazon.com giftcard. Once you've accumulated 50 swagbucks, you can get a $5 Starbucks giftcard.

Mary and I now do all of our internet searches through swagbucks.com and we've already received one Starbucks giftcard, and we're almost 2/3's of the way to getting another one! If you're going to search anyway, why not?

Walgreens Freebies -- 12/28/08 - 1/3/09

Here's what's free at Walgreens this week. If you haven't learned the trick to shopping at Walgreens, click on my post here.

Orajel Cold Sore Medicine @ $8.49
Use $1/1 coupon from 10/26 SS
Receive $8.49 EasySaver Rebate
Final Price = FREE plus $1 overage

Revlon Matte Collection Blush or Eyeliner: $9.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 12/7 or 11/16 SS
Receive $9.99 EasySaver Rebate
Final Price = FREE plus $1 overage

Revlon Matte Collection Eye Shadow: $4.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 12/7 or 11/16 SS
Receive $4.99 EasySaver Rebate
Final Price = FREE plus $1 overage

Revlon Matte Collection Lipstick: $7.99
Use $1/1 coupon from 12/7 or 11/16 SS
Receive $7.99 EasySaver Rebate
Final Price = FREE plus $1 overage

Robitussin or Dimetapp: buy 5 for $20
Use 5 $2/1 printable coupons for Robitussin or Dimetapp
Receive $10 Register Rewards
Final Price = FREE

Jenna's buck is gone!

Well, I've gone and done it! I finally spent the last of Jenna's dollar at CVS. I had the good fortune of being able to go with my in-laws, and showing them how to shop there!

On my first trip, I bought Schick Quattro for women (Mary's favorite!), Gillette body wash for me, and two bottles of Nature's Bounty vitamins, just for the deal. On my second trip, I bought two Pantene Pro-V shampoo, 2 Colgate Advanced Whitening Toothpaste, Gillete Fusion shaver and Gillette body wash for Matt (but he left it behind!), and Orbit chewing gum for Mary. The whole trip cost $1.19. Not bad for a day's work.

Some of the fun was getting my sister-in-law, Erin, started on CVS. I got her the free glucose monitor, which starts her off with $5 ECB's. Plus, she got a bonus coupon on her receipt -- $5 off her next purchase of $15!!

Erin, if you're reading this, here's what I'd do to grow your ECB's:

• Buy 1 Schick Quattro for women @ $8.99 -- get $5 ECB's
• Buy 2 Colgate Advanced Whitening 4 oz. @ $2.99 ea. -- get $2 ECB's
• Buy 2 Dawn dishsoap 10.3 oz., BOGO @ $1.49

Then use these coupons:

• $2 off Schick Quattro for women that I gave you (12/7 SS)
• Print off 2 $1.50 off Colgate coupons
• And use the $1 off Dawn coupon that I gave you (12/14 PG)

Your total should come to $0.46+tax!! Here's the math: ($8.99+$2.99+$2.99+$1.49-$5 off $15 coupon-$5 ECB's-$2 Schick-$3.00 Colgate-$1 Dawn=$0.46). And now, your $5 ECB's turned into $9 ECB's!! Let me know how it went. Call me if you have any questions.

CVS $5 Challenge -- 12/28/08 - 1/3/09

The $5 Challenge was created by kingdomfirstmom. The idea is to walk into a CVS store with $5 and no ECB's, and get as much as possible, while growing your ECB's, in three transactions or less. If you've never shopped at CVS, check out my post on how to shop there.

Transaction #1
Buy 2 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste @ $2.99 -- get $2 ECB's
Use 2 $1.50/1 printable coupons

Final cost = $1.98 + tax
ECB's received = $4.00

Transaction #2
Buy 2 Pantene Pro-V Shampoo or Conditioner @ 2/$7.00 -- get $2 ECB's
Use $3/2 coupon from 12/28 PG
Use $4 ECB's from Transaction #1

Final cost = $0.00!!!
ECB's received = $4.00

Transaction #3
Buy 2 Nature's Bounty Vitamins or supplements @ BOGO (prices start at $4.49) -- get $3 ECB's
Use 2 $2/1 printable coupons

Buy Schick Quattro or Intution for women @ $8.99 -- get $5 ECB's
Use $3/1 peelie on some packages or $2/1 coupon from 12/7 SS
Use $4 ECB's from transaction #2

Final cost = $2.48 + tax
ECB's received = $8.00

Total spent OOP = $4.46 + tax
Total purchased = $30.95
Total ECB's left = $8.00

Also, there is a $3 off your $15 CVS purchase printable coupon, if you want it!!! You could use it on Transaction #3, if you buy a Nature's Bounty vitamin that costs more than $6.01 -- that would make the vitamins practically free ($6.01-$2 coupon - $2 coupon - $3 CVS coupon).

December Savings

Here is an accounting for all the savings I've gotten in December without even spending anything extra. It's just for buying what I would have bought anyway, reading emails, or doing websearches:

• Upromise account - $7.33 for kid's college education
• Swagbucks.com - $5 gift card to Starbucks
• SendEarnings - $7.35 for reading emails (pays out when I accumulate $30)
• YouData - $1.53 in my PayPal account for viewing ads

That's $21.21 for the month. Not bad! That's about $250 for a year!

NOT A PENNY SPENT!!...Jenna's buck still continues

Everything you see in this picture was FREE -- not a single penny paid out of my pocket. Not for taxes. Nothing! Jenna's $1 bill is still in tact in the middle front of the picture. I am bound and determined to show just how much I can get for the $1 bill that Jenna gave me for Christmas. Not pictured is the glucose monitor that started this whole thing off. I gave it away to a client with diabetes, but that monitor is regularly priced at $79.99. I had a coupon that ended up making it free after the sales price, and I got $5 ECB's to start off the whole deal.

Today at CVS, I had to improvise. I was unable to implement the plan I made in the previous post, because the coupons for ThermaCare were not the right ones for this deal. But being the accountant that I am, I figured how to make each transaction work out to $0.00 exactly every single time!! I took Mary with me, and she got to pick out eye shadow and nail polish -- what a treat!

Rather than bore you with the details of how I got it, here is a list of everything I got today!

• 2 Listerine antiseptics
• L'oreal HIP eye shadow
• Sally Hansen nail polish
• 2 Arm & Hammer Essentials
• Crest Pro-Health rinse
• 2 ThermaCare neck & shoulder packs
• Halls Naturals 25 ct
• Zantac 150 8 ct.
• Benefiber 16 ct
• EAS AdvantEdge bar
• M&M's mini tubes
• Excedrin express gel tabs
• Powerade
• 2 RightGuard clinical strength deodorants

A total value of $83.81!! Combined with last week's savings, I've purchased $172.18 of stuff with Jenna's $1 bill! I still plan to take Jenna's dollar with me next week.

CVS Holiday

I received a special treat this week. CVS credited back $1 to my account. I can't figure out why, but my best guess is that my total order came to $0, and the $1 was just tax, but 6% of $0 is $0.

Whatever the reason, this means that Jenna's dollar still continues!! I'm going to bring it with me to the store tomorrow. I'll try and take a picture of everything I got for that $1. You're going to be amazed!

Here's what I plan to do. You don't have to follow my sequence, because you might not start out with as many CVS bucks as I do. But use this as a guide:

Transaction #1
Buy Benefiber Drink Mix 16 ct @ $7.29, limit 1, get $7.29 ECB's
Use $2/1 coupon from 9/21 SS, 10/19 SS, or 11/16 SS

Buy 3 Thermacare Neck to Arm heatwraps @ $2.49 ea., limit 3, get $2.49 ECB's ea.
Use 2 $1.50/1 coupons from 11/30 PG
Use 1 $1/1 coupon from 11/30 PG

Buy 1 Arm & Hammer Essentials @ $2.99, limit 5, get $2.99 ECB's
Use $1/1 coupon from 12/14 SS or printable coupon
Mail-in rebate for $2.99

Buy 1 2-liter of Coke product @ $1.25, buy $15, get $5 ECB's
Use $12 ECB's from previous week

Total spent OOP = $0.00
Total ECB's received = $17.75

Transaction #2
Buy 1 Listerine Antiseptic @ $2.99, limit 5, get $2.99 ECB's
Use $2.99 ECB's from Transaction #1 -- Arm & Hammer

Total spent OOP = $0.00
Total ECB's received = $2.99

Transaction #3
Buy 1 RightGuard professional solid 1.8 oz or aerosol 6 oz @ $6, limit 5, get $6 ECB's
Use $0.50/1 printable coupon (register, enter "rightguard" in code box, print coupon from email) or $0.55 peelie, if I can find them

Buy 1 Zantac 150 8 ct @ $4.99, limit 1, get $4.99 ECB's
Use $1/1 coupon from 11/9 SS
Use $3.99 mail-in-rebate from 11/9 SS

Buy 1 Excedrin Express Gels 20 ct @ $3.99, limit 1, get $3.99 ECB's

Buy 1 EAS AdvantEdge bar 2.11 oz @ $1.69, limit 1, get $1.69 ECB's

Buy Halls Naturals 25 ct @ $2.59, limit 1, get $2.59 ECB's
Use $17.75 ECB's from Transactions #1 & #2

Total spent OOP = $0.01 + tax
Total ECB's received = $19.26

Transaction #4
Buy Slimquick 2 pk 4 oz. @ $4.99, limit 1, get $4.99 ECB's
Use $4.99 ECB's from Transaction #3, Zantac

Total spent OOP = $0.00
Total ECB's received = $4.99

Transaction #5
I will come back with Mary, since I kind of need her opinions on these

Buy 2 Sally Hansen lacquer shine nail colors @ $5.99, limit 2, get $5.99 ECB's

Buy 1 L'Oreal Hip Metallic Eye Shadow duos @ $6.99, limit 2, get $6.99 ECB's

Buy 1 candy @ $0.33
Use $19.26 ECB's from Transactions #3 & #4

Total spent OOP = $0.04 + tax
Total ECB's received = $18.97

Total spent for day = $0.05 + tax
Total received = $65.54

And Jenna's buck still continues...

Get 2 free swagbucks!

If you've already joined swagbucks, you already know how cool it is! Here are two codes, each get you one free swagbuck: SWAG1 and SWAGGERNAUT. Go to swagbucks.com, log in, and click on the number of swagbucks you have. Where it says, "Have a swagcode?", type in either of the codes for a free swagbuck each!

If you haven't signed up yet, you really should! Mary and I can attest that it is so much fun to search and win prizes! Just go to swagbucks.com to begin!

Get a free 8 x 10 photo at Walgreens

Today and tomorrow only, Walgreens is offering a free 8 x 10 photo. Just enter the code FREEGIFT or WALLFREE!

Also, Snapfish is offering a free 8 x 10 photo when you pick it up at Walgreens. Also, if you're a new member, you can get 50 free prints, plus 15% off Holiday cards. Just go to this link.

CVS Preview -- 12/21/2008 - 12/27/2008

Usually, I don't post on CVS's deals until the week of the deals, but next week is going to be HUGE. If you don't know how to shop at CVS, check out my post here. If you haven't begun shopping at CVS yet, go this week!! You can get a FREE glucose monitor and get $5 ECB's to spend on next week, just by using the coupon from the 10/26 SS (if you don't have it, email me! I have one more!)

Here's the deals next week (Sunday and Monday only!!) All of them are FREE after ECB's!:

• Listerine antiseptic 16.9oz $2.99 -- Get $2.99 ECB's
• Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine nail Color $5.99 -- Get $5.99 ECB's
• Arm & Hammer Essentials starter kit $2.99 -- Get $2.99 ECB's
• L’Oreal HIP Metalic eye shadow duos $6.99 -- Get $6.99 ECB's
• ThermaCare neck to arm heatwrap 1ct $2.49 -- Get $2.49 ECB's
• Right Guard Professional solid 1.8oz or aerosol 6oz $6.00 -- Get $6.00 ECB's
• Zipfizz energy 3ct $5.99 -- Get $5.99 ECB's
• Excedrin Express Gels 20ct $3.99 -- Get $3.99 ECB's
• Alteril sleep aid 30ct $9.99 -- Get $9.99 ECB's
• Halls Naturals 25ct $2.59 -- Get $2.59 ECB's
• EAS AdvantEdge bar 2.11oz $1.69 -- Get $1.69 ECB's
• EAS AdvantEdge shake 4pk $7.49 -- Get $7.49 ECB's
• Zantac 150 8ct $4.99 -- Get $4.99 ECB's
• Benefiber drink mix 16ct $7.29 -- Get $7.29 ECB's
• Iceland Health joint relief 60ct $29.99 -- Get $29.99 ECB's
• Slimquick 2pk 4oz total $4.99 -- Get $4.99 ECB's
• Sleepinal 32ct $8.49 -- Get $8.49 ECB's

Let me know ASAP if you want me to get anything off this list!!

Free $5 gift card to Starbucks

I've been using swagbucks.com for about a month now, and I can verify that it works. I just received my first reward -- a $5 giftcard to Starbucks!!

Usually, I used Google or Yahoo to search the internet. Now, I just use swagbucks.com. It's the same thing (actually powered by Google), but you can win swagbucks that can be used to purchase items. It takes 45 swagbucks to purchase a $5 Amazon.com gift card and 50 swagbucks to purchase a $5 Starbucks giftcard. Since Mary's a coffee drinker, that's free coffee!

If you're going to search the internet anyway, may as well get paid for it! Also, a little hint: on Fridays, swagbucks.com offers extra swagbucks, up to 100 swagbucks per search (that's $10 in Starbucks giftcards, but I've never won it).

$88.37 of stuff for exactly $1!!!

This is the CUTEST story! Mary's niece (is it my niece, too? It's one of her first husband's nieces) is 9 years old and sent her an adorable Christmas card. Mary got some homemade jewelry, and I got a $1 bill! I guess my reputation extends all the way to North Carolina!! ;-)

Mary and I laughed and laughed about getting a buck for a Christmas gift, and I thought I'd make an example out of it by getting as much as I possibly could for $1 at CVS. Jenna, if you are reading this blog, thank you sooooooo much, and I can't wait to meet you! You can call me "Uncle Ryan"!

Here's what I got for $1:

Rightguard Xtreme deodorant - $4.49, on sale for $2.99
Colgate Total Advanced Whitening toothpaste - $3.89, on sale for $0.90
Bayer Control Glucose Meter - $79.99, on sale for $14.99

I had a coupon for a free glucose monitor ($14.99 off), deodorant ($0.50 off), and toothpaste ($1.50 off). I also had a $4 off your $20 purchase at CVS. The total came to EXACTLY $1, because of taxes, plus I received $9 in ECB's to spend on my next purchase, so I'm still not even done yet! Not sure what I'll spend the $9 on, but I think I should splurge and get some candy, what do you think?

Jenna, you truly gave the gift that keeps on giving!!

Walgreens deals -- 12/14/2008 - 12/20/2008

Zooth Toothbrushes @ Buy 2 for $4.00, get $2 RR
Use $1 coupon from Walgreens Activity Book (will take $1 off each)
Use $1/2 coupon from 11/30 P&G
Final price = $1 moneymaker after coupons and RR

Oral-B Stages Toothbrushes @ Buy 2 for $4.00, get $2 RR
Use $1/2 coupon from 11/30 P&G
Final price = $1 for 2 after coupon and RR

Progresso SoupsSale price @ $0.99
Use $1/2 or $2/4 printable coupon
Final price = $0.49 each

Select General Mills cerealSale price @ $1.99
Use $1/2 coupons from 11/2 or 11/9 SS
Final price = $1.49 each

Royal JelloSale price @ 5/$1.00 with in-ad coupon
Use $1/5 blinkie found in various grocery stores
Final price = FREE

Skippy Peanut Butter @ 2/$3.00
Use $.40 coupon from 10/5 or 11/16 RP
Final price = $1.10 each

Coffeemate liquid creamer 16oz @ BOGO (regular price is $2.49)
Use (2) $1 printable coupons
Final price = $0.49 for 2

Ajax Dish Liquid @ $0.79 with in-ad coupon
Use $.20 coupon from 11/16 SS
Final price = $0.59 each

Almay Makeup @ BOGO
Use 2 $2 coupons from KMart Beauty Book
Or use 2 $1 coupons from 9/14 or 10/12 SS
Final price = cheap or possibly free

DeMet's Turtles 3.5 oz.Sale price @ $0.99
Use $1.50 coupon from 11/16 SS
Final price = $0.51 overage (if your store doesn't give the overage, you can buy 2 with the $1.50 coupon and pay $.48 for 2)

Russell Stover Private Reserve Luminary Chocolates 5.8 - 10.3 oz. @ BOGO ($4.99)
Submit for Walgreens rebate, up to $10
Final prince = FREE

CVS $5 Challenge -- 12/14/08 - 12/20/08

This challenge was created by kingdomfirstmom. The goal is to see how much you can get with $5 while growing your ECB's. If you don't know what ECB's are, please check out this post. It's a pretty good week for deals this week!

Transaction #1
Buy Bayer Contour Glucose Monitor @ $14.99 -- Get $5 ECB's
Use $30/1 coupon from 10/26 RP
Total spent OOP = $0.00!

Transaction #2
Buy Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste 4.0 oz @ $2.99 -- Get $2 ECB's
Use $1.50/1 printable coupon

Buy 2 Right Guard deodorants @ $2.99 -- Get $2 ECB's
Use 2 $0.50/1 printable coupons
Use $5 ECB's from Transaction #1

Total spent OOP = $1.47 + tax
Total ECB's received = $6

Transaction #3
Buy SleepMD 10 ct. @ $7.99 (Sunday & Monday only!) -- Get $7.99 ECB's
Use $6 ECB's from Transaction #3

Total spent OOP = $1.99 + tax

Total spent OOP = $3.46 + tax
Total ECB's left to spend = $7.99
Total purchased = $31.95

Just a note for those who already shop at CVS. Check your email on December 9. There is a $4 off your $20 purchase coupon in there. That should be perfect to combine the glucose monitor with the deodorant and toothpaste!

Sense & Sensibilities

Why do I take all this time to save a buck? I would love to say it's because I'm honoring God with my finances. It's true that I honor God by not wasting the money He has given Mary and me. But to be honest, I mainly do it because it is so much FUN! It is FUN to walk into a store with 70 cents and walk out with makeup and eye shadow, like we did yesterday.

The reason I bring this up is because a friend I know tells me he has saved thousands upon thousands of dollars at CVS this year alone. He has more Duracell batteries stocked up than one person should ever need in a lifetime. To me, this is senseless. It is still a waste of God's resources to stock up more than is reasonable.

I don't know where the point is crossed between fun and radical, but I hope that whatever you gain from my posts, that you do it all with the best intentions.

"For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me." -- Philippians 4:11-13

CVS $5 Challenge -- 12/7/08 - 12/13/08

This is a challenge created by kingdomfirstmom. The idea is that you walk into a CVS store with $5 in your pocket and no ECB's, and you want to walk out with as much as possible, using 3 transactions or less. Of course, if you already have ECB's, you could potentially walk out without paying anything! If you don't know how to shop at CVS, check out my post here.

Transaction #1
Buy 3 Promax bars @ $1.66 ea. -- Get $5 ECB's
**Hint: Some websites are saying there is a $1/1 Promax coupon in the 10/26 RP, but I can't find it. If you can, you can save $3.

Total spent OOP = $5
Total ECB's received = $5

Transaction #2
Buy 1 Brut @ $3.49 -- Get $3 ECB's
Buy 1 Powerade 32 oz. @ $1.59 -- Get $1.59 ECB's
Use $5 ECB's in Transaction #1

Total spent OOP = $0.08
ECB's received = $4.59

Transaction #3
Buy 1 Theraflu Warming Relief @ $5.99 -- Get $2 ECB's
Use $2/1 coupon in 10/19 SS
Use mail-in rebate from same 10/19 SS to get $3.99 back!

Buy 1 Rolaids @ $2.29 -- Get $2 ECB's
Use $1/1 coupon in 10/5 RP
Use $4.59 ECB's from Transaction #2

Total OOP = $0.29
Total ECB's receved = $4

Total spent OOP = $5.37 - $3.99 mail-in rebate = $1.38
Total ECB's Received = $4
Total purchased = $18.36

Walgreens Freebies -- 12/7/08 - 12/13/08

Here are the Freebies at Walgreens this week:

Buy 2 Scotch Magic or Gift Wrap Tape @ $2
Use $1/1 coupon from the 11/23 SS
$2 Walgreens rebate
$1 in overage after coupon and rebate!!

Buy Reynold's Wrap Aluminum Foil 20 sq. ft
Use $0.99 in-ad coupon
Use $1/1 from 11/16 SS
FREE after coupon

Buy Schick Quattro Titanium Razor @ $6.99
Use $3/1 from December EasySaver Catalog
Use $4/1 from December All You Magazine
FREE after coupons

Buy 2 Maybelline Lip products@ BOGO (2 for $4.99)
Buy 2 products and use 2 $4/1 from 12/7 inserts
FREE after coupons

Buy Carnation Evaporated Milk
Use $0.99 in-ad coupon
Use $1/2 printable coupon
FREE after coupon

Getting paid $4 at CVS!

I wasn't going to shop at CVS this week, since the deals weren't all that great, but of course, I couldn't help myself. All the deals I got are available the entire month of December, so there was no rush to get to the store. I should have waited to couple it with some of the deals for next week, but I got the itch! As you recall from my Black Friday post, I went into CVS with $13.98 in ECB's. Here's what I bought:

• Complete Multipurpose Easy Rub Contact Solution - $8.99 Get $8.99 ECB's
• TheraFlu Warming Fluid - $5.99 (the sign said $6.59; I have no idea why it rang up so low!) Get $2 ECB's
• Rolaids - $2.69 Get $2 ECB's
• Bag of M&M's - $0.50 (wasn't going to get these, but the $0.60 off of Theraflu meant I had to spend a bit more to get above $13.98! Mary was okay with this!)

Here are the coupons I used:

• Complete Easy Rub printable coupon - $2
• TheraFlu - $2 from 10/19 SS

Also, right next to the TheraFlu coupon is a rebate form for a free TheraFlu! So, I gave the cashier 41 cents ($8.99+$5.99+$2.69+$0.50-$2-$2-$13.98 ECB's+$0.22 tax), I received $12.99 in ECB's and I will be getting a Theraflu rebate of $4.59! Paid $0.41, get $4.59. Not bad!!

As if that's not good enough, I also received a special bonus on my receipt! A $5 off your next purchase of $15 at CVS coupons! Hmmm, $12.99 in ECB's and $5 coupon -- I think I can do some real damage next week!

Walgreens moneymaker

I really haven't posted much this week, because the deals aren't that great. But Walgreens now has a deal where if you purchase $25, you get $5 in RR (good through Saturday). Here's a way to come out ahead:

• Buy 4 Wal-itins (Walgreens non-drowsy allergy equivalent of Claritin) @ $6.99
  Use in-ad coupon for $0.99
  Final price = $3.96 + tax
  Receive $5 in RR for a $1.04 moneymaker!

Note: In order to spend RR, you need to have at least that amount in purchases! For example, if you came into the store with $5 in RR, and tried to buy the 4 Wal-tins, they won't let you. However, if you came to the store with $5 in RR, bought 4 Waltins and another $1.04 worth of items, you'd get it all for FREE, and another $5 in RR for your next purchase!

I'm going to Walgreens with $5 in RR. I'll let you know how it goes!

Coupons.com refreshed

On the first day of every month, coupons.com refreshes the coupons that they offer. This is the best day to look through the selections and print off whatever coupons you think you may need, because they may not be there when they go on sale.

The three coupons I printed off this month were Lucky Charms ($0.55/1), Trix ($0.55/1), and Chex ($1/2). GM Cereal is on sale this week at Meijer for $1.80 ea. With these coupons, you're looking at $1.25 ea. Not bad!! Stock up for the month!