Garnier, Garnier and MORE Garnier! 1/4 - 1/10

Photo courtesy of lolcats

As always, my deals all come from the wonderful folks at HCW, Slick Deals and Erica at iheartcvs.com, iheartriteaid.com and iheartwags.com. Here we go...

Be sure to check out Lisa's blog for a list of all the amazing coupons in the five inserts coming out in Sunday's paper. I'm thinking I'll buy 10 copies...

CVS - be sure to check out iheartcvs for $3 off $15 and $3 off any CVS brand purchase coupons

• NEW - L'oreal makeup BOGO sale, use two $3 coupons (1/4 RP) - cheapest item I've found is eyeshadows (single color) for $4.99 each = $1.01 profit
• NEW - thanks pubbler for this great deal! - Carefree, Stayfree or o.b. - spend $20, get $10 ECB (Limit 1): Stayfree pads (24-48 count) are $4.50, buy six and use three BOGO coupons (1/4 RP) and use $3 off $15 coupon = $10.50 and get back $10 ECB = $0.50 for six packages
• NEW - Speed Stick deodorant $3, buy two and use BOGO coupon (1/4 SS) and get back $3 ECB (WYB 2, Limit 1) = two for FREE
• Colgate Total Toothpaste or 360 Toothbrush $2.50, use $1.50 coupon and get back $2 ECB (WYB 2, Limit 3) = FREE
• Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler $2.99, use $1 coupon (11/9 RP) and get back $2 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Listerine Whitening Pen $10, buy 2 (2 separate transactions), use two $2 coupons and two $3 CVS Beauty Book coupons (found in store, pic here, can only use one per transaction) and get back $10 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• CVS Vitamins BOGO sale, use two $3 coupons = FREE or profit depending on prices
• Cottonelle Toilet Paper (20 pack) $12.97, use $0.50 coupon (12/14 SS) and get back $4 ECB (Limit 5) = $8.47 or $0.42 a roll
• Progresso Soup $2.99, BOGO sale, use two $1.10 coupons = $0.79 or $0.39 a can

CVS January Monthly Deals - start 1/1

• NEW - Hidden monthly deal: CVS Gold Emblem sparkling water (6 pack) $3.97, use $3 CVS brand purchase coupon and get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) = $1.03 profit
• NEW - Hidden monthly deal: CVS brand cotton pads (square) bonus pack $3.49, use $3 CVS brand purchase coupon and get back $1 ECB (Limit ?) = $0.51 profit (round bonus pack marked as $5.99 but ringing up as $3.49 also, also produces $1 ECB)
• NEW - Kotex pads (16-20 ct.) with bonus pantiliners (16 ct.) $4.99 but ringing up $3.27 (make sure to price scan it first to be sure), use $1 coupon (11/9 SS) and get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) = $0.27
• Children's Throat Cooler Ice Pops (6 ct.) $4.99, buy two, use BOGO coupon (or 12/7 SS) and get back $4.99 for each (Limit 2 - updated Limit 5!) = $4.99 profit (on two) *Check inside packages for $0.50 or $1 coupons
• NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray (1.52 oz) $7.99, use $2 coupon and get back $7.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $2 profit *Check inside packages for manufacturer's rebate form
• Nutra Trim Weight Management Chewing Gum (48 ct.) $3.99, $3.99 ECB (Limit 2 - updated - Limit 3!) = FREE
• Listerine Smart Rinse or Agent Blue (8.5 - 16.9 oz) $3.99, use $1 coupon and get $3 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE
• Hidden monthly deal from 1/4 - 2/14: Soy Joy specially marked 6 pack boxes (pic here - bottom of post) $6, use $1 off 5 bars coupon (not 100% sure it will work but worth a try - edit - nope doesn't work!) and get back $6 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE

Rite Aid

• Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers $3, use $1 coupon (11/9 RP) and get back $2 SCR (#77) = FREE
• Soy Joy Bars ten for $5, use $3 off 10 coupon (1/4 RP) and get back $5 SCR (#54 WYB 10) = $3 profit (must buy 10)

Walgreens

• NEW - Reese's Whipps candy bars $0.50 with in-circular coupon, buy two and use $1 off 2 coupon (1/4 SS) = FREE (thanks Precious!)
• NEW - Ben n Jerry's Ice Cream $3, use $3 coupon = FREE - thanks va.500 for this deal! :)
• Electrosol/Finish Dishwashing Tablets $3.49, use $2.50 coupon (1/4 SS) and get back $1.50 (ESR #31) = $0.51 profit
• Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Stylers $2.99, use $1 coupon (11/9 RP) and $2 WAG coupon from ESR booklet = FREE
• SlimQuick Energy Shots $4, get back $4 RR = FREE
• Reynolds Wrap (20 foot) $0.99 with in-circular coupon, use $1 coupon (12/14 SS) = FREE
• Quaker Instant Oatmeal (10 pack) $1.99 with in-circular coupon, use $1 coupon or here or here = $0.99
• Kellogg's Cereal (Frosted Flakes, Special K, Frosted Mini Wheats, Raisin Bran or Smart Start - rebate listed below for Strawberry Oat Bites variety if your store carries it) four for $10, use four $1 coupons (or here or here or 12/14 RP) and get back $3 RR (WYB 4) = $3 or $0.75 each
• Purchase $15 worth of participating Kraft products, get back $5 ESR (#29) - $1 coupon for South Beach Living bars here
• Cover Girl Exact Mascara $7.99, use $1 coupon (12/28 P&G) and get RR for a free mascara (basically a BOGO deal)

Walgreens January Monthly Deals 12/28 - 1/31

• Orajel Cold Sore Brush or 8 pack patches $8.49, use $1 coupon (10/26 SS), submit for Try Me Free rebate (10/26 SS - valid for Orajel Overnight Cold Sore Patch, Orajel Cold Sore Brush, Orajel Plaque Revealing Rinse or Orajel Plaque Revealing Pre-Brush Gel) and get back $8.49 (ESR #1) = $9.49 profit
• Auto Expressions Vent Fresh Elite Auto Air Freshener $4.99, submit for $4.99 manufacturer's rebate and get back $4.99 ESR (#2) = $4.99 profit
• Revlon Matte Collection Blush or Eyeliner $9.99, Revlon Matte Collection Lipstick $7.99 OR Revlon Matte Collection Eye Shadow $4.99, use $1 coupon (10/12, 11/16 or 12/7 SS) or $2 coupon (8/24 or 9/14 SS) and get back full price ($4.99, $7.99 or $9.99 depending on which you bought) ESR (#3) = $1 - $2 profit
• Valid 12/28 - 1/31: Purchase $10 of St. Ives products and get back $5 RR - includes lotion $4, Elements cleansers $7 and Apricot Face Scrub $3

If you get your rebate back on a gift card instead of a check, you get a 10% bonus on each item.

General Printable Rebate Offers:

• The Chronicles of Narnia on DVD or Blu-Ray Hi-Def $3 rebate WYB Scotch products Exp. 3/31/09
• Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake TMF Exp. 1/31/09
• Febreze Noticeables Satisfaction Guarantee Exp. 6/30/09
• Herbal Essences - free haircut when you buy 2 specially marked bottles Exp. 6/31/09
• Hersheys - free calendar when you send in 5 UPC's Exp. 1/31/09
• Jolly Time - free reusable bag when you send in 3 UPC's - valid while quantities last
• Kellogg's Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites Cereal Exp. 7/31/09
• Nutro Cat food $7 rebate for 8 pound bag Exp. 1/16/09
• Olay $15 gift card when you buy 2 Regenerist Cleansers or Moisturizers Exp. 1/14/09
• Orajel - no exp. date listed
• NEW - Pepsi/Frito Lay $15 in Pepsi/Frito coupons Exp. 2/1/09
• Peter Pan satisfaction guarantee Exp. 5/31/09
• P&G - spend $50 in P&G products, get $120 worth of coupons 12/14/08 - 2/14/09
• Progresso Soup satisfaction guarantee Exp. 3/31/09
• Precious Kitty Litter - One request per lifetime
• Sucrets $2 rebate Exp. 1/31/09
• Sure Max deodorant TMF Exp. 3/31/09

Yee-Haw!

December Monthly Totals:

Merchandise Total (before coupons): $1,610.25

Value of Coupons & Store Sales: $768.04

Tax: $44.52

Average % Saved: 48.06%

Rewards/Gift Cards/ECB's Used: $631.87

Rewards/Gift Cards/ECB's Earned: $580.92

Rebates: $163.76

Total Cost to me (after rewards earned and rebates): $142.05

Total Profit: $113.18

# of Items: 417

# of Free Items: 281

Not too shabby. Definitely not as good as last month's totals when my cost was around $1 - that was nice. :)

And now, just for fun, let's look at how I did for the whole year. Keep in mind I started hounding in March, and started keeping track of everything in my current format in April. So these numbers are for April - December.

Yearly Totals

Merchandise Total (before coupons): $11,720.20
Value of Coupons & Store Sales: $6,258.25
Rewards/Gift Cards/ECB's Used: $3,307.44
Rewards/Gift Cards/ECB's Earned: $3,029.84
Rebates: $1,482.95
Total Cost to me (after rewards earned and rebates): $1,236.11
Total Profit: $964.47
# of Items: 3,872

# of Free Items: 2,371

This year was amazing. I learned so very much and had so much fun. Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday!

Indulgent Weekend

I got my hair done on Saturday at a new salon. I'd been going to the same hairdresser for a while now, and after a recent bad haircut, I decided it was time for a change. The new salon is great and pretty affordable. I got a haircut (to fix the previous cut), a color tint (I'm a brunette again!) and some minor highlights. I hadn't planned on getting new highlights, but what can I say, they look good. :) Maybe when they start to grow out I'll do one of those at-home color kits. I was at the salon for...(wait for it)...four and a half hours! I was getting so stir-crazy that I felt like I was really about to go nuts! The hairdresser I had was very nice, but very meticulous. After a while, I started thinking to myself, "its good enough, just let me get out of here already! I don't really need highlights on both sides." hehe

Then on Saturday night, DBF and I did a little shopping and had a super yummy dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. I even splurged on a Sangria Margarita and it was so worth every over-priced penny. :) We used the $25 gift card I got at S&S.

BJ's - my mom received a $20 home mailer BJ's coupon for Lost Season 4 when you buy any other season. I really wanted season 4, and my sister's been wanting season 2, so this worked for both of us. This is my absolute favorite tv show and I can't wait for it to come back on in a couple weeks. I used DBF's membership card on these.

• Lost Season Two $39.99
• Lost Season Four $38.99
• Used $20 coupon, total was $64.50 - (sis will pay me back for half of that)

Target - I bought this movie previously for my sister's Christmas present. This one is just for me. My mom bought me the Indiana Jones movie for Christmas, but forgot, and then bought me a second copy (talk about CRS! hehe). So she gave me the receipt to take that back and I used that refund money to buy this movie instead. She even wrapped both copies up so I'd get a laugh on Christmas. :)

• Chronicles of Narnia $19.99, used $3 Disney coupon and will submit for $3 rebate (the free after rebate Scotch at WAG's from a couple weeks ago qualifies) = $13.99

CVS - My Card

• 2 Flex-a-min Glucosamine bottles $19.99 each, BOGO sale, used two $5 coupons (6/29, 9/7, 10/12 or 11/9 RP) and got back $3 ECB (Limit 1) = $6.99 ($2.99 for both when you take into account the $4 off $20 coupon)
• 4 papers $1.50 each = $6
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $5.99 ECB, $6 ECB, total was zero!

DBF's Card

• 2 Bodi Heat Patches (3 pack) $3.99 each, used two $1 peelie coupons and got back $3 ECB each (Dec. monthly deal, Limit 5) = FREE
• 2 Flex-a-min Glucosamine bottles $19.99 each, BOGO sale, used two $5 coupons (6/29, 9/7, 10/12 or 11/9 RP) and got back $3 ECB (Limit 1) = $6.99 ($2.99 for both when you take into account the $4 off $20 coupon)
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $5 ECB and $6 ECB, total was $0.97

So full...12/28 - 1/3

Oh goodness, anyone else still super-stuffed from all those holiday goodies? Ugh...feel like blimp...must find sweatpants... Photo courtesy of lolcats

As always, my deals all come from the wonderful folks at HCW, Slick Deals and Erica at iheartcvs.com, iheartriteaid.com and iheartwags.com. Here we go...

CVS

• Nature's Bounty Vitamins or Supplements BOGO sale (PSA $4.49), use two $2 coupons and get back $3 ECB (WYB 2, Limit 1) = $2.50 profit. Sale also includes glucosamine which starts at $19.99. This stuff is very pricey so this is a good deal for me.
• Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste $2.99, use $1.50 coupon and get $2 ECB (Limit 2) = $0.49 profit
• Olay Cleansers, Scrubs or Makeup Removers (4.2 - 6 oz.) - BOGO 50% off sale, use $5 coupon (home mailer Q) or $5 off 2 coupons (11/16 RP or 12/14 P&G) and submit for $15 gift card (when you buy one Regenerist moisturizer or two cleansers) = FREE or profit depending on prices

CVS December Monthly Deals - good through 12/31

• Complete Multi Purpose Solution (12 oz) $8.99, use $2 coupon and get back $8.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $2 profit
• Theraflu $6.59, use $2 coupon (10/19 SS), get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) and submit for Mail in Rebate (10/19 SS - will only give you price minus coupon value) = $2 profit
• Rolaids Soft Chews (12-42 ct.) or 3-Roll Package $2.19 - $2.99, use $1 coupon (9/14 SS, 10/5 RP) and get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE or profit
• Bodi Heat Patches (3 pack) $3.99, use $1 peelie coupons on package and get back $3 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE

CVS January Monthly Deals - start 1/1

• Children's Throat Cooler Ice Pops (6 ct.) $4.99, buy two, use BOGO coupon (or 12/7 SS) and get back $4.99 for each (Limit 2) = $4.99 profit (on two)
• NasoGel Drip Free Gel Spray (1.52 oz) $7.99, use $2 coupon and get back $7.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $2 profit
• Nutra Trim Weight Management Chewing Gum (48 ct.) $3.99, $3.99 ECB (Limit 2) = FREE
• Listerine Smart Rinse or Agent Blue (8.5 - 16.9 oz) $3.99, use $1 coupon and get $3 ECB (Limit ?) = FREE
• This is a hidden monthly deal from 1/4 - 2/14: Soy Joy specially marked 6 pack boxes $6, $6 ECB (Limit ?) = FREE

Rite Aid - January SCR's start 12/28

• Covergirl Makeup BOGO sale, use Free Cover Girl Face Product WYB Cover Girl Foundation coupon (11/30 P&G *Expires 12/31) = two for FREE *Tip from Erica at iheartriteaid: "Make sure both products are the same price to do this the easy way"
• Dawn Dish Detergent $0.99, use $0.50 coupon (12/14 P&G) = $0.49 a bottle
• Pert Plus $3, use $2 coupon (10/19 SS) and $1.50 RA coupon (from Modella bag rebate) = $0.50 profit *RA coupon expires 12/31
• Orajel Anti-Septic Mouth Sore Rinse $5.99, use $1 coupon (10/26 SS) and get back $5.99 SCR (Jan #?) = $1 profit
• Oral B Mouth Sore Rinse $5.99, get back $5.99 SCR (Jan #?) = FREE

Walgreens

• NEW - Dimetapp and Robitussin are $4 each, buy $20 worth and get back $10 RR's, use $2 coupons here. Its been reported that you'll also get two $5 RR's in addition to the $10 RR.

Walgreens January Monthly Deals 12/28 - 1/31

• Orajel Cold Sore Brush or 8 pack patches $8.49, use $1 coupon (10/26 SS), submit for Try Me Free rebate (10/26 SS - valid for Orajel Overnight Cold Sore Patch, Orajel Cold Sore Brush, Orajel Plaque Revealing Rinse or Orajel Plaque Revealing Pre-Brush Gel) and get back $8.49 (ESR #1) = $9.49 profit
• Auto Expressions Vent Fresh Elite Auto Air Freshener $4.99, submit for $4.99 manufacturer's rebate and get back $4.99 ESR (#2) = $4.99 profit
• Revlon Matte Collection Blush or Eyeliner $9.99, Revlon Matte Collection Lipstick $7.99 OR Revlon Matte Collection Eye Shadow $4.99, use $1 coupon (10/12, 11/16 or 12/7 SS) or $2 coupon (8/24 or 9/14 SS) and get back full price ($4.99, $7.99 or $9.99 depending on which you bought) ESR (#3) = $1 - $2 profit

If you get your rebate back on a gift card instead of a check, you get a 10% bonus on each item.

General Printable Rebate Offers:

• The Chronicles of Narnia on DVD or Blu-Ray Hi-Def $3 rebate WYB Scotch products Exp. 3/31/09
• Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake TMF Exp. 1/31/09
• Febreze Noticeables Satisfaction Guarantee Exp. 6/30/09
• Herbal Essences - free haircut when you buy 2 specially marked bottles Exp. 6/31/09
• Hersheys - free calendar when you send in 5 UPC's Exp. 1/31/09
• Jolly Time - free reusable bag when you send in 3 UPC's - valid while quantities last
• Kellogg's Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites Cereal Exp. 7/31/09
• Nutro Cat food $7 rebate for 8 pound bag Exp. 1/16/09
• Nutro High Energy Dog Food $3, $5 or $10 rebate depending on size Exp. 1/2/09
• Nutro Senior Dog Food $5 or $10 rebate depending on size Exp. 1/2/09
• Olay $15 gift card when you buy 2 Regenerist Cleansers or Moisturizers Exp. 1/14/09
• Orajel - no exp. date listed
• Peter Pan satisfaction guarantee Exp. 5/31/09
• P&G - spend $50 in P&G products, get $120 worth of coupons 12/14/08 - 2/14/09
• Progresso Soup satisfaction guarantee Exp. 3/31/09
• Precious Kitty Litter - One request per lifetime
• Sucrets $2 rebate Exp. 1/31/09
• Sure Max deodorant TMF Exp. 3/31/09

Don't Shoot Your Eye Out!

I hope you all have a truly wonderful, happy and safe holiday. To get you started on the right foot, here are some of my favorite Christmas songs - you know, the ones that haven't been played three million times on the radio already. :)
Darlene Love - All Alone on Christmas
Straight No Chaser - Carol of the Bells
And a little more SNC fun - 12 Days of Christmas

I Love Catalinas!

ShopRite

• 3 bottles Franco Rinaldi pasta sauce $1.25 each, used three freebie coupons (from previous rebate program several months back) = FREE
• Macintosh apples $2.86
• Pears $1.74
• 2 bags Fresh Express lettuce $2.49 each, used $0.55 coupon (doubled to $1.10, 12/7 SS) = $1.38 each
• Milk $2.09
• 2 bags Wise Kettle Cooked chips $1.49 each
• Used three $4 catalinas, got $0.10 bag discount, total was $0.35

Later...at my new favorite ShopRite

• 4 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each, used four $2 coupons (found inside packages)
• Glade Gel Warmer $1.99, used $1 coupon on package = $0.99
• Total was $3.74 and got back $4 catalina

The Land of Misfit Cashiers

This was a very busy day! I got up early and before work, I hit up Walgreens, CVS, ran home to drop off the soda so it wouldn't freeze in my trunk while I was at work (the high today was a balmy 24 degrees!), the post office, ShopRite, Rite Aid and another Walgreens. And then one more CVS run AFTER work to exchange the rest of the eye shadow and do the soda deal on my boyfriend's card. Plus I threw in another ShopRite run just for fun. Phew, I'm exhausted!

Walgreens - this was at 8:30 am (store opens at 8) and they only had one or two Conairs left in the store. The employee helping me find them said lots of folks bought them yesterday. Are they going to return and rebuy them today? I don't understand that.

• 3 Berwick Curling Ribbon Eggs three for $1 with circular coupon = $1 (fillers)
• Conair Gel Grips Hair Dryer $10, got back $10 RR (today ONLY) = FREE
• Used four $2 RR's, total was $3.77

CVS

Exchanged my L'oreal eye shadows for the Metallic Shadow variety and got my ECB's. :)

• 5 cases Diet Coke $3.66 each, used five $1 coupons and got back $5 ECB for spending $15 (Limit 1) on Coke = $1.66 a case - what a steal!
• Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste (4.2 oz.) $2.99, used $1 coupon (11/30 P&G) and got back $2 ECB (Limit 2) = FREE
• Right Guard deodorant $6, used $2 coupon (found inside package from yesterday's trip) and got back $6 ECB (Limit 5) = $2 profit
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $11.98 ECB and $2.59 ECB, total was around $4 (confusing b/c of exchange)

CVS - Round Two - cashier tried to tell me some of my Coke coupons were copies because I printed some in black & white ink and some in color. Umm, I don't think so. Sheesh

• 5 cases Diet Coke $3.66 each, used five $1 coupons and got back $5 ECB for spending $15 (Limit 1) on Coke = $1.66 a case
• Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste (4.2 oz.) $2.99, used $1 coupon (11/30 P&G) and got back $2 ECB (Limit 2) = FREE
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $8.97 ECB, $1.69 ECB, total was around $2

Rite Aid

• Butler G.U.M Toothbrush Value Pack $1.99, used $1 coupon (12/7 RP) and will get back $1 SCR (#96) = FREE

Rinse and repeat for DBF's rebate

RA Gift of Savings Progress: $51.93 in my name and DBF's name - $10 reward for each - hoorah, I made it! REMINDER - purchases must be made by 12/24 for this program

ShopRite - got a little "talking to" by the cashier about using a BOGO coupon with a regular coupon. The register accepted it and she didn't stop me, so I don't quite understand the whole "we'll allow it this time, but don't do it again speech." If its not ok, why is she allowing it now?

• 5 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each (bought two different varieties, its limit 4 of any of the same scent), used four $2 coupons (found inside packages of candles I bought previously) and one BOGO coupon, total was $2.78 and got back $4 catalina = $1.22 profit

Second trip:

• 4 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each, used four $2 coupons (found inside packages)
• Glade Gel Warmer $1.99, used freebie coupon (can't remember where I got this - I think someone gave it to me) = FREE
• 3 Axelrod sour creams $0.99 each
• Used $4 catalina from previous deal, total was $1.72 and got back $4 catalina for Glade

Step Away from my Fortress!

Gigi really likes the cat tower that my darling boyfriend built. She's been exploring it all weekend. Mousse loves it too, but isn't quite as comfortable climbing it yet. Did I mention I have very skittish cats? Well, I do.

Notice the hint of tongue she's sticking out here? She does that a lot. I think she's mocking me somehow.

STEP AWAY FROM MY FORTRESS HUMANS!

Hmm, anything down here I can swat at?

Well, hello human! Ahh, the world has righted itself. Cat above human, as it should be. :)

CVSing

EDIT - be on the lookout for $2 coupons inside the aerosol packages of Right Guard. Be careful opening the package, the coupon is on the top flap and extends inside so its easy to rip.
CVS - everything I bought today (except for the mug and J&J kits) are on sale today and Monday only. Both stores we went to were out of the Thermacare wraps and one was out of Arm & Hammer cleansers, so we got rainchecks for those items.

Just realized now I only got one ECB for the four L'Oreal shadows I bought. Make sure to buy the "Metallic Shadow Duo" variety, not just any duo. I'll have to do an exchange tomorrow.

My card

• EAS AdvantEdge Shake (4 pack) $7.49, got back $7.49 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• 2 J&J travel size first aid kits $0.99 each, used $3 off 2 coupon = $1.02 profit
• Halls Naturals (25 ct.) $2.59, used $0.35 coupon (Sept. All You magazine) and got back $2.59 ECB (Limit 1) = $0.35 profit
• 3 Right Guard Professional Solid deodorant (1.8 oz.) or Aerosol (6 oz.) $6.00, used three $0.50 coupons and got back $6.00 ECB (Limit 5) = $1.50 profit
• Zipfizz Energy (3 ct.) $5.99, got back $5.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• 2 Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Nail Color $5.99, used $3 off 2 coupon I found in store and got back $11.98 ECB ($5.99 each, Limit 2) = $3 profit
• 2 L'Oreal HIP Metallic Eye Shadow Duos $6.99, used two $2 coupons (10/5 RP) and got back $13.98 ECB ($6.99 each, Limit 2) = $4 profit
• Benefiber Drink Mix (16 count) $7.29, used $2 coupon (9/21, 10/19 or 11/16 SS) and got back $7.29 ECB (Limit 1) = $2 profit
• Christmas mug $2
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $25 ECB, $8.99 ECB, $6.99 ECB, $4.47 ECB, $3.99 ECB and $1.59 ECB, total was $3.42, overall profit was $12.87

DBF's card

• EAS AdvantEdge Bar (2.11 oz.) $1.69, got back $1.69 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• EAS AdvantEdge Shake (4 pack) $7.49, got back $7.49 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• 2 J&J travel size first aid kits $0.99 each, used $3 off 2 coupon (adjusted down to $1.98) = FREE
• Halls Naturals (25 ct.) $2.59, got back $2.59 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Right Guard Professional Solid deodorant (1.8 oz.) or Aerosol (6 oz.) $6.00, got back $6.00 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE
• 3 Arm & Hammer Essentials Starter Kits $2.99 each, used three $1 coupon (or 12/14 SS) and got back $8.97 ECB ($2.99 each, Limit 5) = $3 profit
• Slimquick (2 pack, 4 oz. total) $4.99, got back $4.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Zipfizz Energy (3 ct.) $5.99, got back $5.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• 2 Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Nail Color $5.99, used $3 off 2 coupon I found in store and got back $11.98 ECB ($5.99 each, Limit 2) = $3 profit
• 2 L'Oreal HIP Metallic Eye Shadow Duos $6.99, used two $1 coupons (11/2 RP) and got back $13.98 ECB ($6.99 each, Limit 2) = $2 profit
• Benefiber Drink Mix (16 count) $7.29, used $2 coupon (9/21, 10/19 or 11/16 SS) and got back $7.29 ECB (Limit 1) = $2 profit
• Used $4 off $20 coupon, $15 ECB, $10 ECB, $8.99 ECB, $8.99 ECB, $5.98 ECB, $4.99 ECB, $3 ECB, total was $2.02, overall profit was $12

Catz Rool & Dogz Druul

Hullo humanz on the interwebz! Zis is the wonderful Gigi and Mousse...you know, the coolest catz ever. Mousse: Yo

Gigi: Wasssuuupppp!!

We iz here to share a Gigi and Mousse adventure. We livez a very special life yu know. She's uzually prettie cool, but today, our mean human took us to an awful place. She took out those pet carrierz thiz mornin and we knew somethin' was up.

Gigi: Hellz yeah I knew somthin was up! As soon as I finished breakfast and saw the human messin with that trap thing, I hightailed my bottom into the bedroom and hid under ze bed. Haha, human, come and get me now!

Mousse: How come you didn't tell me nuthin Geegs?!? I was just sittin there noshin' away and swoop! Human captured me! I tried to fight her and did my best to get away from that trap thing (I hatez it!). I clawed at the sidez, squirmed and wiggled, grabbed anything nearby, but she wonz. Sigh. At least I warned you! I waz crying and meowing somethin' awful to let you know to stay away!

Gigi: Haha, sucka! I was alreadyz hidden under the bed.

Mousse: I saw mama walking round. She was trying to figure a way to get the Geeg-meister out.

Gigi: I know, she came in the bedroom with a tubey thing and tried to push me out from under ze bed. She knowz nuthinz gonna lure me out of my safe spot! Poke, poke, but I just moved to the furzest corner where she couldn't get meez. Then when she finally got me out, when she walked around to pickz me up, I sneaky snuck back under. Ha! Gigi wins again! Nuthin can defeat meez!

Mousse: I just kept cryinz but human ignorez me. Sigh. LET ME OUT!!

Gigi: Ooh, mama bringing out ze big gunz! Hey! No fair movin ze whole bed! Ok, I sneaky cat! She won't see me moving cause I run like ninja. I hide behinz shelf thing and plant. Haha! You can't see me now! Oh no! She sees me! AUGH!! Ze plant is moving!! I CAUGHT, I CAUGHT!! Help me Mousse!!

Mousse: Drat, that human is sneaky too!

(the wreckage)

Gigi: Ok humanz, we in car now. You to pleeez stop that awful meowing? Pleez? We sorry!

Mousse: Uh oh, Geeg. I don't like zis place! Zis is dat place where they poke and prod us! I don't like it! I'm gonna hide in my cage here and maybe they won't see me.

Gigi - You dope, of course they're gonna see you. Oh no, they're moving my cage first!

Mousse - Haha, you shoulda done my trick!

Gigi - Nooooo, I don't wanna come outta my cage! Umm...ok, oh hello Doctor. What are you doing? Oh, ok, that doesn't hurt. I don't like it, but maybe if I go limp and curl into zis little ball, you won't do anything else....oh no! Not working! Why you lookin n my earz? Stop poking me pleeze. Oh no, my teeth are quite fine thank you, no need to check...uh, ok then. Augh, don clip my talons pleeze, they good for clawing stuff. Hey! No stick me with that thing! Ouch!! Sigh, zis doctor guy no listen to me. Oh yay, back in cage. PHEW! I iz safe.

Mousse: AUGH! Don wanna come out! NO! I gonna stay in here thank you very much. Umm, ok fine. I'm out, but I don likez it! Not one bit. AUGH! Whatz zat?!? A dogz? I don like it...make it go away! Ok, that's better. AUGH! Whatz zat?!? Annuther human! I don know him! I don like zis at all. Ok, mez had enuff of this. I GROWL at you like furoshush lion. GROWL...I am channeling my innur lion. Iz not working! You still poking me! Ok, on to the big guns. HISS! Still iz not working...what else can Iz do?

Gigi: (chuckling quietly in her carrier)

Mousse: Ok human, you ask for trouble, you iz gonna getz it. SWAT!! I gonna swack you with mean furoshush claws just like lionz do. Hey! You cut my claws! Swiping ability drastically diminished. Second times the charm...SWAT! Missed again! Zis human movez fast! Maybe he channel innur lion too. HEY what's that? Cats donnt wear leash! Zat for dogs! Oh yay, back in carrier again. Phew. I'm still a growlin' monster though. Dont chou dare take me out again! Growl....What's that stick thing you're poking at me? Hey! You just put that leash on me, I kinda like it...ok fine then, take it back. It wasn't my color anywayz.

(stupid humanz meowing in weird talk...how comez they talk so funney?)

Gigi: Thank goodness, back in car again. Hey Mousse! We're going home!

Mousse: (turning away) I don't wanna talk about it...

10 minutes later...

Carrier doors open into safe, warm home. Oooh, what's this? A surprise from daddy? For us? Oooh, its homemade! Look at these scratching placez and comfyness. Oh, you humanz too kind, too kind. I guess we can forgive youz...this time.

But youz betta sleepz with one eye open tonight....

Energizer - The Rebates Just Keep Going!

This Walgreens deal came from Common Sense With Money

• Energizer rechargeable battery charger $7.99 (sale price through Saturday, $9.99 regular price afterwards), used $0.75 coupon (12/14 SS), will submit for $5 WAG rebate (#20) and also will submit for $5 manufacturer's rebate = $2.76 profit

Rinse & repeat under DBF's name. Coupon went through with no beeps. :)

Walgreens Energizer Moneymaker

This deal came from Common Sense With Money: buy an Energizer rechargeable battery charger at Walgreens for $7.99 (sale price through Saturday, $9.99 regular price afterwards). You'll get back a $5 rebate from Walgreens (#20) and you can also submit for this manufacturer's rebate for $5. There was also a $0.75 or $1 coupon in the 12/14 SS for Energizer batteries or a flashlight. Since the package contains batteries, I'm thinking it might go through (check the codes to be sure). Overall profit: $2 without coupon, $2.75 - $3 with coupon

If your store is out, make sure you get a raincheck for the $7.99 price. And if you can't make it to the store before tomorrow, its free after rebate at the $9.99 price.

Busy Bee

If you've been watching the news, you probably know about the snowstorm that is affecting most folks on the east coast. It blew in my area this morning and with the forecast calling for 6+ inches of snow, I decided it would be smart to take a day off work. I can't think of the last time I've been home all day with nowhere to go, so I decided to really take advantage of it. I cleaned my apartment, vacuumed, emptied and scrubbed clean my cats' litter boxes, listed items for sale on ebay, wrapped Christmas presents, read emails, paid bills, filled out rebate forms, dug those darn Glade coupons out of the candle packages and reorganized my garage stockpile area. Hoorah for stockpile pictures!

Before we head downstairs, here are some of my mini-stockpile areas. I live in an apartment, so I've had to be a little creative with the places I keep my goodies.

Candle/air freshner storage - I keep these in my bedroom on a shelf. The boxes are inside cubby holes, so you can't tell what's inside. You may notice I don't have any of the Plug-ins up here (except for those couple of Febreeze plug-ins that I did a rebate on. The boxes are open so I didn't feel right donating those). I decided I didn't want to use any plug-ins because I didn't want them contributing to my electric bill. I also get nervous leaving them plugged in while I'm not at home.

Here's a new idea I had. I have a bunch of flower pots lying around. I bought them when I moved in my apartment and had hopes for beautiful flowering plants. Either because of my definitely not-green-thumb or bad luck, they didn't make it. :( But I really liked the pots so I saved them. I decided the other day to put them to use and took out all the Glade candle thingies. Its the perfect size to store them and takes up much less room than all those boxes would.

Good for tea light candles too!

This is a small closet in my bedroom. I got these shelves on clearance at CVS and they fit perfectly in here. I store my dry cat food here because the cats can't get to it when the door's shut. Also if I stored this in my garage, I'm afraid bugs or mice would eat at it. I also keep the printer paper I bought at Walgreens a couple months back and shipping supplies in here.

Ok, let's head downstairs now:

My face care stuff, toothpaste, mouthwash and toothbrushes (hiding behind the toothpaste) and some loose razors I threw in another flower pot. Let's take a look inside those drawers:

Drawer #1 is razors, soap, vitamins and deodorant. I love that pink box because it keeps everything from rolling around in the drawer.

Drawer #2 - the feminine care aisle (look at ALL that Kotex! Oy!)

Drawer #3 - cleaning, dusting stuff and lint rollers

Now onto my shelves:

Reorganized kitty litter and cleaners

Shaving cream, body wash, lotion and conditioner

Shampoo and kitty food - those are bags of cat treats in the flower pot. I like keeping shampoo and conditioner in separate spots so I can quickly tell how much I have left of each. I always seem to run out of conditioner!

Some grub - bug and mice-proof only grub though, everything else is upstairs in my apartment

Smell pretties

You may have noticed I don't keep everything that I buy. I am only one person and don't see the need to hold onto every item I purchase, unless I know I'll use them in a reasonable time frame or before they go bad or expire. I give lots of stuff to family and friends and donate the rest.

Glade, I Wish I Knew How to Quit You...

So I really hadn't planned on going after the ShopRite Glade catalina deal. Really! But that darn Glade, it calls to me. "Buy me, buy me, frugalsuz! I'll make you a $3 profit!" Allright, fine! But this is the last time Glade...probably.

ShopRite #1 - before work

• 5 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each (bought two different varieties, its limit 4 of any of the same scent), used four $2.50 coupons (adjusted to $2.49, 12/7 SS) and one $2 coupon (found inside packages of candles I bought previously, but not these ones! hehe)
• Total was $1.31 (basically just tax) and got back $4 catalina = $2.69 profit

ShopRite #2 - before work

• 4 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each, used four $2.50 coupons (adjusted to $2.49, 12/7 SS) = FREE
• Glade Scented Oil Candle Refill 3 pack $1.99, used freebie coupon (got from contacting Glade about the expired coupons in the packages in link above) = FREE
• Total was $1.32 and got back $4 catalina = $2.68 profit

ShopRite #3 - lunch break - no Glade products of any kind in sight. I think all the NJ hounds get together and raid this store because its forever out of stock of any decent sale items. :)

• 3 Pretzelfills $1.84 each, used three $0.75 coupons (12/14 RP) = $0.34 each, total was $1.02

ShopRite #1 - after work

• 3 Pretzelfills $1.84 each, used three $0.75 coupons (12/14 RP) = $0.34 each
• 3 Glade Scented Oil Candles $2.49 each, used two $2 coupons (found inside packages of candles I bought previously) and one BOGO coupon = $0.98
• 2 Glade Scented Oil Candle Refill 3 packs $1.99 each, used two freebie coupons (sent to me from Glade) = FREE
• Total was $2.82 and got back $4 catalina = $1.18 profit

My WAG's Rocks!

So remember my double dipping dilemma? (say that three times fast!) Well, thanks to a tip from dancinmama, I called my Walgreens to see if they could print an extra copy of the receipt somehow. They weren't able to do that, but the awesome manager returned all the Olay face washes I previously bought (in three separate transactions) and re-rang them all on one receipt! So now I have receipts to send in for the Olay rebate AND the P&G rebate! That totally made my day.

And what's up with this? I got an email today from Olay advertising for their rebate. And right below it, it says "Plus, save even more on Olay and other P&G brands. Get your Year of Savings Coupon Book". Come on now Olay, stop teasing! :)

I really would like to send a note to Walgreens to tell them how helpful he was, but I'm worried I might get him in trouble. What do you all think? Was what he did for me kosher?

Another Great CVS Week 12/21 - 12/27

Photo courtesy of lolcats

As always, my deals all come from the wonderful folks at HCW, Slick Deals and Erica at iheartcvs.com, iheartriteaid.com and iheartwags.com. Here we go...

Its a sad day -- no coupon inserts in Sunday's paper this coming week or next. Sniff.

CVS - Sunday and Monday Only (12/21 & 12/22)

• Zantac 150 (8 count) $4.99, use $1.50 coupon (9/21, 10/26 or 11/9 SS) or $1 coupon and submit for MIR (11/9 SS) and get back $4.99 ECB (Limit 1) = $6.49 profit or $5.99 profit
• Excedrin Express Gels (20 ct.) $3.99, use $2 coupon, send in for Try Me Free rebate (10/19 SS) and get back $3.99 ECB (Limit 1) = $5.99 profit
• Benefiber Drink Mix (16 count) $7.29, use $2 coupon (9/21, 10/19 or 11/16 SS) and get back $7.29 ECB (Limit 1) = $2 profit
• Arm & Hammer Essentials Starter Kit $2.99, use $1 coupon (or 12/14 SS) and get back $2.99 ECB (Limit 5) = $1 profit - also MIR forms floating around in some stores
• L'Oreal HIP Metallic Eye Shadow Duos $6.99, use $1 coupon (11/2 RP) or $2 coupon (10/5 RP) and get back $6.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $1 - $2 profit
• Listerine Antiseptic (16.9 oz) $2.99, use $0.50 or $0.75 coupon (10/5 RP) or $1 coupon (CVS Diabetes book, found in stores - you can use this IN ADDITION to the manufacturer's coupon) and get back $2.99 ECB (Limit 5) = $0.50 - $1.50 profit
• Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Nail Color $5.99, use $0.50 coupon (9/28 SS), $2 coupon (found in some stores) and get back $5.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $0.50 - $2 profit
• Right Guard Professional Solid deodorant (1.8 oz.) or Aerosol (6 oz.) $6.00, use $0.50 coupon and get back $6.00 ECB (Limit 5) = $0.50 profit
• Halls Naturals (25 ct.) $2.59, use $0.35 coupon (Sept. All You magazine) or $0.50 coupon (12/7 SS or Nov. 21 issue of All You magazine) and get back $2.59 ECB (Limit 1) = $0.35 - $0.50 profit
• ThermaCare Neck to Arm Heatwrap (1 ct.) $2.49, get back $2.49 ECB (Limit 3) = FREE
• Zipfizz Energy (3 ct.) $5.99, get back $5.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Alteril Sleep Aid (30 ct.) $9.99, get back $9.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• EAS AdvantEdge Bar (2.11 oz.) $1.69, get back $1.69 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• EAS AdvantEdge Shake (4 pack) $7.49, get back $7.49 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Iceland Health Joint Relief (60 count) $29.99, get back $29.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Slimquick (2 pack, 4 oz. total) $4.99, get back $4.99 ECB (Limit 1) = FREE
• Sleepinal (32 count) $8.49, get back $8.49 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE

All Week Long Sales

• NEW - Band Aids $0.99, use $1 coupon (8/10 SS) = FREE - thanks for this tip Laurie!
• Buy $15 of Coke products, get $5 ECB (Limit 1)
• Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste (4.2 oz.) or Rinse (8.45 oz.) $2.99, use $1 coupon (11/30 P&G) and get back $2 ECB (Limit 2) = FREE

CVS December Monthly Deals

• Complete Multi Purpose Solution (12 oz) $8.99, use $2 coupon and get back $8.99 ECB (Limit 2) = $2 profit
• Theraflu $6.59, use $2 coupon (10/19 SS), get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) and submit for Mail in Rebate (10/19 SS - will only give you price minus coupon value) = $2 profit
• Rolaids Soft Chews (12-42 ct.) or 3-Roll Package $2.19 - $2.99, use $1 coupon (9/14 SS, 10/5 RP) and get back $2 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE or profit
• Bodi Heat Patches (3 pack) $3.99, use $1 peelie coupons on package and get back $3 ECB (Limit 5) = FREE

Rite Aid

• Maybelline Cosmetics BOGO sale, use two $4 coupons (12/7 RP) to get free makeup
• Butler G.U.M Toothbrush Value Pack or Flossers $1.99, use $1 toothbrush coupon or $0.55 flossers coupon (12/7 RP) and get back $1 SCR (#96) = $0.45 or FREE

Don't forget about the RA Gift of Savings Program. The last day to make purchases is 12/24.

Walgreens 12/21 - 12/24 - separate sale 12/25 - 12/27 but nuthin' excitin'

• 12/22 Only: Conair Gel Grips Hair Dryer $10, get back $10 RR = FREE
• Del Met Turtles (3.5 oz.) $0.99, buy two and use $1.50 coupon (11/16 SS) = $0.48 for two (coupon will beep if you buy just one)
• 12 packs of Pepsi four for $12 and get back $3 RR = $2.25 each, $1 coupon for Pepsi One available here

Walgreens December Rebates: 11/21 - 12/27

• Bald Guyz Head Wipes (16 pack) or 4 oz Moisture Gel (4 oz.) $4.99 and get back $4.99 ESR #1 = FREE
• L'oreal Age Perfect Pro-Calcium Radiance Perfector (1.7 oz.) $19.99, use $1 coupon (10/19 SS) or $2 coupon (10/5 RP) and get back $19.99 (ESR #59 - leftover from last month, probably not on the list of December rebates but it will still go through) = $2 profit

If you get your rebate back on a gift card instead of a check, you get a 10% bonus on each item.

General Printable Rebate Offers:

• Caregivers Marketplace - many rebates included Exp. 12/31/08
• The Chronicles of Narnia on DVD or Blu-Ray Hi-Def $3 rebate WYB Scotch products Exp. 3/31/09
• Citrucel Exp. 12/31/08
• Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake TMF Exp. 1/31/09
• Febreze Noticeables Satisfaction Guarantee Exp. 6/30/09
• Herbal Essences - free mani/pedi when you buy 2 specially marked bottles Exp. 12/31/08
• Herbal Essences - free haircut when you buy 2 specially marked bottles Exp. 6/31/09
• NEW - Hersheys - free calendar when you send in 5 UPC's Exp. 1/31/09
• NEW - Jolly Time - free reusable bag when you send in 3 UPC's - valid while quantities last
• Kellogg's Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites Cereal Exp. 7/31/09
• Lunchables Exp. 12/31/08
• Nutro Cat food $7 rebate for 8 pound bag Exp. 1/16/09
• Nutro High Energy Dog Food $3, $5 or $10 rebate depending on size Exp. 1/2/09
• Nutro Senior Dog Food $5 or $10 rebate depending on size Exp. 1/2/09
• NEW - Olay $15 gift card when you buy 2 Regenerist Cleansers or Moisturizers Exp. 1/14/09
• Orajel - no exp. date listed
• Peter Pan satisfaction guarantee Exp. 5/31/09
• P&G - spend $50 in P&G products, get $120 worth of coupons 12/14/08 - 2/14/09
• Post Its - buy 2 and get $5 McDonalds Gift Card Exp. 12/31/08
• Progresso Soup satisfaction guarantee Exp. 3/31/09
• Precious Kitty Litter - One request per lifetime
• Spray 'n Wash MBG Exp. 12/31/08
• Sucrets $2 rebate Exp. 1/31/09
• Sure Max deodorant TMF Exp. 3/31/09
• Sure with Natural Extracts TMF Exp. 12/31/08
• Tetley Tea MBG Exp. 12/31/08
• X14 Bathroom Cleaner Money Back Guarantee Exp. 12/31/08

Help a Sista Out!

Amiyrah posted on the WIR Message Boards today that the Stop & Shop deal was even better! Folks on HCW were reporting that when you buy a $25 Best Buy gift card, you would get a $10 catalina for your next order. The deal is supposed to be when you buy a $50 card, but it was printing on the $25 ones. That's an awesome deal, so I stopped by after work.

But first, my Walgreens hounds of the day (look familiar? hehe)...

Walgreens

• 2 Skippy Peanut Butters $1.50 each, used two $0.35 coupons (11/16 RP) = $1.15 per jar (I'm finally stocked back up again on pb)
• 3 cases Diet Coke $11, used three $1 coupons and got back $2 RR = $2 each (this is part of the four day sale from today through Saturday)
• 2 Olay Regenerist face washes $9.99 each, BOGO 50% off sale this week so second was $4.99, used $5 off 2 coupon (12/14 P&G) and will submit for $15 Gift Card rebate = $5 profit - will submit rebate at parent's address
• Used $5 RR, total was $16.03 - paid with gift card so zero OOP

Stop & Shop

• 3 trial size Scope mouthwashes $1.29 each, total was $4.14 and got a $10 coupon for any gift card (except for Visa, Mastercard, Amex and S&S gift cards) = $5.86 profit

Yay! The Scope works! (And don't worry Amiyrah, I didn't clean them out. :) There are tons left.)

• $25 Best Buy gift card, used $10 coupon from first transaction = $15 OOP

...but no $10 catalina printed out. :( No worries though, I still made a $5.86 profit. I don't really shop at Best Buy much, but I'm sure I can find something to use the $25 gift card on.

But...

...can someone...

...please explain to me...

...why I did a rinse and repeat?!?

Anyone?

No Double Dipping for Me

I just called the Olay folks and the $15 gift card that you'll get for the current rebate is basically like an Amex gift card. Its not limited to Olay products and you can use it wherever.

I called because I wanted to know if I could submit my Olay receipts for this rebate and also for the spend $50, get $120 coupon book rebate. She could only speak for the Olay rebate, and that one requires an original receipt. I also called P&G just now and they require an original receipt as well, so unfortunately, no double dipping on this one. Shucks, wouldn't that have been nice?

P&G Day

EDIT - Thanks to Queen's blog, the following P&G trial size items are working for this Stop & Shop deal: Crest toothpaste, Crest pro-health mouthwash, Scope mouthwash, Secret deodorant, Gillette aftershave.

Walgreens

• 2 Olay Regenerist face washes $9.99 each, BOGO 50% off sale this week so second was $4.99, used $5 off 2 coupon (12/14 P&G) and will submit for $15 Gift Card rebate = $5 profit - will submit rebate in DBF's name
• Used $5 RR, total was $5.68 - paid on gift card so zero OOP

Stop & Shop

• 3 Crest Pro Health mouthwashes (trial size) $0.99 each
• Total was $3.18 and I got a $10 coupon good for any gift card purchase (except for Visa, Mastercard, Amex and S&S gift cards) = $6.82 profit
• Used coupon to get a $25 California Pizza Kitchen (yum!) gift card for $15

There were lots of other gift cards to choose from and in smaller amounts as well. I saw $15 Blockbuster cards, $15 iTunes cards, $25 Olive Garden cards and lots of other goodies. I asked in Customer Service if I could use the coupon on a $10 gift card and she said that would be fine. I just didn't see any cheaper ones I wanted to buy.

The deal is that you get a $10 coupon when you buy three participating P&G products. The circular doesn't say it excludes trial sizes, but I'm not sure if and what other trial sizes would work. A poster on HCW reported the Crest was working, so I just bought these.

I Love Rebates!

Walgreens - thanks emhalf for this great deal!

• 2 Olay Regenerist face washes $9.99 each, BOGO 50% off sale this week so second was $4.99, used two $5 home mailer coupons and will submit for $15 Gift Card rebate = $10 profit

*There are cheaper face washes for $7.99, but from what the signs said in the store, the sale was on products $9.99 and up so I wasn't sure those would work for the sale. You can still make a $5 profit using the $5 off 2 coupon from Sunday's P&G insert if you don't have these home mailer coupons.

I wonder if these would also count towards the P&G Spend $50 deal. The problem would be sending receipts in for both rebates - I wonder if one or the other would take copies?

• Progresso Soup $0.99 with in-circular coupon, used $1.10 coupon = $0.11 profit (give manufacturer's coupon first, then circular coupon)
• 2 Skippy Peanut Butters $1.50 each, used two $0.35 coupons (11/16 RP) = $1.15 per jar
• Diet 7-Up $0.79 (filler)
• Used $2 RR (would have used a larger amount RR, but I wasn't 100% sure about the Olay products, so I played it safe with a lower RR), total was $7.06 - paid with gift card so zero OOP

CVS

• Complete Multi Purpose Solution (12 oz) $8.99, used $3 ECB and $5.99 ECB, got back $8.99 ECB (Limit 2) = FREE *Also $2 coupon available (I printed my limit already)

Also picked up these great coupons. My store had them right next to the circulars.

Michaels

• Candy melts $2.49, used 40% off coupon from circular = $1.49
• Holiday basket $19.99, 60% off sale, paid $7.99 - this is perfect for my Secret Santa gift for my coworker. Details to come soon...

These candy melts are perfect for candy making, especially this time of year. I'm going to be using them to make some goodies this weekend.

Coupon Tip:

I learned this awesome tip from a fellow poster on the WIR Message Boards. I wasn't sure whether my $5 Olay coupons would work because the wording on them said "$5 off Olay Regenerist Moisturizer". Obviously I wanted to use them on the cleansers because those are much cheaper. So what I did was matched the first half of the coupon code with the UPC on the product. Since they matched, I knew the coupon wouldn't beep. :)

A persnickity cashier might give you trouble, but my cashier today was an awesome, really friendly young guy who does whatever as long as the register takes it. Looking at the Olay website again today, the site says the coupon is good for any Olay Regenerist Product, so I'm not sure why the coupon is worded that way. But this is a great tip to remember if you're ever unsure whether a coupon is good for a particular product.

Random Stockpile Shots

I love all the deals on soda lately! I was getting really low, but between CVS and Walgreens' sales, I've been able to stock up again. Here's my stockpile of fizzies: And a random shot of my kitty litter, shaving cream and laundry detergent stockpile. You all store them together also, right? :)

And my paper goods stockpile (I have a pile of toilet paper in another spot):

And here is my insanely messy to-be-donated table. I have to bag all this up soon -- its taking over!
Sheesh!

Home Cookin'

DBF and I made Pioneer Woman's Penne alla Vodka this weekend. We used a whole cup of vodka and it was pretty tangy, so I think we'll just use 3/4 cup next time. Deelish! Now that I'm thinking about it, we used Pecorino Romano cheese instead of Parmesan, so that didn't help. That's probably why it was so tangy. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to make it again!
Walgreens

• 3 Progresso Soups $0.99 each with in-circular coupon, used three $1.10 coupon = $0.33 profit (give manufacturer's coupon first, then circular coupon)
• 2 Skippy Peanut Butters $1.50 each, used two $0.35 coupons (11/16 RP) = $1.15 per jar
• Candy bar (filler) $0.89
• Used $2 RR, total was $0.92

CVS

• 6 papers $2 each = $12
• 2 cases Pepsi One $3.25 each, used two $1 coupons and 2 cases Diet Pepsi $3.25 each (would have bought four Pepsi Ones but they didn't have that many in stock), got back $3 ECB = $2 per case
• Used $9 ECB, $6 ECB, $5.98 ECB and $1.59 ECB, total was $0.43

Every paper I looked at only had two inserts. And every paper DBF looked at all had all three. It was so weird! Guess he had the magic coupon touch today. :)

AHA! Moment

Do you ever have these? You're happily plodding along in your everyday life and all of a sudden, you say to yourself, "Aha! I've got it!" Well, I had an aha moment today. I've been wanting to go back to a darker hair color for a while (back towards my natural light brown color) versus the blond highlights I currently have, and it dawned on me today that if I go back to my natural color, I don't have to spend money on getting my hair highlighted anymore! I know you're probably thinking, "umm, duh frugalsuz! You never thought of that before?" Well, umm...no. :)

Its funny sometimes how you (or I) spend money on things without really thinking about whether they are necessary or not. Every so often, I look at my budget with a critical eye and see where I can cut expenses and increase my savings. But this was an irregular expense I didn't really think too much about. I wonder what else is lurking out there that I could cut?

With the way things are going right now, I really want to save as much in an emergency fund as possible. Here are some things I'm currently doing to save more:

• I'm so psyched gas prices have been so low lately. I budget $150 for gas every pay period (I have a long commute) and anything leftover that I haven't spent on gas has been going into my emergency fund or lately to pay for Christmas presents (I only have one more to buy, so I'll be done really soon).
• I increased my contributions to my Roth & 401(k) at the start of the month - that felt really nice, even if it did make my monthly budget a little tighter. If I don't save now, it will only be harder down the road, right?
• I use my Discover card to pay for gas and car related stuff (oil changes, repairs, etc.). I get 5% back on auto purchases, which I can get back as cash or on gift cards -- can we say CVS people? The key is obviously to pay the balance in full every month so you don't pay any interest.
• I've been keeping all appliances unplugged when not in use. The only exceptions are my Tivo and my alarm clock. Everything else gets unplugged. I've noticed my electric bill has definitely gone down since I started doing this.
• I've been taking advantage of all the $10 off $10 coupons for JCPenney or similar coupons that I get. I used to not buy any clothes for months at a time, and then I'd binge and spend a couple hundred dollars on a massive order of clothes. Yikes! That obviously is a budget killer! I've been trying to buy clothes more regularly now using these coupons. Today I bought two pairs of Dockers pants for around $35 using two $10 coupons.

I'd love to hear some of your money saving strategies too!