Savings and more Spectacularness

I've had several people ask more about couponing and CVS-ing, so I'm going to do a break-down of the deal I did this week. Here's what I got for $6.38:

(mega pack Pampers, Cascade dish soap, Colgate toothpaste)

Here's how I did it:

When you get a CVS card and use it during your deals, you periodically get print-outs on your receipts with coupons, as well as periodic e-mail coupons. I also check a blog at a glance (http://moneysavingmom.blogspot.com) every day or two because she is a CVS lover and posts their deals, coupons that are available that can make deals work better, etc. Keeping the coupons and print-outs in mind that I've searched for, this is a list of coupons I used.

1. $4/$20 coupon (this is a CVS coupon that means it takes $4 off a $20 purchase) - generally these are found floating around on-line, or print off of your receipt...see blog above.
2. $1.50 off Pampers (got this coupon in the mail, but you can find them a lot in the Sunday edition of the newspaper, too)
3. $1.50 off Colgate whitening toothpaste (got this from the moneysavingmom blog also, which provided a link to the coupon on-line that I printed off my computer)
4. $6.99 ECB (Extra Care Bucks that I earned from buying certain items last week)

So I started with a total of right around $20, but then used all of the above and ended with $6.38, PLUS (here's where it gets sweet), I received $5 in ECB back ($3 from the diapers, $2 from the toothpaste), which I will be able to use next time, PLUS in my Pampers package, there was a $1.50 coupon off one box of Cheerios, which totally rocks because we eat those like nobody's business. So essentially with the ECB, it's like I spent $1.38, with a coupon for cereal :)

I was a bit skeptical about CVS-ing when I first started, but the truth is, it totally works. I allot myself $10 or less each week to spend at CVS, buying mostly paper products, snack foods, diapers, cleaning products, and toiletries that we need. Then, I use coupons clipped from the paper and found online to buy the remaining $40 of my groceries (usually at Wal-mart, sometimes at Kroger if my coupons line up well with deals they're having). I plan my menu for the week of cooking for our family around both the coupons I have and recipes we like.

I was NOT a coupon clipper until this March, about 3 months ago, and I totally didn't believe it helped, but especially with how sweet CVS works, plus grocery shopping weeks like the one I'm about to have tomorrow (I have $10 worth of coupons I'll be using for things we need), it really does add up and make a HUGE difference. I've been at it for 3 months now, and I still spend just $50 a week, including all of my baby supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.) and including my CVS trip.

And one final tip for those of you who have been inquiring and are truly interested, I also recommend the coupon links on my blog for signing up for freebies. You go to different websites and give them your name, address, and b-day, and they mail you free samples and freebies of things. Here's a list of things we've gotten so far:
diapers, wipes, potty training DVD, Rand McNally Atlas, laundry detergent, paper towels, cereal, granola bars, coupons for diapers, stain remover, tampons, Tylenol, and several others I've forgotten. You wouldn't think samples would make much of a difference either, but again, it all adds up.
(You also have to give your e-mail most times, but I've set up a separate e-mail account for ALL of my couponing and money saving stuff, and it keeps my regular inbox from being cluttered or annoying).

And now for my wall of pictures (from our Summer Spectacular decorating!):

Whew, that's all for now, my friends!