I *HEART* CVS!!!!

This is my favorite store, it doesn't rank as high as Giant, but it's right up there with it. I love to go here and spend my pocket change and walk out with a few bags worth of goodies. This week I decided to do several transactions, I have been reluctant to do this, I didn't want to make the cashiers mad or the other customers behind me mad. I can see their faces when I pull out coupons, let alone doing several different transactions. But this week I didn't want to spend that much money, and I didn't have very many ECB's only 9 and I knew all the stuff I wanted to get was going to cost me a lot OOP if I didn't break it up. Sorry no picture, I put everything away. I know what was I thinking, putting stuff away and not taking a picture of all my loot first, hey I am only human. Okay here's what I got:

Transaction 1

1 CVS hand soap - 1.69
Physians Formula Mascara - 7.99
Lamisilk lotion - 8.29
Lamisil Cream - 10.49

Total - 28.49

Coupons -
2/10
Rain check for the mascara - free
-2 cvs skincare
-3 lamisilk
-4 lamisil
used 9 ecbs, spent .50 oop, earned 10 ecb

Transaction 2
2 Dove chocolate - 6.00
2 children advil - 11.58

total - 17.58

Coupons -
2/10
2 -1 advil
Dove BOGO -3
used 10 ecbs, spent .58 OOP, earned 11.58 ecb

Transaction 3
Dove - 3.00
Airhead mini - 2.00
Energizer Batteries - 2.99
Alavert - 5.99
Stayfree - 2.79
Stayfree - 2.79
CVS after sun .49
Skin effects - 6.99
Reese pieces - .79 (filler) me and Caitlynn were hungry
Whatchamacalit - .79 (filler)

Total - 28.62

Coupons
2/10
-4 Alavert
-1 Energizer
-1 Stayfree
Stayfree BOGO -2.79
-1 CVS suncare
-2 Skin effects
-3 I didn't have anymore coupons, so I don't know what this is for.

used 11.58 in ECB's, paid .25 oop, earned 13 ecb's.

my total bill would have been $74.69 but I spent a total of 1.33. Pretty good day, I think. I do need to go back and finish up the battery deal and then the diaper deal. A little bit of time earlier in week really paid off. I have to thank The Centsible Sawyer, I love the CVS superstars and that really helped me this week. So once again thank you ladies, you really helped me out and you didn't even know it.

Happy saving...
hugs
*a*

Introducing Bertha!!!!

I just started couponing in June, after I clipped my first set of circulars I went and got one of those coupon holders, they look like envelopes. Mine was pink... After using this for a couple of weeks and collecting more coupons, I new this was not going to work, I couldn't find anything. So I searched the internet for some ideas and decided to try the envelope system. I saved envelopes from the mail and by the end of the week I had enough to start my system, well this wasn't for me either. So back to the internet I went searching for something else and found the binder system, I loved how you could take your entire coupon collection with you to the store and could see everything. I already had a nice binder I had bought for scrapbooking, but it didn't work for what I wanted it for, so all I had to purchase was the baseball card holders and this is how Bertha was born. My kids and I decided to name my binder since it had a pink stripe down the center of it and it went everywhere with us. So Bertha Binder is her name. It's funny to hear my kids say "hey mom, do you want me to bring Bertha in the house". Maybe you have to be here, but believe me it is funny.
Here's Bertha, I love that she has a zipper so nothing falls out and the mesh pocket in the front is a great place to put my coupons that I am going to use.

These pockets are great to hold my circulars, envelopes for certain stores, and coupons that haven't been filed yet.



I love that you can see all my coupons, I have everything sectioned off, dairy, boxed food, frozen, etc. Some coupons I do have to fold, but I don't mind, I just make sure that I can see the picture of the product. In the front, I did get photo protector sheets and have my Store cards with the coupons that go to each store and in the back I have all my rebate sheets.



If you want to see more ideas of how to store and organize your coupons go to Keeping the Kingdom First, Alyssa is having a Binder show and tell until Friday, August 15th.

Hugs
*a*

Cheap or even Free

Maybe you all have been wondering where my layouts have been, no I haven't stopped scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is my passion and hobby and I love it, but during the summer I just can't seem to find the time. My kids stay up much later and by the time I get everyone in bed I am beat and usually go to bed myself. I have been keeping busy with couponing, I love it. I really like making a game out of going to the store these days. How little can I actually spend? On a recent trip to CVS my bill was 125.00 and I spent out of pocket $22.00 and today I just realize they charged for 9 shampoos and I only got 8 so it would have only been 18.00. Here is a picture:
okay so I got:
8 loreal pro vive shampoo - $40
3 12 pk pepsi (only 2 are shown)- 9
1 12 pk siera mist -3
2 packs of diapers -12
1 wipe -2
1 baby shampoo -2
6 trident gum - 9
2 dasani water -3
4 all small and mighty - 26
2 lysol spray -7
2 dove chocolate -7
1 loreal pro vive shampoo- 5 (that they charged me for but I didn't buy)

Can you believe that all this only cost 22.00? All the shampoo (expect the 9th bottle they charged me for) and the gum were free, because I had a BOGO coupon and the store was having a bogo (buy one get one free) sale. So that means free to me!!!! I just can't believe that all these years I have been buying this stuff and generic to boot, when you could get it free or for pennies. My kids are so excited to be eating name brand cereal and let me tell you we have a lot of cereal. Enough about my deals this week, next week I'll be back to let you know how I did at Giant and see if I am any closer to my goal of spending 100 a week for groceries. This is my short term goal, my next goal is to get it down to 60 a week for a family of 6. It can be done my friends. Okay I'm off to find a little girl who has just disappeared, crawling is so over-rated, nothing is safe in this house anymore. :-)

hugs
*a*