C V S Trip 2 (1/29/09)

I returned to my C V S today with my husband and son left in the car (I intended to go by myself this week so I could take my time and learn the layout of the store and such-but the icy roads and other errands/timing made it so we just all went together).

I was uber organized. I had a list of all the things I wanted to check out. I starred them in the weekly ad, monthly ad, and had my items that I had coupons for marked!!
I only purchased items that I either got ECB or coupons for. (well, except a clearanced thing of conditioner, a pack of gum, and a bottle of water -next time I'll have my own water!!).

The clerk was super helpful and welcomed my coupons (she even grabbed an additional coupon for me). I got my Extra Care Card (which reminds me I need to register online).

Here I go:
*now remember, I got an abundance of some items- but I've learned the point of the drugstore game is to stock up on sale items with coupons and ECBs in order to help your grocery budget. Since money will be tight when the baby arrives and the basement renovations- I need all the help I can get!!!

#2 bags M&Ms normally 3.49/each (6.49 total) on sale 2/$6 6 Out of pocket (OOP)
($2 Extra Care Bucks)
#2 Pertplus 3.99/each (7.98) on sale 1.99 each (used #2 $1 off coupons) 1.98 OOP
#2 Sure deoderants 2.99/each (5.98) on sale 1.99/each (used #2 $1 off coupons) 1.98 OOP
AA Engergizer batteries (8.99) on sale 6 (used .75 manufacturer coupon) 5.25 OOP
C Energizer batteries (8.49) on sale 6 (used $1 MC on package) 5 OOP
($4 ECB on $12 energizer purchase)
3 pack Ivory bar soap (1.69) on sale $.99 (lost my coupon somewhere:( ) .99 OOP
Schick intuition razor (9.99) on sale 8.99 ($2 coupon) 6.99 OOP
($4 ECB)
Gillette Hair conditioner (5.99) on sale 4.99 ($2 coupon) 2.99 OOP
Head and Shoulders (8.29) on sale 4.99 ($1 coupon) 3.99 OOP
($6 ECB on Gillette and H&S purchases)
Systane tears (11.29) on sale 7.99 ($2 coupon) 5.99 OOP
Prep H Wipes (4.29) ($2 coupon) 2.29 OOP
($1 ECB)
#2 Children's throat coolers (4.99/each) 9.98 (B1G1 coupon) 4.99 OOP
($9.98 ECB- *I made money of this one!!)
Nasogel 7.99 ($2 coupon) 5.99 OOP
(7.99 ECB *made $ here too*)
#2 Maalox Mint (darn pregnancy heartburn) 5.39/each 10.78 OOP
#2 GasX (one chewable 1 geltab) 5.69/each 11.38 OOP
($10 ECB for $20 Maalox/GasX/Benefiber purchases)
Dove soap (this is my mess up-guess I'm allowed 1 right?) 4.19 ($1 coupon) 3.19 OOP
*I thought I picked up the $.99 one-I need to pay closer attention-this was meant to be free!*
Water bottle $.99 OOP
Gum 1.29 OOP
Clearance conditioner $.87 OOP

Original price of items purchased = $130.66

Extra care card savings (i.e. sale savings) = 19.76
(doesn't count clearanced conditioner original price)

Coupon savings = 24.74

Extra care bucks (ECB) redeemed (from 1.20 purchase) = 19.99

Out of pocket (OOP) total = 66.17

Extra Care Bucks (to be used by 2/28/09 = 44.97!!!!



I think my math if fairly close (my OOP vs. coupons vs original prices, etc).

I spent more OOP than I had hoped. I wanted to keep it under $50 and was hoping to use last week's ECB to keep it under $30. But I got alot of stuff!! I'm so pleased with nearly $45 in ECB to roll over!!!

My main references in this process have been Centsible Savings and Money Saving Mom. These ladies post all the deals on their blogs!! The both have "tutorials" on how the system works and how to best spend your dollar (and the theory behind the "stockpiling"). I also get many many printable coupons from these gals (which I love!!!).

Next time I hope to make a list of my OOP as I put things in my cart (to better keep track of things). I tried to do it in my head and it got away from me. My goal is to keep my OOP under $15 and keep "rolling over" the ECBs!!! And Sunday starts a new monthly ad for the February ECBs!!! Yay!!

My friend Erin (Stella's mom) is doing this too and she said it all when she said "this could get addicting!!"

Between the sales and coupons I saved almost 50% - plus I got $45 to spend next month!!! Wow!!!

Hopefully if I have time next week I'll post pictures of my new coupon organizer!!!

Basement Renovation Before Pictures

Warning-it's cleared out but we have alot of stuff storing....

The view of the sump pump (that will be cornered in)

Turn directly around and this is the next picture:
This is the "finished MK office" nothing will change about it but it's storage for all our stuff right now. To the right in this picture is our downstairs pantry-the 2 freezers, our cabinet for overflow, the wine rack, etc.Still standing in the same place but turning halfway to see the steps going up and the part that will be walled off unfinished portion of the basement.

This is standing in front of the sump pump looking at the long corridor that will be finished. The part closest to the camera will be living/play area, then the middle section will be exercise area and the back will be home office/craft/scrapbooking!!

This is the back portion (imagin standing in the craft area) and looking at the part that will be walled off and unfinished. It will be our seasonal storage.

This is looking at the furnace with the area from the previous picture showing in the background. The walled off portion will include the furnace.

For some reason this picture is in here 3 times and I can't get rid of it. Any other time I delete pictures I want!!!!

This pic is standing in the "craft area" looking towards the playroom/sump pump (which will be closeted off). Picture a big screen tv mounted on that far wall (it was our big black friday find!!!)

I don't know...it's just another picture of our crap..er I mean stuff!!!

Monday is the big day. I'm so freaking excited!!! I can't wait to see how it is. It's really tough to envision what the final product will be like. And we will have a long road of setting it up even after it's finished. But we're excited to have a place for Max to play that is safe and we'll be able to set up the rest of it the way we want!!!

C V S trip 1 (1/20/09)

I've learned so much from some amazing blogs about the "drugstore game" and I'm pleased to say I'm officially a player!!! Trip 1 was last week and I'm just getting a chance to blog about it!!!!

I liked the store I went to but there were just a few issues!!

-Definitely not a place to take Max. Too small of carts and small aisles. Plus it takes some calculating and work-too much for a toddler.
-My C V S was out of extra care cards. They did use a courtesy card for my purchase and gave me a rain check for my Extra Care Bucks (ECBs). I was skeptical that it would all work out so I wanted to wait until I tried this week before I blogged about it.

So here is what I got:
#2 12 packs of Diet Pepsi ($3/each 0ut of pocket)
#2 12 packs of Mt Dew ($3/each OOP)
Tostitos ($3 OOP)
Lays wavy ($3 OOP)
Bounty paper towels 8 pack ($6.99 OOP)
Clairol Hair Color ($5.99 on sale - $1 coupon = $4.99 OOP)
Puffs plus ($.99 on sale - $.25 = $.74 OOP)
Nasogel ($7.99 on sale - $2 printable coupon = 5.99 OOP)

(36.71 with tax = $39.01 OOP)
*the Extra Care Card sales saved me $19.10*
Plus I got $19.99 in Extra Care Bucks (ECB) to use on my next purchase
*$10 for 15 purchase of pepsi products
*$7.99 for Nasogel
*$2 for Clairol

*all in all I'm pleased with my first try*

Where does the time go???

Wow-the 20th of January already!!!? We've spent every waking moment in the basement this month (after of course that stomach bug ravaged through our home). I say waking moments because-well, I like to nap.

Max does great in his pack n play while we're working down there and I actually think we're making excellent headway. My mom has helped immensely!!! I think we're almost ready for the renovation to begin in February!!! (I'm going to post before pictures as well as the progress...I can't wait).

I'm 28 weeks 2 days pregnant. Max arrived at 35 weeks. I'm freaking out!!! We do not have alot of time. As soon as the basement renovation starts then we'll start clearing out the guest room as we prepare to Max into his big boy room!!! We have ordered his crib (it'll be just like his old crib and it converts into a toddler bed and full size bed) and it should be ready very soon. It feels like we have a ton of projects but we're in stand still right now until the basement starts...that is our first priority. I'm of course hoping we get Max moved so we can clean the nursery and have it ready for B-but if not, we can use the pack n play for B to sleep in for a bit.

In anticipation of Jason cutting back his hours to stay at home (so we don't need day care or our inlaws) I've been really looking for ideas for budgeting and saving money!! One thing we decided to try today was CVS. I've found many great blogs where these amazing women play the "CVS game". I guess you can use CVS to really help out your grocery budget. Many of the items they have you can purchase with dollars off and get "extra care bucks" back. I'm gonna post tomorrow (hopefully) about our first purchases. You can essentially walk out of there with a bag full of goods for nearly nothing out of pocket!! And it's a way to stockpile toiletries and supplies that we normally buy at Sam's Club (and I'm finding that is not the cheapest place for some items). I really hope we can cut back our grocery budget via the items we normally buy at Sam's. I'm also reorganizing my coupon binder and I hope to post pics of that soon too!! I'm excited because I think I have my friend Erin (Stella's mom) on board with this frugality stuff. I'm eager to see how it works for us!!!

OOOOh- and Max is walking. Yup. All over the place. More than crawling now. He's been taking steps since before Christmas but chose to crawl. Now he's just so stinking proud of himself and walks all over!!

*******

There are some things I want to blog about and I'm gonna put them here for when I have writers block.
Pregancy finds this time around
Freezer cooking
CVS
Coupons
Current reads (blogs and books)

*******

More as time allows....man it feels like we're busy!!

Catching up....

Wow...Only 5 days into 2009-what a roller coaster!!!
**if you came here to see what the tagging is all about-check at the end of the post!!!**

So first off, we had a fabulous New Years Day with old friends (and new friends too!!!). Deb and Erin, Tim, and Stella came along with Kara, her mom Sue, and Baby Charlie!!! This was my first time meeting Stella and Charlie. Wow...adorable little babies!!! It was amazing to catch up with friends and see these BFFs as moms for the very first time!!! I miss them dearly. It was great to talk about baby wearing and diaper bags and getting organized and working. Wow. I needed that so much!!!

However, then friday night I went to work and felt just horrible all night. I thought it was just still the horrible pregnancy side effects I've had....however, when I woke up on friday for work-just before I left-I started getting sick. I tried to sleep a little and go in late to work but it just didn't work out. I had the flu. The same flu bug that everyone else has gotten!! ugh. I didn't work saturday or sunday but today- Praise the Lord- I feel better than ever!!! I actually feel better than I have in months. You see, Sunday, Jason woke up with it too so we called our inlaws and they came to get Max and keep him overnight as we nursed ourselves back to health. Today we both feel much better and have gotten some things accomplished (like taking that tree down without Max's "help"). Jason called off work today though too...and good thing...we work for a while and then we both collapse. We really wanted to get the house disinfected from this bug so we deal with it no more!!!!

Max is on his way back now and we just can't wait to see him. I've missed him so much!!!

And-my friend Meghan had her baby girl!!! Of course we were gonna go visit her on saturday before I went to work, but that all changed when I got sick. So I'm giving myself 24 hours to assure that I'm ok before I go get my hands on her...but I can't wait!!!

**My friend Katie tagged me. I call her my friend...I don't know her. I read her blogs. We met on a chat board. She's a mom. She's awesome and has a great blog about cooking and has inspired many of us on the mom board to work on our grocery budgets. She inspires me!!! So yes, it sounds weird, but my friend Katie tagged me!!! I've never been tagged so I feel uber cool. Haha...doesn't take much to excite this mama!!!

Here it goes....

Here are the rules...

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6)
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

http://busymomscookbook.blogspot.com/

1. I hate New Years Resolutions but still make them every year. So far I'm doing ok on my devotional this year and the house is clean!!!
2. I'm terrified to have 2 under 2.
3. I'm not sure how many kids we'll have now (this pregnancy has been rough).
4. I love to cook and get excited to include Max (and other kids) in the process.
5. I desire to be uber organized but I feel like I constantly fail. But I'm working on it.
6. I can't believe how much being a mom has changed me. My faith is stronger even though it's tested more. I am more aware of my surroundings (read: I'm more green). It's crazy!

Ok, You've been tagged:

1. Lorien
2. Nicole (or John...not sure who updates it)
3. Erin
4. Ali
5. Erin
6. Jill

Now, again, some of these are real life friends, some I "know" from the internet, and others are blogs I just love to read. Sorry, hope I don't freak anyone out!!!