Laughter Fills the Air! ( AND Look What CVS Gave Us)

Reed woke up and was ready to go this morning. Problem is, there was nowhere to go and gas is just too expensive to be wasting on needless trips. By the time that I got home today the gas stations were all at $4.25 a gallon.



Many of the gas stations were out of gas. Abbey has to meet her mom this week between our houses, so I went ahead and filled up her tank. She had half a tank and it was still $50.00!



When I got home, Reed and Abbey were outside playing in the backyard. Reed was laughing and playing. Abbey went in to work on supper while Reed and I headed to CVS and Kroger to get a few items.



A few days ago I called CVS corporate to ask about the "Arnicare Gel" that was advertised in the monthly circular, but it was not ever in the store. Saturday, the district manager called to tell me that she would have me 5 bottles in the store on Monday. So, Reed and I had to go pick them up.



When we got home from our errands, we had delicious enchiladas that Abbey made. Then, we had to clean up because Abbey is having a "Tastefully Simple" party here tomorrow. Reed also did his part helping unclean. He was mostly happy, although he did end up in time out twice due to bad behavior.



The first time, I put him in time out and when he got out, he didn't want to have anything to do with me. The second time it was Abbey and he preferred me afterwards.



Despite the few "tense" moments, Reed was hilarious tonight. While we were cleaning the family room, Reed thought I was chasing him and he was literally squealing with delight. At once time, he was laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath.



We went for a walk after cleaning and the weather was absolutely beautiful! It is so nice right now!




______________ CVSing on Monday ___________________




Trans 1:

Purex: 2.99
Purex: 2.99
Arnicare Gel: 8.99

Coupons:

Purex: 1.00 off 2
Arnicare: 2.00
2/10 CVS
10.00 ECB

OOP: .29
ECB Earned: 10.00

Trans 2:

Purex: 2.99
Arnicare Gel: 8.99
Reese Cup: .50

Coupons:

Purex: .50
Arnicare: 2.00
2/10 CVS
8.00 ECB

OOP: .24
ECB Earned: 9.00

Trans 3:

Purex: 2.99
Arnicare Gel: 8.99
Reese Cup: .50

Coupons:

Purex: .50
Arnicare: 2.00
2/10 CVS
8.00 ECB

OOP: .24
ECB Earned: 9.00

Trans 4:

Arnicare Gel: 8.99
Stayfree: 3.99

Coupons:

Arnicare: 2.00
2/10 CVS
8.00 ECB
1.00 ECB

OOP: .20
ECB Earned: 10.00

Trans 5:

Arnicare Gel: 8.99
CVS Baby Wipes: 2.00

Coupons:

Arnicare: 2.00
2/10 CVS
3.00 ECB
3.99 ECB

OOP: .20
ECB Earned: 8.00

TOTALS

OOP: 1.17
ECBs Used: 41.99

ECBs Earned: 46.00

Difference: (2.84) - CVS paid me 2.84 for all that I bought today!

Saturday Scribbles

Reed woke up really early this morning. 6:30! It was way to early for us. We fixed a can of cinnamon rolls and got ready for the day. Abbey is planning a rehearsal dinner for Tamara's brother and we had to go buy some groceries for the event.



We first hit Target and then headed to GFS Marketplace. It is a bulk food grocer that you don't have to have a membership too. It was really nice and clean.



After a bite at Chick-fil-a, we came home and Reed and I took a nap. After naptime, we played a while before it was time for Abbey to go to work. Reed got a little restless, so we decided to go and use some coupons I had that were expiring soon. We went and bought 5 bags of Chex Mix at Kroger for 2.00 after all the coupons, and then we went to Walmart. We bought some Glade plugins, Febreze plugins, and some razors. I also had to buy some Sunday School things. All-in-all, we used $27.00 in coupons and spent $5.00 OOP at Wal-Mart and now our house smells nice and fresh!

Now, Reed's asleep, Abbey's sleepy, and we're about to go to bed!

Gas, Sleep, and CVS

Reed had a great day yesterday and a great day today. The only problem is we were so sleepy I fell asleep with him.



I know that Super Nanny is against laying down with your kids and Tamara and Brandon offered advice on how we could get Reed to go to sleep. I did blame it on Abbey, but I must confess, I value my time with Reed and since I have to work all day, getting him to sleep is just a few more minutes that I have with him.



My Jeep was low on gas this morning, but it was too early for me to stop and get gas at Kroger. The price was 3.33 (which would have been 3.30 with my Kroger card).



When I got home from work, it was 3.99! How in the world did the price of gas rise .66 cents!?!?! in only a few hours?



THANK GOODNESS FOR MY CARPOOL! The only problem is that next week is my turn to drive!



Tonight, Danny and Megan came over for burgers. It was good to see them, because have not had a chance to hang out in a week or so.



Reed was hilarious! We were sitting in the living room and Reed decided that he would run and dance. We would sing a song and he would just dance and dance. Then we would say, "Run, run, run!" and he would take off!



He is such a happy and funny little boy! We are so blessed!



Don't forget to pray for the people in the path of IKE! That is such a horrible storm!

_________________

Here's the CVS purchases for today! Reminder: our sale started today due to the "test" ad that they have been conducting for six weeks.




Trans 1:

Aleve - 3.99

Coupons:

Aleve 1.00 Print Here
2.99 ECB

OOP: .09
ECB Earned: 3.00 (Be careful, mine didn’t print, had to call 1.800.shop.cvs)

Trans 2:

Skippy – 1.67
Skippy – 1.67
Covergirl Wetslick – 3.99
Covergirl Wetslick – 3.99

Coupons:

.60 Skippy
.60 Skippy
1.00 Covergirl
3.99 Covergirl BOGO
2/10 CVS
3.00 ECB

OOP: .67
ECB Earned: 0.00 (but this set me up to earn ECBs in following transactions)

Trans 3:

Skippy - 1.67
Kit Kat Mini Pack - .99
Reese’s Mini Pack - .99
Covergirl Eye Shadow – 2.99
Covergirl Eye Shadow – 2.99
Shout Liquid – 3.49 (no ECBs and not on sale, but we needed some!)

Coupons:

.60 Skippy
.75 Shout
1.00 Covergirl
2.99 Covergirl BOGO
2/10 CVS
5.00 ECBs

OOP: 1.29
ECB Earned: 3.00

Trans 4:

Lipton Tea Bags: 3.00
Oust Air Sanitizer: 2.50
Oust Air Sanitizer: 2.50
Excedrin: 3.99

Coupons:

.60 Lipton
2.00 Oust
2.50 Oust BOGO
2.00 Excedrin
2/10 CVS
2.89 ECBS

OOP: .61
ECB Earned: 3.99

Trans 5:

Lipton Tea Bags: 3.00
CVS Supreme Diapers: 6.99

Coupons:
.60 Lipton
1.50 CVS Diaper CRT
2/10 ECB
4.00 ECBs

OOP: 2.12 (ouch! That was a lot!)
ECB Earned: 3.00 (lipton/skippy)

Trans 6:

Pantene: 5.50
Pantene: 5.50
York Mini Pack: .99

Coupons:
2.00 Pantene
5.50 Pantene BOGO
2/10 CVS
2.49 ECB

OOP: .69
ECB Earned: 2.00

TOTALS:

OOP: 5.55
ECBs Used: 20.37
Manufacturers Coupons: 27.73

ECBs Earned: 14.99
Difference: 10.93

Total saved at CVS YTD: $3521.38

So it was a loss on ECBs today, but I bought things that I needed like Candy for coworkers, diapers for Reed, and Shout for Reed and Me (Abbey doesn’t get stains on her clothes! But the key is, that I still was able to buy things that we really needed and leave enough ECBs in my cache that I can continue to shop! You don’t always have to get ECBs to get good deals at CVS.

10 Things I Love About You (Number 2)

Number 2: I love that you are my son. For so long, I dreamed of having a little boy or girl that would be my child. You are the most amazing realization of that dream that I could ever imagine.



When you call me "daddy" it confirms your love for me and that you are my son.



I proudly display your pictures for all to see, because I want them to know that you, Reed, are my SON!



Abbey left the camera at MDO today, and they took a few pictures. Do you think that he is a little sleepy?



Reed loves his teacher this year, and she loves him! Everyday there are notes on his "report card" about what a sweet boy he is.



It is amazing how much Reed loves to play with new toys in other places.



Tonight Britton came over for supper and he and Reed had fun playing.



_______________________

And now for a little CVSing:



Trans 1:

Renuzit Tri-Scents - 7.99
2 Malt-O-Meal Cereal - 1.00 each

Coupons:
Renuzit 4.00
Malt-O-Meal 1.00
Malt-O-Meal 1.00
$2/$10 CVS
1.99 ECB

OOP: .53
ECB Earned: 3.00

Trans 2:

3 Garnier Nutrisse - 3.33 each

Coupons

Garnier 1.00
Garnier 1.00
Garnier 1.00
2/10 CVS
4.99 ECBs

OOP: .28
ECB Earned 0.00

Trans 3:

2 Garnier - 3.33 each
2 Excedrin - 1.99
3 M & M - .50 each

Coupons

Garnier 2.00
Garnier 2.00
Excedrin 2.00
Excedrin 2.00
2/10 CVS

OOP: 1.32
ECB Earned: 5.00

Trans 4:

2 Chex Mix - 1.00 each
2 Loreal Pro-V - 2.99 each
1 Excedrin 1.99

Coupons

Chex Mix 1.00
Chex Mix 1.00
Loreal BOGO 2.99
Loreal 1.00
Excedrin 2.00
2/10 CVS

OOP: .73
ECB Earned: 0.00

Trans 5:

1 Excedrin 1.99
2 Schick Quattro 7.99 (BOGO)
Ayr 4.99

Coupons

Excedrin 2.00
Schick 4.00
Schick 4.00
2/10 CVS

OOP: .94
ECB Earned 3.00

Total OOP: 3.80
Total ECB Used: 7.98
Total Man. Coupons Used: 34.99

Total ECB Earned: 11.00
Total Merchandise: 65.05

CVS (9/5 - 9 /11)

Be sure to vote on the Poll to the right. Also, check out the new Money Saving Links.

Once again, since I have noticed quite a few new readers interested in CVSing, I will remind you that we are in the test market, so our sale for the week started today.

Yesterday, Bill and I went to CVS before the Vandy game and they were already putting up the signs for this week's sale. I asked if we could go ahead and get the ECBs and she said yes. They had already activated the sale in their store as it was not a 24 hour store. So we went to shopping!

So, here's what I did and what I got!

Trans 1:

2 Cascade Power Packs - 3.49 each
5 Dawn - .99 each

Coupons:

Cascade 1.00
Cascade 1.00
Dawn 2.00
Dawn 1.50
Dawn 1.00
Dawn 1.00
Dawn 1.00
CVS 2 off 10

Paid 2.35 OOP

Trans 2

2 Right Guard Professional Strength - 6.99 each

Coupons

Right Guard 1.00
Right Guard 1.00
CVS 2 off 10
9.99 ECBs

Paid .19 OOP
Earned 10.00 ECBs

Trans 3

2 Soft and Dri - 2.99 each
1 Loreal Skin Genesis - 5.99 each

Coupons

Soft and Dri .75
Soft and Dri .75
Loreal 3.00
CVS 2 off 10
5.00 ECBs

Paid .93 OOP
Earned 9.00 ECBs

Trans 4

1 ACT Mouthwash - 4.49
1 Contour Meter - 14.99

Coupons

ACT 1.00
Contour Meter 14.99
CVS 2 off 10
1.49 ECBs

Paid 1.48 OOP
Earned 7.00 ECBs

Trans 5

1 Revlon Nail Polish - 3.99
2 Gain Laundry Detergent - 4.49 each
2 Aussie Shampoo - 2.49

Coupons

1 Revlon - 2.00
1 Revlon CRT - 2.00
1 Aussie 3.00
CVS 2 off 10
11.45 ECBS

Paid .73 OOP
Earned 2.00 ECBs The Revlon didn't give me the 3.00 ECBs (be sure to check your receipts!) and the cashier accidentally rang Gain twice, so I just got a second bottle.


The above transactions were at CVS on yesterday. Here's what I got today!

Trans 1

1 Revlon Nail Polish - 3.99
1 Right Guard Prof Strength - 6.99

Coupons

Revlon 1.00
Right Guard 1.00
CVS 2 off 10
8.00 ECBs

Paid 1.27 OOP
Earned 5.00 ECBs Revlon still not working! Cashier wrote out 3.00 ECBs

Trans 2

1 Hershey Bar - .79
2 Soft and Dri - 2.99 each
1 Revlon Nail Polish - 3.99

Coupons

Soft and Dri .75
Soft and Dri .75
Revlon 1.00
Hershey CRT .79
CVS 2 off 10
5.00 ECBS

Paid .76 OOP
Earned 4.00 ECBs Revlon still not working! Cashier wrote out 3.00 ECBs

Trans 3

1 Soft and Dri - 2.99
4 Palmolive - .99 each
1 Revlon Nail Polish - 3.99

Coupons

Palmolive .25
Palmolive .25
Palmolive .25
Palmolive .25
Revlon 1.00
CVS 2 off 10
6.94 ECBs

Paid .20 OOP
Earned 2.00 ECBs Revlon still not working! Cashier wrote out 3.00 ECBs

How it all shakes out!

Manufacturers Coupons Used: 44.49
ECBs Used: 47.87

OOP: 7.91
ECBs Earned: 53.00

How did I do?

Total (ECBS Used and OOP) - 55.78
Total (ECBS Earned) - 53.00
Difference - 2.78
Total Merchandise - 107.79
Total Saved at CVS YTD - 3207.87

I'd call it a success!

Now, since Abbey and Miss Candace were stamping tonight, after Reed went to sleep, I decided to organize all of the goods. Here's our new CVS Shopping Center. Anyone want to come and do some free shopping?

2 Posts in One Night (Labels and CVS!)

Okay, so I realize that it is highly unusual for me to make two posts in one night, but I am really thrilled that I have finally figured out how to add labels to my blogs. I am sure that it had to have been at least a year ago that one of our blog readers, Monica, suggested that I label our blogs! Now, you can click on the labels and find the posts your looking for. Check out how many posts have Reed in them. You can also use this as a tool for CVSing!

So, here's my CVS deals this week.

Trans 1:

4 Suave Bodywashes (2.00 each) - 8.00
1 Colgate Toothpaste -2.99

Coupons
2 BOGO Suave - 4.00
1 Colgate - 1.00
1 $2.00 off 10
4.00 in ECBS

OOP - .42
Earned - 4.00 ECBS

Trans 2:

2 Suave Bodywashes (2.00 each) - 4.00
1 Colgate Toothpaste -2.99
2 Kiss Nail Glues - (1.99 each) - 3.98

Coupons
1 BOGO Suave - 2.00
1 Colgate - 1.00
1 $2.00 off 10
6.00 in ECBS

OOP - .82
Earned - 9.00 ECBS

*Note: I have not actually gotten the Colgate ECBs yet, because of a malfunction in the system. Also note, the ad says that you don't get ECBS if you buy the nail glue, but I took a chance and it paid off!

Trans 3:

1 Neutrogena Mascara - 5.99*
1 Covergirl Lip Smoothers - 5.99*

Coupons
1 Neutrogena - 1.00
1 Covergirl - 1.00
1 $2.00 off 10
8.00 in ECBS

OOP - 1.07
Earned - 8.99 ECBS

*Check your Neutrogena purchases closely, several items didn't ring correctly. Also, you don't see the makeup in the picture because I gave it to a coworker to give to her daughters.

Trans 4:

1 Neutrogena Mascara - 5.99
1 Cascade PowerPack - 3.49

Coupons
1 Neutrogena - 1.00
1 Cascade - 1.00
1 $2.00 off 10
5.00 in ECBS

OOP - 1.10
Earned - 3.00 ECBS

Trans 5:

1 Accucheck Glucose Monitor 9.99*
4 Dawn (.99 each) - 3.96

Coupons
4 Dawn - (.50 each) 2.00
1 $2.00 off 10
10.00 in ECBS

OOP - .56
Earned - 9.99 ECBS

*I left Accuchek at work for anyone who wanted it and turned in the rebate form already, so I'll get 9.99 cash back, too!

So, it was a pretty good CVS week!

Who's Walking Whom? (... and a Great CVS Run)

Reed and I had a busy afternoon. We went to Wal-Mart to get my new glasses, CVS (more later), Catfish House, and then a walk.



As we walked, Reed decided that he needed to take a break and he laid down.



He enjoyed the freedom of walking without having to be in the stroller.



He took off in front of me, who was trying to take pictures, hold the end of the monkey's tail (leash), and push the stroller in case Reed got tired.



He decided he needed another break, so we rested a moment in someone's driveway.



Reed contemplated what he wanted to do next and he decided he wanted to go throw rocks. We went down a new street in our subdivision and Reed got to throw rocks.

Shortly, thereafter, he had a meltdown where he didn't want to walk or ride in the stroller. He only wanted me to hold him. He got his 18-month shots so probably wasn't feeling 100%.



I am trying to make the best use possible of the $2.00 off $10.00 coupons that are currently good at CVS. The only annoyance is that it is really easy to make it to $10.00 so, I have a lot of transactions. We are part of the "test market" for the new sale run dates, so our sale started today and this week can be summed up as very woman-centric.

Trans 1:

1 Zip Fizz $5.99
1 Playtex Tampons 4.99

Used:
2 off 10
8.00 in ECBs
1.00 oop

Earned

8.99 ECBS

Trans 2:

2 OB Tampons 9.00
1 Kotex lightdays 1.49

Used:
2 off 10
2 - 1.50 off OB
5.00 in ECBs
.60 oop

Earned

5.49 in ECBs

Trans 3:

Schick Intuition 9.99
1 Powerade drink mix .49

Used:
2 off 10
2.00 off Intuition
6.00 in ECBs
.59 oop

Earned 5.00 in ECBS

Trans 4:

The ad says "Buy $15.00 of Advil, Centrum, or Caltrate get $5.00" so I bought 4 bottles of Advil at $4.19 each. I used 4 $2.00 off coupons, and 1 $2.00 off $10, then $6.00 in ECBs. The ECBs didn't print, so I asked to return them. They couldn't refund the ECBs, so the store manager said just give him a full refund. I got $18.00 back!!! And, they did it all with a smile and didn't act like I was bothering them at all.

Trans 5: (different CVS)

1 Zip Fizz 5.99*
1 Children's Advil 5.79* (note: the ad says limit 1, but this is not true)

I paid cash from the overage earlier and earned: 11.78 in ECBs.

*The zip fizz says limit 2, the children's advil is supposed to be limit 1. However, on my receipt it still says I can buy 1 of each to get more ECBs. I am quite tempted to try again! I actually have already gotten 2 bottles of children's advil, despite the 1 bottle limit.

Trans 6:

1 CVS Tampon - 4.99
4 Packs Ivory - 1.39 each (5.36)

Used:
2 off 10
8.00 in ECBs
.35 oop

Earned
$4.00 in ECBs

Trans 7:

2 Secret - 3.00 each (6.00)
2 Gummy candy - .99 each (1.98)
1 Ivory - 1.39

Used:
2 off 10
1.00 off secret
1.00 2 Gold Emblem candies
5.00 in ECBs
.47 oop

Earned

1.00 in ECBs (however, Secret is Abbey's deoderant of choice)

Trans 8:

Rx for Reed's Eczema - 2.79 (after insurance)

Paid OOP, but used "earn $25.00 CVS giftcard for new Rx"

Total Spent/Earned today:

Spent:
$15.82 OOP
$32.00 ECBs

Earned
$36.00 in ECBs
$18.00 Cash
$25.00 Giftcard

Difference

Gained:
$4.00 ECBs
$2.18 Cash
$25.00 Giftcard
total CVS paid me: $31.18 Plus Products today!

So, I would say we had a pretty good CVS day!

2 Week Menu Plannning

One person asked, or commented, about our 2 week menu planning, so I'd thought I'd share our most current menu.

Please keep in mind several things:
1. Jeff and I are rather picky eaters.
2. My goal is not to spend more than $100-$130 for 2 weeks worth. This includes diapers. Jeff takes care of most toiletries, so that isn't included. The lowest I've accomplished so far is $75. I'm not sure about the highest amount.
3. This menu has already been altered a bit, but I'm going to provide my original plan.


Monday: BBQ Sandwiches, Grilled Corn, and Apples
Tuesday: Bisquick Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Peas
Wednesday: We have decided to eat Wednesday night meals at church. It's a cooked meal with vegetables. However, we were at the doctor's office this past Wednesday, so we ate Subway. We had a coupon, so it was $9 for all 3 of us to eat.

Thursday: Pork Loin (Smithfield, had a $1 off coupon), Leftover apples, Fried Okra
Friday: I work, so Jeff is on his own. He tries to eat at home, so he'll probably have a frozen pizza.



Saturday: Lunch-hot dogs; dinner will be at a Sunday School Get Together/Pizza
Sunday: Tacos, We usually eat dinner with friends. We might have breakfast.



Monday: Hawaiian Chicken, Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday: Ham, Corn, and Potato Casserole (I made this up, so we'll see how it goes.)



Wednesday: Church Dinner
Thursday: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Friday: Dinner Out


Saturday: I'll work
Sunday: Roast, Potatoes, and Carrots
Monday: Chicken Fried Rice



You see nothing is too fancy. My goal is just to have a plan. I try to buy 2 or 3 nicer pieces of meat, then fill in with others. For example, I try not to buy a bag of chicken the same trip I'm buying Roast, Pork Loin, etc. These 2 weeks are heavy on the chicken, so the next 2 weeks will probably have more variety. We had a pork loin that carried over from the last 2 week menu.


Also, I know our schedules can change quickly. Some times we go to a friend's house to eat dinner. Other times we go out to eat unexpectedly, so we'll adjust and eat home on the night we planned to eat out.




I work from a base list of menu ideas that Jeff gave me. I've learned I don't have to have 3 sides, or even 2, at times. I've found going to Wal-Mart twice a month cuts down on our costs, because I don't end up buying lots of extra things. There will still be a few smaller runs to Kroger, but not near what it used to be. Most of the time, it's for milk for Reed or an unexpected item that needs to be made last minute.


I also keep several quick breakfast items on hand, like cinnamon rolls, biscuits, etc. I purchase Reed fresh fruit and canned fruit and snacks. Reed and I eat sandwiches for lunch or leftovers from dinner.
Meal times are a lot less stressful now that we have this plan. It also allows us to not waste as much money on food items, because we'll eventually come back around to that item. Jeff and I would love to hear great ideas for dinners or ways to cut back on grocery bills. Our friends Lewis and Julie have mentioned the grocery game, but I haven't checked into that yet.