Weekly CVS Deals

This week was another great week, I think every week will be great though. I have another trip to make b/c I needed to see how much some other stuff was listed at.

 

 

For under $28.00 I got:

6 packs of Jumbo size Huggies (these are 9.49/pack!)

1 50oz jug of All (this was actually purchased at Bi-lo)

Johnsons Shampoo bottle

Nivea Lotion

Nivea Body wash

Colgate toothbrush

4 Colgate Mouthwashes

4 Shave Gels

1 container of Desitin

 

And I have 9 ECB for next purchase. I am not going to write out the transactions because no one has commented yet. If you are interested on how I got something or what coupons I used, just let me know. I love seeing the deals!

Weekly CVS Trip: Diapers and Laundry Detergent

This week CVS had a good deal on laundry detergent and Luvs Diapers. I cloth diaper my babies but since we moved in with our in-laws, I had to stop because it was getting a little crazy around the house.

I did 3 transactions today. I spent a total of $64.99 and will be getting a $10 prepaid Visa card (mail in rebate for the detergent) and I've got $20.00 in ECB to use in the future. My haul:

 

Transaction 1:

Colgate toothbrush x2

Colgate mouthwash x2

Used :$3 ECB from last week

$2.00 mouthwash coupon x2

$1.00 toothbrush x2

 

Got back $6 ECB

 

Transaction 2:

Stress Relief Gum

Nivea body scrub

Nivea body lotion

Used: $1.00 Nivea body wash

$2.00 Nivea lotion

$6 ECB from previous transaction

 

Got back $5.79 ECB  from gum and $3 ECB from Nivea Purchases

 

Transaction 3:

3 Tide Bottles

4 Packs of Luvs Diapers

2 Playtex Sippy Cups

Used:

$1.00 Luvs x4

1.00 Playtex item (had I known they were b1g1, I would have printed another coupon and saved another 1.00)

$3.00 off 3 tide bottles

$5 off $15 purchase (printed at register)

$3 and $5.79 ECB from previous purchase

 

Got back $20 in ECB for next week and will get $10 visa card via mail in rebate

 

 

 

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Target has a great deal on EDGE Shave gel. Their 7 oz. cans are $2.44 a pc and you can print a B1G1 off of www.coupons.com and a $1.00 Target printable coupon off www.target.com and use the Cartwheel target app for an additional 10% off. Total out of pocket for 2 shave gels comes in at $.15  LOVE!

 

 

 

Getting back into couponing-CVS Deals

Back when I was pregnant with Addison, in 2010, I started "CVS'ing". I got really good at it and had a stockpile of deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap etc. Well after she was born I stopped because life with 2 kids was much different than life with 1. After 3 years I'm back to it! I follow Southern Savers and her blog lists 'scenarios' for the best deals. The deals run from Sunday-Saturday and you can plan your trips before you go.

I went Saturday because I had all the coupons and I wanted to jump in. The first trip is never the greatest because you don't have any ECB (Extra Care Bucks) to apply to your first transaction. But you have to start somewhere.

Trip #1: I did 2 Transactions

Transaction 1 :
Pantene Shampoo $3.50
Pantene Conditioner $3.50
Edge Shave Gel $3.49
Edge Shave Gel $3.59

Total $14.08

Coupons used:
Edge b1g1 free:  -$3.50
Pantene $2.00 of 2 : -$2.00
CVS Coupon From Coupon Center at store , same day -$1.50

Earned $2 ECB from buying 1 Edge product and $1 ECB from buying two Pantene products

Total $7.08 plus tax and $4.00 ECB for next purchase

Transaction 2:

3 Colgate total mouthwash @ $5.79 each

Total: $17.37

Coupons used:
25% off total (printed at register, got lucky)
$3.00 ECB
$1.10 off one Colgate mouthwash (times 3)

Earned $5 ECB from buying $10 in Colgate products

Total: $6.72 plus tax and $5 ECB for next purchase

Week one recap, The above for $13.80 with $5.00 in ECB for next week

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Week #2

This week was better, since I had $5 ECB to start with. I modified the transactions from Southern Savers because I had a coupon from the CVS store printer that turned to be better for me. I'm going to try and go on Sundays because if you wait, the store may run out of stock. I was lucky yesterday when I started.
I had 3 transactions today

Transaction #1

Colgate Toothpaste (x2) $5.98
Bengay $4.49

Total $10.47

Coupons Used:

Colgate toothpaste -$1.00
Bengay -$2.00
$5 ECB from last trip

Earned $4 ECB from Colgate and $2 ECB from Bengay

Total: $2.47 plus tax and $4 ECB

Transaction #2:

CVS Probiotic 15ct $9.99

Coupons used:
$6.00 ECB

Earned $9.99 ECB

Total: $3.99 plus tax and earned $9.99 ECB

Transaction #3:

Huggies Slip on Diapers $9.49
(2) Nivea Body Lotions $12.00

Coupons used:
ECB -$9.99
Nivea lotion -$2.00
Nivea lotion -$2.00
Hand lotion coupon printed at CVS center -$2.00
Huggies CVS Coupon -$3.00
Huggies Manuf Coupon -$2.00

Earned $3 ECB From Nivea purchase

Total $.50 plus tax and $3.00 ECB

                                                      Trip #2 Total Spent $6.96 and $3 ECB for next trip



Do any of you "CVS" ? I want to start stockpiling again. Especially for when we are in our new house! I also made a BI-LO trip today and for the first time, I saved more than I spent on groceries! I will make a post on that at some point. As mentioned before, i'll go to CVS every Sunday if possible. I hope this helps someone out there that's looking to save!

My Sunday

 

Sunday started out with a great church service and the girls loved "super church" and came home with a bag of candy each. We headed to Lowes with my IPhone "notes list" and I was on a mission! An hour later we were in the return line at Lowes because Addy decided to put 5 packs of light bulbs in our buggy and Justin and I thought that one of us needed them. No wonder we spent an extra unplanned $65.00. The employee processing the return thought it was hilarious. 

 

 Lanie decided she wanted to be my little helper and we put Addy down for her nap. Lanie cleared the vanity for me and started to get distracted so I asked her if she could "stick it out" for me...she said sure...and 5 minutes later started talking about her room being messy and asked if I'd "stick it out" with her. Smart girl, Lanie.

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8 hours later we had a new and improved vanity:

 

 

 

Adding Before, Only picture I had :( To show the coloring...

 

 

 

I love when you find the perfect color for something, This color is Valspar "Ebony Field" and is THE perfect shade of dark brown/black/grey. I can picture this on the wall above a 6-7 ft. white wainscoting in my new house :) Something like this...yes...

 

 

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And a new and {70% off} lamp in our breakfast area:

 

 

 

I got a late start on my pinterest project because it rained Saturday night, It's almost done and I will be posting it soon :)

 

 

 

 

Anniversary Trip- Carnival Dream

Wow, we had such a GREAT time last week on our cruise! We planned it in March and it was well worth the wait! If anyone is thinking about going on a cruise or trying to decide about a vacation, try a cruise out! I'll post about our ports and activities to help you decide :)

We boarded the Carnival Dream on Saturday November 19th. We arrived around 2:00 p.m. and it took us about 1 hour to go through security, get our sail-n-sign card and board. We were starving so we had our first lunch in "The Gathering"- the lunch buffet area. We walked around the ship and tried to learn where everything was ( I was still finding new places by the last day ;) ) We caught a beautiful sunset that night!

 We found the Sushi Bar on the ship and hit it up every night...it was great!

On Day 2 we were at Sea, heading to Cozumel! So there was lots of Tanning going on :)

Day 3 - Cozumel

We played Putt Putt the morning of the port

Justin and I have been to Cozumel once before on a Princess

Cruise. We rented mopeds and drove down to a beach so we decided to repeat. For $30.00 we rented a Honda moped/scooter and drove around for 1.5 hours. We made a stop at a bar/restaurant! It was beautiful, endless water and authentic Mexican food. We had Pico, taco's, salsa, chips and 2 drinks for $23.00.

After eating we continued driving seaside and even passed a HUGE lizard, it had to be 3 feet long! We eventually had to make a turn to head back to the ship...or so we thought :/ . It was very UNCLEAR on how to get back to the ports so we ended up in downtown Cozumel where NO ONE knew any English...even a public official. We were extremely nervous and wandered around for about 30 minutes until we spotted some other tourists! They waved us down and we stayed together as a group...we finally found someone to give us directions and it took about 20 minutes to get back. Luckily, no one ran out of gas...2 of the couples were in the red zone...SCARY!

When we made it back we went to drop off our Moped and the guy tried to tell us we scratched it and he wanted more money from us...UGH! Seriously?! So after 15 minutes of arguing we finally got our card back (he kept Justin's Sail-n-Sign card as collateral)

It was awful...we will not be renting those again in he future...as we got back on the boat we noticed big posters warning you about renting those things...wish I had seen them before!

Day 4 - Belize

We decided to do an excursion (through the ship) in Belize. Some people had told us that there wasn't much to do outside the port so we needed to do one. I'm SO glad we listened!

The Ship can't port on a dock in Belize so you had to take Tender Boats (15 minute ride) to get on the land. Since we did an excursion, we took a boat directly off the ship and to the snorkel site!! Talk about turquoise water, amazing!

We were about to snorkel for an our and the space was big! If you look to the far right of the water there was a brown line in the water where the reef was. On the other side of that line where the water is a navy color- It drops to 1600 ft! On our side it was 15-20 feet of beautiful reef and lobsters, sting rays and of course tons of fish!

 It was really neat, we talked to a local the 30 minute ride to the snorkel site...he told us about average income and living styles for the people of Belize. The currency exchange is 2 to 1, so 20.00 in USD is 10.00 in Belize. He makes $24,000 USD a year, so only $12,000 in Belize. He works about 1 hour from the Cruise ports and says he normally stays in the city 2 or 3 days out of the week b/c gas is $12/gallon! He says he lives comfortable but very SIMPLE compared to US people.

After the hour of snorkeling we took a 10 minute ride to a private beach for a beach break! It was beautiful..We ate a lobster tail, cole slaw, fries and a burger! The locals free dive up to 70 feet or so for these lobsters! They were amazing.

This is as we left the island...very secluded!

We got back on the boat around 12:30 and went directly on a tender boat to Belize. Every port has 'port shopping' which is pretty much the same thing everywhere.  A million "Diamond International" stores and "Del Sol" stores...along with liquor and cigar places. Belize had lots of knock-off pocketbooks and sunglasses. There were thousands of purses to choose from. We decided to go through the terminal to the market of Belize where the locals were - BAD IDEA. As soon as we went through the gate we were bombarded by people. Ugh! Now I like my personal space, and they crossed the line. We were followed by a young man trying to get us to do a horse and buggy tour. We only told him no 5 million times. I was getting really annoyed and he just kept on. After we pushed him off by trying to buy some gifts for the girls, we were offered some "green green". SERIOUSLY!? We ran back to the terminal...lol. I don't advise going out of the ports. Not worth the stress or the stares. Moral of the story : plan to spend the money on an excursion in Belize, because there is not much else to do there.

This is half of the trip..I'll make another post with the second half :)

Bouncing Back!

Being sick is horrible! I was sick Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. What that means is my house became a disaster area. And again I got the overwhelming desire to clean out. So I did...Again.

Seriously, What's my problem!

I have a vision of how I want my house to look and I can NOT get it there. I just want crisp, bright and simple. I feel like there is always a pile of junk somewhere. Anyone with me?

When I go on these binges I start finding really awesome house decor and load up on it, typically for a good deal, because if it's not a good deal...well, it's just not as satisfying!

Hubby & I went to 2 stores that we've never gone into before. Ollies & Tuesday Mornings. Ok, I have been in Tuesday Mornings but it was out of state I think.

Deals, Deals, Deals!

Ollies is a discount store, I'm not quite sure if it's an Insurance resell or just over stock things. But we picked up some swiffer cleaner, a cup for Addy, a new skillet, a book for Lanie, some oatmeal and something else for under $35.00. Then Tuesday Mornings. My new favorite stop!

We found these 4 totally awesome ... things. hehe.

They are a sweet mixture between a shadow box and a picture.

On clearance from $45.99 to $9.99/pc

They are pretty big, about 14"x14" and are about 2.5" deep, all wood. They are a little rustic looking, I think they will look great against a solid tan wall. Oh, I can't wait! Now to decide what to take down...

Hedgehog Shirt, Halloween Costume and Target

Hedgehog Shirt and Halloween Costume

Justin is away on business until tomorrow night, so I had the urge to 'make something!'

Well, it wasn't dinner so this is what Addy and I had:

I had decided a while back that Addison would be an owl and I found a cute homemade picture of an owl costume...why not? :)

 I also have fell in love with applique shirts like the ones from Mini Boden. I found an awesome tutorial and decided to give it a shot.

This is inspired by "THE Hedgehog Shirt" from Mini Boden

My sewing skills need some major improvement, but overall it looks like a hedgehog and if you aren't close to the shirt you shouldn't notice how uneven it is :) Or how I should have blanket-stitched it by hand or how crooked the entire straight stitch is. Oh well ;)

My Little Helper

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Hedgehog Applique Shirt

Supplies:

I didn't take a picture of the beige fabric for the body of the hedgehog, b/c I forgot to buy it and ended up using the leftovers from the owl project :)

Trace the figures onto Heat N Bond

Bond to fabric and cut out

Place on shirt and then iron on so they are set

Stitch away, Again...I should have done this different!

Embroider Smile and Eyelashes, add button nose and button red cheek

Trim the one billion loose strings

Boden's Version

Original Tutorial - Izzy and Ivy Designs

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Project #2

Owl Costume

One t-shirt and a 1/2 yard each of 2 different fabric choices

Cut the 'feathers'

Arrange the pattern

Start sewing from the bottom of the hem and up , overlapping as you go

Not the best picture, I'll try it on her tonight :)

Addison will wear a black or brown turtleneck with matching leggings as well as her crocheted hat from Etsy that has the owl eyes!

Ready for a STEAL!?

I had to go to Target to pick up the shirt for the project and I ran across some super clearance.

 Head to target ASAP if you need cheap shoes, clothes or bedding.

Addy Dress, $3.46 and Skirts for both girls $2.98

Converse for Lanie $12.50 (normally $24.99)

Fieldcrest Duvet with 2 Shams $24.98 (Normally 99.99)

Fieldcrest matching Euro Shams $8.24/pc (Normally 32.99/pc)

RUN!!

Addison was tired and grumpy...sorry no pictures of the new projects in action tonight!

Moving Along...

One more thing "OFF THE LIST" Horray!

Let's just say that going back and forth between Lowes and H.H. Gregg was beneficial!

 I love a good deal AND clean dishes

School & Kids Books

Sometimes I wonder how boring my blog gets. I'm sure a lot of you don't care to know about this subject, but maybe someone does out there! I am still so excited about school! I am taking Sociology online and I love logging in and checking everything out. We have to post once weekly on the 'message board', it's totally up my alley. I'm a forum-nerd ANYWAYS, now I "have" to do it! My first test has to be done by tonight and I'm so nervous!

On another note, Amazon has some really great book deals right now! They have a 4-for-3 promo going on and if you have prime, they all have free 2 day shipping.

$5.88

This book is so pretty, it's watercolor style but it's a big book and great quality.

You really need to watch the books, this one is now up to $8.45, but I got it for $3.47 on Tuesday (delivered Thursday!) This is a big book too and very nice!

Lanie is in love with Veggie Tales - $4.99

Just thought I'd give you an idea of a good way to search..

Choose books, then children's books, choose prime eligible (free shipping)...From there it doesn't always work to choose lowest price to highest so you just have to sift through. But when you find deals like books for 1.00-5.00 and free shipping it is worth it!

Also, prime is good for everything on the site so if you want a free prime membership you can sign up under "amazon mom" and you get it free for 3 months, for each 25.00 you spend you can extend it 1 months (up to a year.) Anything like diapers and household items also get an additional 15% off and another 15% off if you do the subscribe and save, you can find awesome deals. Even on laundry detergent, AND it's delivered to your doorsteps!

 I now have student prime which is the same benefits but it's 6 months free, you have to have an .edu email address.

Once your amazon mom membership is up you can just use a different email and re-sign up. It's GREAT for Christmas - time. Also, if you add stuff in your cart , each time you log in it will tell you whether the price went up or down.

Playing Catch-Up!

Wow, life has been so so busy! Not a bad thing I guess, time is flying. My baby turns 1 next week and I'm still in denial. Normally, I have the party laid out and pretty much completed by this time. I am ashamed that I am not very prepared...but I'll pull it together this week.

School started Wednesday! I go to my first class Tuesday night and I'm nervous! But I have my assignment done for the first 2 weeks of my online Sociology class.

We have a few loose ends to finish around the house before Addison's party.

Checklist:

• Paint trim


• Sand above counter top and repaint


• Install baseboards in kitchen


• CLEAN UP the junk


• Put swings/baby stuff in attic for storage


• Paint Addison's room (ok, this can wait til after the party)

This week I made Lanie and Addison try on some fall/winter clothes to make sure the sizing is right, AND to see if I'm "missing" anything. (ha, ha ha ha...yeah I'm clothing obsessed)

I thought I'd share some outfits that I am just in LOVE with for this winter season!

This was a DEAL/STEAL!!

L'oved Baby does a "Big Find Thursday" It is random but whatever they chose that day is only $5.00! I got 2 of these romper/overalls! They are so soft and will be great for layering this fall!

I can't believe how big she is getting!

Well, off to work on Addison's party :)

Consignment Sales...

I am so overwhelmed with kids clothes at the moment. Sometimes I wonder why I have so many. I do a twice yearly HUGE consignment sale in Greenville. Switcharoos. When I say huge, I mean massive. I don't even want to know how many peices they end up with every season. The convention center is slam packed.

 What's even crazier is the amount of clothes I see women bringing in. I think I have a lot, maybe 2-3 "tubs" of clothes, which to me is ridiculous for two girls that together don't weigh over 50 lbs. These women have those dolly's, you know the things you get at Sams to load all your food on? Yeah, they have them stacked up 3 or 4 feet, and the dolly's are long...about 7 feet long. One woman had two of them! Plus a few black trash bags of stuff, that is all clothes. Shoes were seperate and so were toys!  Seeing that makes me feel a tad better. I had 114 pieces total to consign. It would have been more but thankfully I sold a lot of items online. Anyways, I tried taking a picture of my process of consigning , but I left my memory stick in my computer at work.

The presale is Thursday night so i'll probably go and buy more kids clothes that I don't really need :)

Do any of you do these huge consignment sales? If you haven't ever done one, it's really worth it. There are so many people who come to shop, and everything is tracked online, so check out Switcharoos :)