I remember last year I made a killing of deals at CVS on Black Friday.  This year it wasn't too bad, but could have been better.  And I did need body wash, so that is always a good find.

1 Schick Quatro  $9.99
1 Vaseline Sheer Infusion  $7.99
1 St. Ives body wash  $3.99
2 Bic Soleil razors  $6.99 each

Total $35.95

Coupons
(1) $1.00 off Schick Quattro
(1) $1.00 off Vaseline lotion
(1) $1.00 off St. Ives body wash
(2) $2.00 off Bic Soleil Razors

ECB's Used $23.95
OOP  $4.95 + tax
ECB's Earned $28.99

Made some extra ECB's.  One of my ECB's didn't work, and that is why I had a $4.95 oop cost.  But still not bad.  Hopefully they keep good sales running for the next few weeks.

Hey I said I was getting back in the game on my blog, but then I put it off again for a bit.  What the heck.

Well here we go.  Back to CVS.  Not bad deals this week, considering the last few weeks they have been absolutely dreadful.




1 Scope Outlast  $3.49
2 Glade Sense & Sprays  $6.00 each = $12.00
1 4 pk Duracell batteries $2.99

Total  $18.48

Coupons
(1) $1.00 off Scope
(2) $4.00 off Glade Sense & Sprays
(1) $1.00 off Duracell

ECB's used $8.00
Total oop $1.77
ECB's earned $7.00

Not a money maker, but I have found lately that not alot of the deals are.  But still good to stock up on some things.  I am hoping the deals get better as the holidays get closer.

I actually wasn't going to go to CVS this weekend because there were no good ECB deals. But then I went to a favorite site of mine The Thrifty Mama, where she posted that Clairol Natural Instincts haircolor was on sale for only $3.99 and there are $4.00 q's out there from an April RedPlum. I have been wanting to cover up the greys (yikes) for quite a while. I bought three boxes. Two of a nice honey brown color and one of a more striking red. I tried the honey brown today and I really really like it. So thank you so much Thrifty Mama.

3 boxes of Clairol haircolor $3.99
2 cans Campbell's tomato soup $1.00

Coupons
(3) $4.00 off any Clairol haircolor

Total oop $1.84
ECB's used NONE
ECB's earned ZERO

But I got free haircolor. So it was worth it.

Because we took a few weeks off from shopping and lived off our stockpile, the last of my ECB's were going to expire. So my husband needed a few things and I let him use the last of them up to keep his out of pocket low.

So now here we are back to the beginning, no ECB's and having to build them back up from scratch. The great thing is holiday weekend's are the best time to build them back up. CVS tends to have lots of great Free after ECB deals on holiday weekends. So I picked several items I had coupons for, had to pay way more than I usually do out of pocket. But now I will be back in the swing of paying very little in the future.

1 Revlon nail polish $3.99
1 Playtex Sport tampons $3.99
2 boxes Band Aids $2.99 each
1 Clearasil face wash $3.99

Coupons
(1) $1.00 off any Revlon product
(1) $1.00 off any Playtex Sport
(2) $1.00 off any Band Aid product
(1) $1.00 off any Clearasil product

Total oop $13.65
Total ECB's earned $13.99

I do have a bone to pick with CVS. This week Band Aid bandages were on sale. The ad says Band Aids on sale starting at $1.00.

So lots of people I know went to CVS today with their $1.00 q's in hand looking for free Band Aids. No one, not even one person I have seen on the internet has found a package of Band Aids at CVS cheaper than $3.49, not even the trial sizes.

Now I know it says starting at $1.00, but that should at least mean at least something does actually start at that price. Its misleading, annoying and in my opinion a little bit of a trick to get you in the store to get them anyway. It has happened with other products before and I'm sure it will again.

So I was skeptical of this Band Aid and Neosporin prices advertised. The Neosporin was no where near the prices it said it would start at either. So I came up with two deals this week. One with those products included and one without. And of course I didn't do the one with them. I was very glad I had a backup, even though it didn't earn me alot of ECB's.

1 Garnier hair spray $2.99
(I am so overloaded with shampoos right now, gonna stick with the stylers for a while)

1 Schick Intuition razor $8.99 (big fan of these, if you read my earlier review)

Total $11.98

Coupons
(1) $1.00 off any Garnier
(1) $4.00 off any Schick

ECB's used $5.00
Total oop $2.47
ECB's earned $6.00

So I earned a dollar, whoopee, and I spent a little more oop than my old under a dollar average. But it was good to have a backup, cause the deals don't always pan out the way you see them in the ad.

Its been a while since I did well at CVS. And some weeks I have skipped in entirely. But this week I decided to come back with a vengeance. The shaving cream actually inspired me to go as I never find too many great deals on it. And I love any spray that makes my house smell good.


2 Glade Infusions $1.50 each
2 Excedrin Migraines $1.99 each
2 Skintimate shaving cream $3.49
1 Colgate Max White $2.99

Coupons
(2) $1.00 off any Glade odor eliminator
(2) $2.00 off any Excedrin Migraine
(1) .50 off any Colgate

Total ECB's used $6.98
Total oop .17
Total ECB's earned $5.49 +.50 from my winter total spending = $5.99 ECB's

Now I just said last week that I am trying not to buy any more deodorant and toothpaste. So what do I buy when I went to CVS this week, yep both of them. And I had to because some of my extra care bucks were about to expire, and since I don't have that many left, I had to get some things that had extra care buck deals. Unfortunately those were deodorant and toothpaste. I hope CVS rotates in some good deals on things other than those two type of items soon.

I was glad to get the body wash as part of a deal. While I am not in danger or running out of any right now, my supply of it is lower than other things. So any one I can add to it, is good.

Face moisturizer. The only time I did get face moisturizer as a deal, was back when they had the L'Oreal RevitaLift. I got two boxes of that. They were so cool that I put them in Christmas gift baskets for my mom and sister-in-law. Bad move. In the last week I saw that my face moisturizer was down to its last drops. All I had was a sample of the RevitaLift that I got in the mail. And guess what, I loved it. But it hasn't been in a good deal lately and I am so sorry I gave away those boxes I had of it. So I had to get new moisturizer. I needed one that was oil free and Biore was the only one of a reasonable price. So I had to pay full price, but I did have my ECB's to use for it.

2 Dry Idea deodorants $2.99 each = $5.98
1 Irish Spring $4.99
1 Colgate Max White $2.99
1 Biore face lotion $7.99

Coupons
(2) $2.00 off any Dry Idea roll on deodorant
(1) .50 off any Colgate toothpaste
(1) .50 off any Irish Spring

Total ECB's used $14.97
Total oop $2.47
Total ECB's earned $11.98

I have two things in my stockpile that I have more of than anything else, toothpaste and deodorant. I probably have enough for two years.

This week the only good deals at CVS were on.....guess what......toothpaste and deodorant. I promised I wouldn't buy any more of them. There were a few other okay deals on some other things but they still weren't free, and would eaten down a few more of my ECB's. And since I don't have a ton of them left, I just decided to pass up on the whole thing this week.

Its good to take a break now and then. My husband I took an awesome bike ride through a park for over an hour.

After about 2 months of doing CVS deals, I learned that I am not going to be the person that is going to buy something at CVS that I won't even use just because it has a good ECB deal. In the beginning I ended up with a diabetes monitor that I couldn't give away to save my life. After that and a few more products I decided, that I am not going to get something unless I can use it. I don't care what kind of deal it is. So I have passed up on a few things now and then. But in the end I have a stockpile of exactly what I need and that is what is most important.

I was very excited to see Carnation Instant Breakfast, or as I call it CIB, in the deal this week. I used to make a shake every morning with CIB, skim milk and a banana. But I had stopped buying CIB a while ago because it was a bit expensive. I only wish the deal was more than a limit one on it. The vanilla extract was a filled because my store didn't have in any of the ACT mouthwash that has a deal this week. But its still good, I put vanilla in everything I bake. The candy bars I actually use for baking.

1 Gillette Fusion razor $7.99
6 Reese's whips $3.00
1 Carnation Instant Breakfast $4.99
2 vanilla extracts $1.98

Coupons
(1) $4.00 off Gillette razor
(3) $1.00 off two Reese's Whips
(1) .75 off Carnation Instant Breakfast

Total ECB's used $10.00
Total oop .28
Total ECB's earned $8.99

I didn't see too much that peaked my interest this week at CVS. But I did see a deal on NyQuil and DayQuil. We definitely use it and had none of it on hand. So we are stocked up now.

2 NyQuil $9.98
2 DayQuil $9.98

Coupons
(4) $1.50 off any NyQuil or DayQuil

Total ECB's used $10.00
Total oop $2.83 on gift card, $1.13 in cash
Total ECB's earned $10.00

I have more toothpaste than the Colgate factory combined. I'm at the point where I am going to start donating it to some worthy causes. It goes on sale so much and my q's always make it free. I wanted to get another Gillette razor but they were all out. I always try to get my milk at CVS too so I can use the ECB's to make it free.

2 Colgates $2.99 each = $5.98
1 1/2 gallon of milk $2.59
1 CVS mouthwash $2.59
1 pk of gum (not in picture, needed a filler) $.99

Total$12.15

Coupons
(1) $1.50 off any Colgate
(1) $1.00 off any Colgate
(1) CVS CRT for a free CVS Mouthwash

Total ECB's used $6.49
Total oop .60 (put on my CVS gift card)
Total ECB's earned $5.98

Again not a huge moneymaker but I get my milk free and for me its worth it.

Was a strange trip to CVS this week. I had one deal in mind on something getting $10.00 in ECB's back, but they didn't have the item in stock and I didn't have my heart completely set on it. I had my $10.00 CVS gift card I earned on MyPoints, so I got some free Ritz and Wheat Thins, two cards for my husband and sister in law's b-days, milk, and dryer balls that I have wanted for a long time.

5 boxes Ritz crackers $1.00 each
5 boxes Wheat Thins $1.00 each
Dryer balls $3.00
2 cards .99 and $2.99
1 1/2 gallon of milk (I forgot to put it in the picture) $2.59

Total $19.57

Coupons
(5) $2.00 off any 2 Ritz or Wheat Thins crackers
(1) $3.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more at CVS (last day to use it)

Total $6.57 all put on my CVS gift card
Total oop ZERO
Total ECB's ZERO

So nothing new earned, but nothing spent either and I got some stuff we needed. Still a good week.

I was originally going to get the new Gillette Gamer razor in this deal. But dummy me didn't read the ad correctly. I get the store and can't find it anywhere. So I go and grab an ad in the front of the store and see in the writing below it, that it doesn't come out until January 30th. But the deal I did do was still good and I made ECB's which is something that hasn't happened for a few weeks.

5 Gillette shampoo's $4.99 each = $24.95
2 Dove beauty bars .99 each = $1.98

Total $26.93

Coupons
(5) $2.00 off any Gillette shampoo or conditioner
(2) $1.00 off any Dove facial product
(1) $3.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more

ECB's used $11.93
Total oop .84
ECB's earned $15.00

Hey, I finally made some extra ECB's. Which is good cause I was getting painfully low.

I get up for work every morning at 4:30am, yes, that early. I take the dog out, feed the pets, exercise for 45 minutes, eat my breakfast, get shower, get ready, drop the dog off at my mom's house and drive 25 minutes to work. Every day. Five days a week. Yes, I'm very grateful to have a good job, but it still gets tiring, I don't go to bed early enough and I don't get alot of sleep.

On the weekends I haven't been getting too much extra sleep due to wanting to be up early to go to SuperFresh on Saturday's and get some deals and the newspapers at the dollar store. Then getting up early on Sunday's to go to ShopRite before the crowds get there.

This weekend I have had it. I needed some sleep. So I've decided to skip SuperFresh and sleep in late. I got up at 9:30am. Which is late for me and I loved it. Then I got to exercise, make breakfast and hang out with the family. I am just going to get my whole $50 of my budget at ShopRite tomorrow morning like I used to. Sometimes you just have to cut a few of the bargain things down. Time is just as valuable as money, and rest is even more important.

I would love to do this every week, but SuperFresh just has too many good meat deals. So I've decided that when we need meat to just add them to my Sunday trip. Go to CVS first, then ShopRite, and then SF to keep my Saturdays open.

I also sent two big payments to card #4, so its slowly coming down. I hope to have it gone by the end of February or mid-March with our tax returns, plus some of that will go to card #5 too.

I hope CVS gets some good moneymakers soon. Every week I am losing like a dollar or two. I have to build back up my ECB's soon. But I still found a few things to get this week.

3 Herbal Essences shampoos $2.99 each = $8.97
1 Cottonelle wipes $5.98
1 Excedrin Back and Body $1.99

Total $16.94

Coupons
1 $2.00 off Excedrin Back & Body
3 $1.00 off Herbal Essences
1 .50 off Cottonelle wipes
1 $3.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more at CVS

ECB used $8.00
Total out of pocket .44
ECB's earned $6.00

Been a while since I actually got a CVS deal right. Might restore my faith in going back to it every week. What is funny is that I bought these refills cause they were a good deal, thinking though I don't even have a Glade oil warmer at home. When I got home I found out I had several. Yahoo!

4 Glade Scented oil plugins refills $5.49 each

Total $21.96

Coupons
2 BOGO Glade plugins refills
1 $3.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more

Used $7.59 in ECBS
$1.19 out of pocket
Got $8.00 back

You may have been wondering why I haven't posted a CVS deal, since I believe Black Friday. I did take two more trips to CVS since that day, but the deals were so uninspiring that I didn't even want to post them. I think every once in a while you need to take a break from the CVS'ing and regroup before resuming your trips. Also my stockpile of non-food items is doing pretty well, so I am trying to only get things I really need. I'm not going to buy diet-gum and nose spray if I know I am never going to use it.

So when I went today I had a whole deal in mind, but they were out of one of the things I wanted so I had to improvise and that meant I lost a few ECB's but I did get some things we needed. And with the new 3/15 coupon out there, I had to give it a go. And my stores coupon scanner is finally up and working, so that was good news, and I got some good new coupons.

2 Cottonelle 84ct tub of wipes $11.96
1 Garnier shampoo $2.99
1 Doublemint Gum $1.19 (filler so I could use my $10 ECB)

Total $16.14

Coupons
$1.00 off Garnier
$1.00 off Cottonelle
$3.00 off any purchase of $15.00 or more

ECB's used $10.00
Total $1.14
ECB's earned $8.00

So I lost 2 ECB's, due to the fact that I had to change my deal on the spot. But we were so out of wipes it wasn't funny. So getting to stock up on stuff we are out of, it was worth it. However I do need to earn some more ECB's soon. I'm getting low.

3 Promax bars $5.00 total
1 Powerade $1.59
2 Propel waters .80 each (clearance) = $1.60
2 Visine $4.99 each = one at $4.99 and one at $2.49 (50% off)
2 Rolaids softchews = $2.89 each
1 J & J First Aid Kit = .99

Total $22.44

Coupons
(1) $1.00 off 2 Propel waters (was actually taped to one of the bottles)
(1) $2.00 off Visine (another one taped to the box)
(1) $3.00 off Visine
(2) $1.00 off Rolaids SoftChews
(1) $1.00 off any J&J product

ECB's Used $8.99
Total oop $4.45
ECB's earned $10.45

Much bigger oop than I usually spend, but they were out of more Rolaids soft chews, and the last ECB I had with me was for $7.99 and I didn't want to waste that. Still not bad for all that product and earned some more ECB's.