CVS deals week 4/27

Here is a CVS deal for this week- I don't think the other deals are that good but the May ECB book starts later this week!

Buy $15 worth of qualifying 3M products get $5 ECB back
3M Lint roller 2/$5 coupon here
Scotch-Brite scrub pad 3/$5
Post-It notes or flags 2/$5 coupon here
3M Command adhesive hooks 2/$5 coupon here
Scotch mailing supplies 3/$5
3M duct tape $5
Scotch packing tape $5
Also there are some promotions at 3M productivity.

Here's what I bought
2 lint rollers @ $5
2 command hooks @5
2 post-it flags @5
diet coke & cookies $2.58

coupons used $7 off
ECB used $8

total OOP $3.11
ECB received $5

another Giant Eagle deal

Just got back from my Friday night shopping and I spent $60.17 on this week's groceries- not too bad for me! I found some 55 cents off tear pad coupons for Nabisco 100 calorie snack packs. GE doubles coupons so that is $1.10 off per box and they are priced at 4/$10 so I paid $1.40 per box. Look for Giant Eagle deals here.

BTW- I am amazed at the number of people that have their kids out at the store at 9:30 at night. DD is in bed promptly at 8:00PM!

Friday Grocery Day

Here are some Giant Eagle deals from Marcy at Stretching A Buck :

80% Lean Ground Chuck - $1.79/lb
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Desserts - 5/$10; use $1/1 coupon here
Select Kellogg's Cereals - 4/$10 or $2.50/ea. Use $1/1 Raisin Bran coupon
Vlasic Squeeze Relish - $1.00/ea - sign up here and get a $1/1 coupon
Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt - $2.50/ea; use $1/1 coupon from paper
Keebler Pie Crusts - $2/ea - use $0.30/1 coupon from paper
Chef Boyardee Pasta - $1/ea; use $0.35/3 coupon from paper
Special K Bars - $2.50/ea; use $0.55/1 coupon from paper
Life Cereal is on sale $2/ea; there were some $1/1 Cinnamon Life online

I found a coupon booklet at Giant Eagle called Special K $10 Savings Spree. It has 5 coupons including save $2 on Milk with the purchase of any one Special K cereal and any one Special K bars. Also I'm not sure how long this deal is good but you can get 25 free 4x6 prints online with the code 25FREE.

I like to shop on Friday night- here is what I am buying tonight:
80% Lean Ground Chuck 3 lb pack $1.79/lb
Chef Boyardee or Hunts Snack Pack Pudding 10/$10
Coke/Diet Coke 12 pks 4/$11
Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Special K or Pop Tarts 4/$10 (I have 2- $1 off Raisin Bran Q)
WW Smart Ones entrees or dessert 5/$10 (I have $1 off 5 Q)
GE brand Orange Juice 2/$6
Hunt's spaghetti sauce 10/$10
Hunt's tomatoes 10/$10
Kellogg's Special K Bars 4/$10 (may use Special K booklet for $2 off milk)
Open Pit BBQ sauce 10/$10
Powerade 10/$10
Renuzit Air Freshener 10/$10
Egg Beaters $2.79 get $1 off wyb 2
GE baby wipes 2/$5
GE tissues 10/$10
YoCrunch Yogurt 10/$7
Chapstick 10/$10
Farmers Market Salad 2/$5

The think I like about Giant Eagle is you can buy one of something at 10/$10 and it is still $1. I also have to buy bread and milk and cat litter, so I hope to come in right around $60.

10 easy ways to save on summer energy costs

As energy prices sour, everyone is looking for ways to save money and be more frugal. Here are ten easy steps you can take to reduce your home energy costs during the warm summer months.

1.Turn your thermostat up. If you are gone or working during the day, raise the air conditioning setting by 5-10 degrees. Better yet, invest in a digital programmable thermostat.

2.Replace your furnace filter monthly. A dirty filter makes the furnace work that much harder. Schedule routine preventive maintenance and cleaning of your furnace and air conditioner by a professional at least once a year.

3.Run a dehumidifier during hot humid weather, especially if you have a basement.

4.If you have ceiling fans, adjust the fan blades to push air down in the summer. This helps re-circulate the warm air that rises near the ceiling.

5.If you have a two- story house, check that the cold air vents on the second floor are closed in the summer. This help keeps the upstairs cooler.

6.Close your blinds and curtains on warm sunny days. Plant shade trees on the south exposure of your property.

7.Hang clothes outside to dry on nice breezy days instead of using the clothes dryer.

8.On very hot humid days it is better to keep the house closed up than to open the windows. It will take more energy to cool the house back down.

9.If the weather is comfortable, open the windows and get some fresh air. You can also run the furnace on “fan” only without the air conditioning. The furnace fan will circulate the air through without using the A/C.

10.Check into a co-op at the start of the summer season. You may be able to buy electricity at a fixed (reduced) price. Go on an electric utility budget plan. The utility company will average your payments out over 12 months, so you won’t get stuck with such high summer bills.

Do you have any other tips to share? I have replaced 2 kitchen bulbs with compact fluourescent light bulbs. So far I am not that thrilled with them. When you turn on the switch it takes a few seconds for the bulb to completely warm up. Also I'm not sure how you are supposed to dispose of them since they contain mercury.

Menu Monday and more

Here's my attempt at getting better at organizing my week- a weekly menu! I usually have an idea in my head of what we're going to have for dinner- but I thought things would go better if I actually wrote it down. I tend to plan based on what I have on hand- I rarely go out and shop just for dinner. Also we tend to eat out or on-the-run on weekends.

Sun: order carry-out
Mon: crockpot beef roast with potatoes & veggies
Tue: Johnny Marzetti casserole (make ahead Monday night)
Wed: frozen Boston Market meals (got on sale)
Thu: beef vegetable soup (use leftover beef)
Fri: turkey hotdogs, buns, baked beans
Sat: leftover buffet

For carry-out meals I try to use the Entertainment Book.

Tonight I also cleaned out the laundry room/utility closet and wiped down the washer and dryer. That was quick!

CVS deals this week

I just got back from my weekly CVS shopping trip while DD is napping. Here's what I got this week. (Yesterday I bought 4 bags of M&M's so I had some ECB's to work with.)

1st trip
1 Freestyle Lite Glucose Monitor @ $10.00
1 Alavert 12 ct @ $6.99
1 Mennen Speed Stick 24/7 @ $3.99

used the following coupons
$4 off Alavert online coupon
$1 off Mennen 24/7 online coupon
$13.99 ECB from last week's shopping

spent $1.99 OOP (out of pocket)
got $17.99 ECB back!!!

2nd trip
2 Alavert 12 ct @ $6.99= 13.98
1 Softsoap Spa 18 oz @ $5.49

used the following coupons
$2 off Alavert peelies x2
$14 ECB from previous trip

spent $0.19 cents OOP
got $13.49 ECB back!!!

(I couldn't find another Softsoap Spa coupon)

Giant Eagle deals 4/17-4/23

Friday night is grocery shopping night. I find the store is much less crowded than Saturday. I go after DD is in bed for the night. DH gets a chance to watch a little TV.
Here's what I am buying at Giant Eagle:

$4 off instantly wyb 4 General Mills Cereals @ 4/$10
Golden Grahams, Cookie Crisp, Kix, Wheaties, Cheerios
there are several coupons for General Mills cereals from the paper

$4 off instantly wyb 4 Chex cereals listed below @ 4/$10
Chocolate, Strawberry, Corn, Rice, Multi, Wheat, Honey Nut Chex
there are several coupons for Chex cereals from the paper

$2 off instantly wyb 2 Huggies diapers or Pull-Ups @ $9.99
I have several $2 off Pull-Ups online coupons

Gatorade 10/$10
Lipton Side dishes 10/$10
Breyers Yogurt 10/$5
there are several coupons from the paper
Farmers Market Fresh Express Salads BOGO
Strawberries 1 lb BOGO
Campbell's Kids Soups 10/$10
DEl Fratelli Canned Tomatoes 28 oz 10/$10
GE brand pasta or noodles 10/$10
Kraft BBQ sauce 10/$10
Boneless Angus Bottom Round Roast BOGO

The nice thing about Giant Eagle is they offer double coupons up to 99 cents and you get 10 cents off gas fuel perks with every $50 you spend.

Anti-Procrastination Week

Cyrstal over at biblicalwomanhoodonline has delcared this week "Anti-Procrastination Week". So get up and get something done you have been putting off. I like to use the ideas over at the Fly Lady. Sunday night I tackled that pile of papers that collects on my kitchen counter. I threw away lots of stuff and found some stuff I really needed. I should have taken a before and after picture.

Frugal Friday!

Tightwad, frugal, penny-pincher, cheap! Do you see these terms as positive or negative? At one time I probably thought someone who was frugal was like my grandmother always talking about the Depression. Oh brother, here we go again! But all my life, my mom or my grandma re-used things like paper bags, bread bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil. I thought it was so dumb! But now I see why. Partly as en effort to be more responsible about what goes into the landfills and party to be frugal. I even learned that sometimes it is more cost-efficient to *gasp* buy the smaller container of something! Hope you have a great weekend! Here is a link to more Frugal Friday discussion.

Walgreens

I'm linking to this website because there is a $5 off Walgreens coupon good tomorrow only April 11. Happy shopping!

No, I did not take a food inventory yet. I need to get busy!

Freezer, frig and pantry inventory

I'm really feeling the need to take an inventory of the food in my freezer, refigerator and pantry. I think I should have plenty enough food to make meals for a week without grocery shopping. Unless I need milk or bread or orange juice. Speaking of OJ- it's so expensive (usually $3 for a 1/2 gallon) we usually just have one small 4 oz. glass for breakfast so we can make it last all week. I guess if I had more time I would squeeze it myself. I do water it down for the kiddo- she doesn't seem to notice yet.

CVS Diaper Deal

CVS has a baby and diaper deal this week. Buy $25 worth of select baby items and receive $10 ECB (Extra Care Bucks) back with your Extra Care card.

example:
Huggies diapers and pull-ups are on sale for $8.99. There are several $1 or $2 off coupons floating around from the newspaper or online.

I bought
3 pack Huggies Pull-Ups at $8.99
used 3 of the $2 off Huggies coupons
spent $20.97, got $10 ECB back
that's $10.97 for 3 packs of Pull-Ups

This Week at CVS & Walgreens

Money saving deals this week at CVS and Walgreens.

Here are the free deals of the week
CVS- Softsoap Spa Radiant Sower Gel- buy one at $4.99 get $4.99 ECB- there was also a $1 off coupon in the Sunday paper- so you can get it for $3.99 and get $4.99 ECB.

CVS- Lady Speed Stck deodorant- buy 2 at 2 for $5 get $3 ECB- so it's like paying 2 for $2. There was a $1 off coupon in the paper- if you can get 2 coupons- the whole deal is free.

CVS- CVS brand rapid release gel caps pain reliever- buy one at $3.99 get $3.99 ECB.

CVS- Colgate toothpaste is $2.99 an BOGO (buy one get one free) buy 2 at $2.99 and there was a $1.50 off coupon in the paper- if you can get 2 coupons they are free.

Walgreens (aka WAG)- they have free ink jet cartridge refills on Wednesday 4/2.

WAG- Buy one Advil PM at $3.99 get $3 Register Rewards (RR) back plus there was a $1 off coupon making it free.

WAG- Aquafresh toothpaste- $3.99- free after rebate.

WAG- Colgate 360 toothbrush- $3.99- free after rebate.

WAG- Jane Be Pure mineral brush or Kabuki brush- $4.99- free after rebate.

WAG- Wal-Zyr 5 (store brand Zyrtec) $3.99- free after rebate.

WAG- Walitin 30 (store brand Claritin) $6.99- free after rebate.

Have fun shopping this week!