My first big CVS trip

So my favorite hobby these days is scanning other mom's blogs and looking for great recipes and great ways to save money. My "research" showed that lots of moms shop at CVS, a place I had never shopped before. So, I decided to give CVS a try. I made three smaller trips in the past few weeks to get used to how Extra Care Bucks (“ECBs”) work and to determine if these trips to CVS were really worth it. But this week I decided to make myself an official “CVS’er" and made my first big trip to CVS. I took about 20 minutes to scan the Sunday circular ad, compile my coupons, and make my list.

I was pretty proud of myself that I only purchased one item that was not on my list: a box of Rice Krispie treats. But what can I say – I had the two kids with me, blood sugar was running low for all of us, and I forgot to pack snacks. I stocked up on 3 12-packs of Diet Coke (I know it’s terrible for me but I limit myself to 1 can per day. It’s my “get me through till naptime” vice.) My daughter still wears pullups to bed so I simply could not pass up this deal on Huggies Pull-ups. I also stocked up on some Covergirl makeup. (this mama's makeup bag is in need of an overhaul and I took advantage of this sale to stock up on a few much-needed items!)

After sales, coupons, a $3 ECB from a previous trip, and ECBs earned from this trip, here is what I got for $45.73: (assuming I did the math correctly!)



1 box Rice Krispies
1 box Corn Flakes
(2/$4 - $1.50 off 2 coupon = 1.25 each)

3 Diet Coke 12-packs
($3.33 each + 3 ECBs = 2.33/pk.)

2 Huggies Pull-ups, size 4T-5T
($8.99 each - $2 coupon - $2 coupon + 5 ECBs = 4.49/pk.)

1 box Rice Krispie treats
($1.67)

2 Colgate Total toothpaste
(2/$5 - $.75 coupon = 2.13 each)

2 Oral-B Advantage toothbrushes
($2.99 each + 2 ECBs – BOGO coupon = .50 each)

1 Palmolive dishsoap
($.97 - $.50 coupon = .47)

1 Swiffer refill 16-count
($3.99 - $.75 coupon = 3.24)

2 Softsoap body wash
($4.99 each - BOGO sale - 2.50 each)

1 CVS body wash
(free with email coupon)

1 Covergirl eyeshadow palette
($8.49 - $1.00 coupon)
1 Covergirl mascara
($8.99)
1 Covergirl concealor
($4.79)
- $2.50 coupon for buying two Covergirl cosmetics
+ 8 ECBs for buying $20 worth of Covergirl cosmetics
= $10.77 for all three items

Attention all other CVS'ers out there --- how did I do? It seems like all in all, I still spent a lot of money, but I really did come home with some "high ticket" items (like soda and pull-ups). Please let me know what you think in a comment and offer up any additional advice to save more at CVS. I know I can do better next time!

Great Deal on Kids' Clothes

The kids needed socks so we headed to the Mall of America yesterday. I had a coupon for 15% off my entire purchase at The Children's Place plus I heard they were having a fantastic sale. I walked out with a huge bag of clothes for $29.63! I do most of my shopping for the kids at either consignment shops or thrift stores, but this was even a better deal than consignment! There was a lot of little boy and girl clothes marked down to $2.50 or $2.99, so I stocked up for my little guy for next winter. (I have absolutely no idea what size my little girl will be next winter, so other than socks, she did not benefit much from this shopping trip.) In addition to 9 pairs of socks, I got two winter hats ($.83 each!!), two pairs of pants, and four shirts - all for under $30.00. Here's a picture of all my loot that I took in post-shopping-happiness:



If you have a guestimate of your little one's size for next winter, I suggest you swing by. What an awesome sale!