More Free Deodorant

Seems like I am posting about deodorant more than anything lately! I scored some more at CVS today.

Right Guard was on sale for $2.99, and generating a $1 reward. I bought 2 and used a $3/2 coupon, so I paid $3 and got $2 back. Of course I still have lots of Black Friday rewards, so I only paid tax.

Dollar Tree Freebies!

I just happened on a Dollar Tree store, and I was so excited to have a new spot to coupon!

I picked up these 4 deodorants for $1 (of course) and used $1 coupons, so they were free! Yay!

I also found Fiber One Chewy bars, which my son loves,  for only $.75 after coupons. These are usually over $4!

Free Razors at CVS!

<p>This week I combined a ton of coupons to get these 4 packs of razors for free!</p>
<p>They retail for $8.29, and there is a promotion this week to get $10 in rewards when you spend $30. I bought 4, and used the following: 20% off, $4 off $20 purchase, and 2 buy one get one free coupons. That came to just over $9 for all 4 packs!  Sweet! I then used rewards to pay the balance, and earned back $10.

I also got these 2 hand creams free with a coupon from the CVS Facebook page. I love coupons for straight up free stuff- no need to wait for a sale!

I am setting aside one pack of razors and one hand cream for the One Voice project, and the rest are off to Upward Bound House:)

Hair care freebies at CVS

Last week I got 2 great coupons from the coupon machine. One was for $1 off any shampoo, conditioner or styler, and the other was for $1.50 off the same. I bought one V05 shampoo at regular price $1.19, and one conditioner on clearance for $.89. They were both free!

I'm glad I kept that coupon!

Months ago I printed a few copies of a great high value coupon for $5 off Samy hair color. I had one left over that expired today, and it was perfect to match up with the sale at Rite Aid this week! They are no longer available to print so I was glad I hung onto this one.

Samy hair color is on sale for $8.99. I used the coupon and my total was $3.99, and I earned back $5 in rewards.

I also bought 2 Right Guard deodorant. They are on sale for $2.99 each, and I had a $3/2 coupon. So my total was $2.98 and I earned back $1 each in rewards.

I used the rewards I got last week buying hair gel and laundry soap, and all three items were free. One deodorant is going to One Voice, and the others to UBH. Good week so far!

New partnership for the holidays!

This week I am dividing my coupon hauls between 2 organizations. Freebies will still benefit UBH, but I am also collecting goods for One Voice. My husband's office is sponsoring 4 poverty level families, providing supplies, toys and cash for rent. I have agreed to make bags of personal supplies from my couponing this week and next and from my personal stockpile. I'll post pictures of the bags before they go out. Each one will be personalized depending on the ages and genders of the family members.

I am so excited to work on this project and compile meaningful kits for these families!

If you have anything you would like to donate or would like more information please let me know!

56 items so far!!

I just updated my spreadsheet and I am at 56 out of 100 items toward the goal!  I have only got 5 weeks until Christmas, so I better get working:)  Looks like there will be some good freebies next week, and I am hoping with the Holidays around the corner that the stores will run great promos to get customers in the door!

The total retail price for these 56 items is $260.80.  Pretty awesome amount of freebies:)

Better than free hair gel at Rite Aid!

I have been so busy with Black Friday shopping that I just today made it to Rite Aid for this deal.

This gel was on sale for $1.99, and is a good example of double dip rewards!  It was printing a $1.99 weekly reward, and a $1 monthly reward for each one!  So I spent $1.99 and earned back $2.99.  Pretty good!  I bought these along with some laundry soap using rewards, so they were free and going in the donation pile!

Toys on sale at CVS!

I couldn't believe the toy deals at CVS this week. I was expecting they would just have cheap, overpriced stuff, but check out this one deal:
Thursday night I stood in line at Toys R Us for the doorbusters. One of the toys on my list was a walking Iron Man robot toy. My son specifically asked for a red robot. It was advertised at $9.99, which was half price. I bought 2, one for my son and one for his friend.
Later, I went to CVS and discovered they had the same toy in their buy one get one free toy sale. But, guess how much? Only $9.99!. I was also able to use rewards to pay, so I got both completely free. I will definitely be returning the 2 from Toys R Us!!
I also got this cool Hot.Wheels toy for UBH. I bought a Crayola item and got this for free too.
My black Friday shop at CVS brought home $130 worth of goods, and I only spent $.50! I also made back $19.15 in rewards. My Christmas shopping is done!!!

Brushes and floss for free!

I snagged this double toothbrush pack and 2 90 count flossers for free this week at CVS. They all generated an equal value reward (i.e. if it cost $2 you get $2 back). I used rewards to pay and got these free without lowering my reward count!

Children's Advil Moneymaker at CVS

I can't donate this to UBH, but I wanted to share the great deal I got!

The 1oz Children's Advil was on sale for $2.37 each, and generating a full value $2.37 reward.  I was excited to go in using my $1.50 facebook coupon and make money on the reward side.  When I scanned my card at the machine this week in store I also got a $3 off any Children's Advil!!  CVS would price adjust the coupons down because they don't allow overage, so I decided to buy 2.

My cost before coupons was $4.74, and I had $4.50 in coupons, so I paid $.24 for both and make back $2.37 (limit 1 on the reward).

The best part is they don't expire until 2015, so they are a great addition to my stockpile!!

CVS rocks this week!

CVS is having an amazing "free after rewards" promotion this week.  There are tons of items that are generating a full value reward, so if you can use a coupon it makes the items better than free.  A few examples are Starbucks and Coke drinks, Advil and Children's Advil, Hot Wheels, Kleenex pocket packs, and tons more.  I got a bunch of great deals, but these are the 5 items I am adding to the donation pile:

Carmex lip products are on sale for $.99 and generating a $.99 reward.  I also used a $.30 coupon.

Visine was on sale almost half price for $5.50.  I used a $4 CVS coupon and a $3 manufacturer coupon, which was price adjusted to make it free.  I also got $1.50 in rewards.

Right Guard deodorant was on sale $2.99 each.  I bought 2 and used a $2/2 coupon, so my cost was $3.98.  I also got back $2 in rewards for each one.

U by Kotex were on sale for $1.49, and I got back $1 in rewards.

I used some of my rewards from last week to cover the out of pocket on this, so everything was free and I made back about $7.50 in rewards.  I also bought one additional deodorant on another transaction to bring my total up so I could use my reward, so that makes 6 items from this trip toward the 100 item goal.

Free Dove Body Wash at Vons!

It is rare to get personal care items free at the grocery store, but this week I scored these awesome freebies!

Dove body wash was on sale for only $2.49 each when you buy 2.  I used one $2/1 internet coupon, and one $2/1 Just 4 You Vons electronic coupon, so my total was only $1.  I also had a $2 catalina coupon off my purchase, so $1 of that was applied to this purchase, making them free:)

Free Enfagrow!

Today I made a trip to Rite Aid for another free Enfagrow 4 pack.  I hope the toddler population at UBH likes these drinks - I have donated a total of 14 of these already, and they were all free:)

This week I received a coupon donation for $7 off any Enfagrow toddler drink.  Not all stores carry this item, but my local Rite Aid has them priced at $6.99.  Another great freebie!!

Baby Love Body Spray

Rite is having a great fragrance promotion this week - buy any fragrance and get $5 in rewards. These body spray were only $5.50 each, so I bought 2, used $11 in rewards and paid only tax. Also, I got back $10 in rewards.

These kinds of deals are great for rolling rewards. I had a few expiring this week, so with this purchase I was able to get something to donate and extend my rewards for 2 more weeks:)

Free Razors with BOGO coupons

At the beginning of this week I was so happy to see a deal on Schick razors at CVS because my BOGO coupons were about to expire, and I love BOGO deals!!

CVS was offering a $10 reward if you spent $25 on brands including Schick.  These razors were $9.79, so I picked up 4 and used the BOGO coupons to get 2 free.  I paid for the other 2 using some of those amazing Revlon rewards from last week, and got my $10 back too.  I did have to pay more than tax out of pocket, so the other 2 packs were not technically free.  But these 2 are going straight into the donation pile!

4 Free Dry Idea Deodorant at CVS

I got a great deal on these deodorants this week! They were on sale buy one get one free, and the price was $4.29. I bought 4 so my cost was $8.58.

I used 2 $3/2 manufacturer coupons, one $1.50/$4 or more deodorant purchase from the coupon machine, and 1 $1/1 CVS coupon printed from the website.  Luckily at CVS you can stack a manufacturer coupon and store coupon, so I got a total of $8.50 off!!

The remaining $.08 I would count as free anyway, but it was actually on my bill with some other items and I used rewards.  Awesome deal:)

4 Free Revlon Nail File 24 packs!

This was my last couponing trip for the week - 4 free 24 packs of nail files at CVS!

After the awesome deal I got this week on clippers, I was looking for stock at other stores to see if I could repeat it.  All Revlon cosmetics and tools are generating a $7 reward when you buy 2, so of course everyone was looking to buy to cheapest items for the deal, which are the clippers.  But these packs of files are priced at $3.79, so they made for a good deal too. Check it out:

I bought 4 at $3.79, so my total was $15.16.  I had a $15 from the awesome Aveeno deal from this week as well.  I spent $.16 plus tax (I am counting these as free - I pulled $.16 out of my car armrest:).  And, I made back $14 in rewards.

I also scored some great Halloween stuff this week at 50% off.  I bought a great costume for my kids' dress up bin and some candy to use for stocking stuffers.  Great week at CVS!

Free Colgate at Rite Aid

Today I picked up 3 Colgate toothpaste for the freebie pile! They were on sale for $3.50, and I used $.75 coupons. They also generated $3 each in rewards. I bought these and a razor for my hubby's Xmas stocking, and paid entirely with rewards. I will post a summary shot soon to show all the freebies toward the 100 goal this week:)

Free Advil PM at Walgreens!

You can pick up the 4 count boxes of Advil PM free this week at Walgreens!  They are on sale for $1 and there was a coupon in this past Sunday paper for $1 off any Advil PM.  Yay!  I can't donate these items, but a great time to stock up:)

That discount messed up my freebies!!

Lol, I had an interesting trip to CVS today! A surprise register discount meant I did not get all this for free, but it was still a good deal!

Aveeno lotion are generating a $15 reward when you buy 4. I bought 4 for $3.89 each and used 1 $3/2 and 2 $1/1 coupons.

I also bought 6 more Revlon tools. The 2 clippers were $3.29, and the files were $3.79. I had one $3 Revlon coupon from the CVS coupon machine. These are generating $7 in rewards when you buy 2.

I added this all up and factored in my 25% coupon. Everything was fine until that coupon didn't go through, and the cashier had to enter it manually. My total was about $30, and for whatever reason she keyed in a $15 discount!!
Even though this was an awesome discount it meant I could not use my $21 reward to make it all free! Instead I paid $16 and got back $36. At least now I have lots of rewards for some good freebies in the next few weeks!!

The Perfect Coupon Storm!!

The coupon stars truly aligned for this transaction!  I hadn't done the math on this before shopping because I was trying out a new coupon from my fellow couponer Wendy, and I wasn't sure how it would work out.  But, I ended up paying $.04 before tax (which I am going to count as free) for 6 nail clippers, and I made $21 in rewards!  Amazing!

This week at CVS Revlon cosmetics and beauty tools are generating a $7 reward when you buy 2.  I bought   6 clippers priced at $3.29.  I was able to use a 25% coupon that I got in my email, as well as Wendy's "extraordinary savings pass" coupon for another 20% off.  Normally you cannot use 2 percent off coupons, but with this special pass you can!  I also had exactly $13 in extrabucks that would expire this week, so after all of those savings my bill was $.04, and I got 3 Revlon rewards, so $21!  Gotta love that deal!

Nivea Lip Care Freebies

Last week at Rite Aid there was an awesome deal on Nivea Lip products.  The monthly (unadvertised) promotion on Nivea products was to spend $15 and get $5 back in rewards.  These lip products were on sale 2/$5, so I bought six to reach the $15.  I then used 3 $3/2 coupons, making my total only $6!

Of course I had $6 in rewards - from the Dove Body Wash and Dial hand soap earlier in the week - so these were free except for tax, and I made back $5 for next week.  Donation number is up to 26 freebies after I add the Nivea:)

Double dip rewards at Rite Aid

I am just starting to learn about double dip rewards at Rite Aid. This is when you get both a weekly and monthly deal reward for buying the same items. The 6 items I purchased below (free, of course, except for tax after using rewards!) were all participating in double rewards. Check it out:

Dial hand soap (either the white tea or Halloween variety) are $2/4 this week.  They are generating a $1 reward each weekly and a $1 reward each monthly.  This means you spend $4 and make $4 in rewards!  I also used $.35 coupons for each bottle, making this a bit of a moneymaker!

The Lip Smackers products are on a weekly deal to generate $5 when you spend $10, and a monthly deal to generate $4 when you spend $10.  I bought 4 flavored gloss for $2.29 each, and I used 2 $1/2 coupons.  I spent $9.16, and earned back $9 in rewards!

The monthly Rite Aid deals are not advertised in the circular, so I am relying on info from my favorite coupon web site to clue me into these.  What a great way to roll rewards and score more freebies!!

4 Free Dove Men's Body Wash

Another 4 freebies at Rite Aid today!

Dove Men's Care body wash is on sale this week 2/$7.  I bought 4, and used 4 $2/1 coupons.  I paid $6, and earned back $2 for each pair, so $4 total.  I used rewards to pay the $6, so my cost was only tax.

This deal makes 17 freebies so far:)

Military Care Packages

I wanted to share a web site and idea for another mission - care packages for deployed military.

A few years ago when I started couponing I sent tons of care packages to soldiers through an organization called Any Soldier (www.anysoldier.com)  Deployed military people can sign up on the site and post information about what they need.  You can browse through the posts and support groups that fit the kinds of things you have to offer.  It is so inspiring to read the posts of our troops.  I also loved that very often I would get letters back from the soldiers. It was amazing to see how much the items I sent meant to them, and even more than that how much they appreciated the support from back home.

I would love to organize more care packages, especially around the holidays.  I know that I can use coupons to purchase items at about 90% off retail, but I still need help to cover the expense of that 10% plus tax.  If anyone would like to sponsor this mission please be in touch with me.  I can use cash or store card donations.

I think it would be very cool to try and coupon for specific things that the troops are requesting.  It would be another great way to use coupons to make a difference:)

Free Olay Face Wash!

I am so glad I saved the Olay coupon I got from the magic coupon machine last week at CVS.  It was for $3 off an Olay facial product. This week I paired it up with a $2 newspaper coupon to make $5 off one product.

Lucky for me, Olay face products were on sale this week for only $4.49, so I got it completely free! I can also save the receipt to submit for the P&G rebate. When you spend $50 before December 31 you get $15 back. Hopefully I get some more good P&G deals!

Let me know if you need the link for the rebate!

4 Free Skinny Cow bars

You all know I love pretty much anything that is free, but I especially love free chocolate!!

This week at Rite Aid Skinny Cow single bars were on sale for $.99, and generating a $1 reward when you buy 2.  I used a buy one get free coupon, and $2 in rewards to get these 4 bars fee and get my $2 in rewards back for another purchase.  Sweet!!

Total freebies = 12

Free Advil Congestion

Advil is not an item that I can donate to UBH, but I wanted to share this deal anyway because I love free stuff:)

This week Advil Congestion is only $6 at Rite Aid (and I think Walgreens too).  In the Sunday paper this past weekend there was a mail in rebate form for this product up to $6.  So you get the full purchase price back by mail.

I love rebates!  I have submitted for and received over $300 in rebates in the past year.  Just always be on the lookout for the maximum refundable price, because sometimes the item will cost more than the rebate will refund.

20 free razors:)

Too bad this only counts as 2 items, though:)  I bought these 10 packs of Bic razors at Rite Aid.  They were $3.99, and on sale buy one get one half price.  The second one rang up at $1.99.  I used a buy one get one free coupon, so the register should have taken off $1.99, but it took off $3.99!  Sometimes I notice this happens if you haven't scanned your loyalty card before you hand over coupons - the items ring up full price before the card is scanned, so the coupons are processed for the full amount too.

Anyhow, I got both of these for $1.99, I used a $2 reward to pay for them, and I earned back $2 in rewards!  Now that's what I call free:)

My tax cost on this was $.52.  8 items down and still under $1 out of pocket!!

My first 6 Freebies for the new goal:)

This morning I picked up the 6 items pictured below for only $.26 out of pocket!!  I know the free Enfagrow has become commonplace, but for anyone new I will recap how I got another 4 packs for free:)

A few weeks ago Rite Aid was running a sale on the Enfagrow - they are regularly priced at $6.99 and on sale for $3.49.  I realize now I should have asked for rainchecks from every store I went to, but I did remember to get one to lock in the sale price for 30 days.  Today, with some new coupons in hand, I went back out and scored 4 more packs for free.  I did use up the quantity on this rain check, so it seems the gravy train has ended...unless I find more packs with $2 peelie coupons!!

I used a new $10/2 coupon as well as a $5/1 coupon donated by Tracie (thank you!!).  My total for 4 packs was only $13.96, so I asked the cashier if he would price adjust the coupons since they were worth more than the product.

I also had a $2 reward that was expiring today, so I picked up 2 packs of Ricola.  They were on sale 2/$3, and I used a $1/2 coupon, making them $2.  The $2 reward covered the total amount and I paid sales tax only on the Ricola (no tax on food!), so I fished $.26 in change out of my wallet.  I also made $1 in rewards for buying the Ricola!

A pretty good start!

New Mission for Upward Bound House!

Since reaching my initial goal of donating $2,000 worth of products to UBH I have been trying to come up with another mission.  I had a great new idea today that I am really excited to launch this week.

The new mission will be to donate 100 FREE items to Upward Bound House by the end of the year.  Now, just to clarify, "free" items will still cost me out of pocket, because I will be required to pay tax on the dollar amount before coupons.  But I am going to do my best to stay under $40.

There are only 11 weeks left of this year, so let's see how much free stuff I can get!

As always, coupon donations are what make this whole operation work!  I could not do what I do without having a big stash of coupons to draw from.  If you would like to get involved please see the various "Donate" tabs for more information.

Also please remember that a little cash or store credit can go a long way in the hands of a couponer!  While working on my last goal I was able to buy over $340 worth of products for a $40 cash donation.  If you have a little cash to spare, please contact me about arranging a mission for UBH!  I can track exactly what I am able to purchase with your contribution, and I promise to make it go as far as possible.

Stay tuned - I picked up 6 freebies already this morning:)

Kids Toothpaste Deal at Walgreens!

Orajel Toddler Toothpaste is super cheap this week at Walgreens!  These usually retail for $4.49 each, but you can get them both for only $1.99!

The Walgreens sale price this week is $3.99.  They are also buy one get one free.  Coupon policy at Walgreens states that you can use a coupon on an item made free by a store promotion, so you can use 2 $1/1 coupons.  That brings your total for both items to only $1.99!  You can print coupons from their website if you don't have newspaper coupons:)

For my shopping trip I also had 2 $1 store rewards.  I couldn't use these without buying "filler" items.  These items are needed because Walgreens requires that you have as many items as coupons in your order, and they count rewards as a coupon.  So, I couldn't use 4 coupons on 2 items.  I bought 2 Halloween drinking cups for $.39 each to fill in my order, and use the $2 in rewards.  My total before tax for everything was only $.77!!

$.24 Colgate at CVS

The CVS coupon machine is printing a $2 off Colgate coupon this week.  Colgate is also on sale for $2.99.  I used the store coupon, plus a $.75 newspaper coupon to get each tube for only $.24!!

I also have been noticing that my receipt at CVS has been printing with a dollars off coupon.  I always find these hard to use, because they usually expire in a few days and I have just finished my shopping when I get them!  This week I decided to buy just this one cheap item first, spend the $.50 (price with tax), and see what printed.  I got a $10 off $50 coupon.  I was planning to buy paper towels, toilet tissue and Puffs tissue with the spend $30 get $10 rewards deal.  I added on a few other things I needed to buy, like Nestle Water (on sale for $2.97 each, plus a $1/2 coupon), and got my total to $50.05 before tax (around $56 after tax).  I used the CVS coupon first (while the total was still over $50!), and a bunch of newspaper coupons, a bunch of previous rewards, plus a $10 rebate card from a purchase of Olay products a while back.  I ended up spending less than $8 for the $56 bill!

CVS deals using a 20% email coupon

Check out this deal on Revlon tools this week:

When you buy any 2 Revlon cosmetics or tools, you will receive a $5 reward.  I chose the cheapest option at my store, which was nail clippers for $2.99.  So they cost $6 and you get $5 back.  Pretty good!

But even better is if you sign up for emails with your CVS member number - I got an email for 20% off, which only applies to full price items.  These clippers apply, which means I only spent $4.80 to make $5.  Much better!

The 20% is also great to use on Physician's Formula cosmetics this week.  When you spend $10 you get $7 back in rewards.  I used my 20% off to make a $10.49 mascara $8.40, then used a $1 coupon.  I spent $7.40 to make $7.

Another good option is Edge shave cream.  I bought one for $3.19, then got the 20% off, and got $2 back.  I find it hard to score great deals on shave cream, so this was a steal.

It can be hard to find full price items that have great rewards attached to use % off coupons, but this week the options were pretty good!

Goal Reached - Over $2,000 Retail!!

I can't believe it is only October and we have reached our goal of $2,000 retail!  This is all thanks to the generous support I have received, in cash donations, coupons, and product donations.  THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible:)

Totals for 12 weeks of shopping:

RETAIL: $2011.35
BEFORE TAX: $92.71
AFTER TAX: $134.21, PLUS $40 IN CASH DONATION = $174.21

Total number of items donated: 397

I am amazed that I could donate over $2,000 in goods to Upward Bound House and spend only $130 out of my own pocket.  This is truly an awesome way to maximize the dollars that I am able to spare from my budget.  Having all of these personal care items means that the participants at UBH can save a bit more money that they might have otherwise spent on toothpaste and shampoo.  

So...what now?  My own stockpile is in need of a little TLC, but I absolutely plan to continue to shop for UBH and of course use all donated coupons for donation items.  The weekly hauls might be a bit smaller now that the primary goal has been reached, but I will continue to post about the amazing ways coupons and a bit of planning can save you tons of money:)

Here are the totals in a few categories to give you an idea of the amounts that were donated:

62 Shampoo and hair care items
51 Toothpaste and oral care items
28 Baby and Toddler Formula
61 Cosmetic and facial care items

Weeks 11 and 12 Summary

I have put weeks 11 and 12 together because my whole family had the flu this week and I only had time and energy for one couponing trip.  At least we were not all sick at the same time - we spaced it out with about a day between each of us:)  I never get a flu shot, but this year I am going for sure.  I saw on my receipt from Rite Aid that you get a coupon book with $100 in savings when you get the shot, so you know where I will be going!!

Week 11 and 12 Retail: $189.74
Total Before Tax: $3 (exactly!)
Total After Tax: $9.55

And the totals for the whole 12 weeks...

We have reached our goal of over $2,000 retail!!!!!  Check my next post for all the details:)

Flu considered, not too bad!

Considering the condition of my family this week I didn't do too bad with this haul from Rite Aid:)

The Enfagrow continue to be moneymaking products this week! I found 2 packs with $2 peelie coupons and combined them with my rain check price of $3.49, making each pack only $1.49. I also used a $5 product check donated to CFCLA, so made about $2 buying these!

The Dove shampoo were 2/$7. I used 2 $1/1 coupons and a $2 Rite Aid video value coupon,  so they were 2/$3 and I got $2 back.

The toothpaste was $2.99 each. I used a $.75 coupon on each, and got back a $2 reward on each.

The hair mousse was $6.49 and buy one get one free. I used a $2 video value coupon and got back a $4 reward for each one. That was a really sweet deal!

The halloween nail polish deal could have been better, but was still good. It cost 2.39 and I got back $3 in rewards. The store was also offering a buy one get one half price deal, so if they had another one I could have bought it half price and got another $3 reward. Oh well;)

This week was such a small haul that I am just going to combine it with last week for totals. I think after I process this we may have hit the $2,000 goal...I'll let you know as soon as I get the numbers input!

We all got the flu:(

I hope to make it out shopping today. We all got the flu. Everyone in my house has had a turn. If I am feeling better I know there are some great deals out there:)

Give a couponer $40...

This is so amazing - check out all of the great stuff I got for $40!  Lamoine made this cash donation to CFCLA, and I started using it in Week 9.  Here is the breakdown of what I got:

2 Deodorant
4 Blistex
4 Toothbrushes
4 Toothpaste
9 Cosmetic items, including lipstick and face powder
9 Nail polishes
6 Razors
1 Mouthwash
2 Facial Moisturizers
2 Facial Cleansers
3 Body Lotions
2 Baby Bath Products
4 Feminine Care Products
5 Dish Soaps
2 Body Wash
13 Shampoos
1 case of Baby Formula

TOTAL RETAIL: $349.78!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to Lamoine for this donation.  It is truly amazing how far $40 can go!  The best part about couponing for charity (aside from feeling good about it!) is that I am able to take advantage of deals that I might normally not do because it is for a brand I don't use or an item I have too much of:)  Couponing for UBH really allows me to take advantage of the store rewards programs, and rolling these rewards over week to week really allows me to score such big savings.

Also a big thank you to everyone who has been donating coupons - this wouldn't be possible without the coupons, and having enough coupons is key to making these deals work!

CVS $3.45 spent to make $13!

Last week's deals at CVS included a lot of good rewards.  I decided on these 4 items to maximize the rewards I already had to use.  Here is how it worked out:

Bought 2 Softsoap bodywash (my favorite kind!) for $3.50 each, and used 2 $.50/1 coupons.  Got $2 back for each bottle.

Bought 1 Almay eye make up removing sticks for $5.49.  Used a $2 off coupon and made $2 in rewards.

Bought 1 Physician's Formula lip gloss for $9.99 and used a $1/1 coupon.  Made $7 back in rewards.

I also used $17 in rewards, and just $3.45 out of pocket.  After this deal we are less than $100 from reaching the $2,000 goal!

Another Clearance Similac

I hope someone at Upward Bound House has a baby that needs soy formula!  I found another clearance pack of Similac at 75% off, so only $3.24.  I used a $3 reward, and this was only $.24 (no tax!).

Walgreens Shampoo Steals

I think shampoo is one of my favorite things to coupon for:)

This week at Walgreens I was able to put my $8 in rewards to good use.  They didn't roll into as many rewards, but I got some great savings.

I did the following transaction twice.  First I bought the Degree deodorant, and used a coupon that gave me a free Clear shampoo.  The deodorant was only $3.99, and the shampoo was $6.99, so this was a great coupon to use.  The Pert Plus was on sale for $1.99 (normally over $4), and there is a Walgreens coupon in the monthly book for $1 off each bottle.  I also used a $1.50/2 coupon on each pair.

This transaction also marked the end of Lamoine's $40!!  So, a few of the items were covered in her cash donation, and the remaining amount out of my budget was only $1.29.

I also got back $1 reward for each of the Degree, and 1,000 points for each of the Clear (which can be redeemed for $1), so I got $4 back.

I am going to do a post to show all of the amazing stuff I got with Lamoine's $40.  You won't believe how far that $40 went!!!

Amazing Haul at Rite Aid!

There were some really great deals with rewards this week at Rite Aid.  Using previous rewards, I got all of this for only $3.06 including tax!!

The Carefree was on sale for 2/$2, and generating a $1 for each pack.  I used rewards to pay for these and only paid tax on all 8.

The Chapstick was a even better deal!  They were on sale 3/$3, and producing a $2 reward when you buy 2.  I bought 12, used 6 $1/2 coupons, so I paid $6.  I earned $8 back in rewards ($2 per trio)!!!

The Right Guard was on sale for $3.99 each, and I used a $2/2.  I got lucky again with this brand because the cashier put through a $1 peelie coupon from one of the boxes.  The other box had one too but I guess she missed it:)  I didn't even know she did it until I saw the coupon in her pile.  Any way...so the retail was $5 after coupons, and I made a total of $4 in rewards for both boxes.

Last, I got a Pantene shampoo and hair gel.  They were on sale 2/$7.  I used a buy one get one free Pantene coupon, and stacked it with a $1 Rite Aid coupon for Pantene stylers.  So my total after coupons was $2.50 for both, and I got back $1 in rewards.

So, after using over $20 in rewards, I spent only $3.06 out of pocket and earned back $21 in rewards!  It was a perfect shopping trip:)

Week 10 - 36 items for $6.50

Week 10 was great!  I am still using the cash donation from Lamoine (I have about $4 left), so I was able to keep the out of pocket really low.  Also, I was able to buy clothing items, which I rarely have a chance to donate.  Here is the summary:

WEEK 10 RETAIL: $275.87
WEEK 10 BEFORE TAX: $21.70
WEEK 10 AFTER TAX: $6.50 (and after accounting for the cash donation - most expenses this week were fully covered!)

TOTAL RETAIL AFTER 10 WEEKS: $1,821.61
TOTAL OUT OF POCKET AFTER 10 WEEKS: $124.67

I am hoping for a few more money makers on formula next week if I can find the clearance prices again.  We are getting so close to our goal of $2,000!  I have a feeling we may hit it after 2 moew weeks of shopping, or even sooner if the deals this week have a high percentage of savings!  Very exciting!

8 more shampoos at Walgreens

I had $8 in rewards to use at Walgreens before I left for Chicago, so this was what I got:

Herbal Essences was on sale 2/$6.  I had 4 buy one get one free coupons, so I got them 2/$3.  I also used a $2 reward on each pair, making the set of 2 only $1.53 after tax.  I did the transaction 4 times to use all of my rewards, and spent $6.10 out of the budget.

I also earned back $2 for each pair that I bought, so I spent $6.10 after tax on the product and made $8 in rewards.  I am working on the best way to use those rewards this week.  There are a few good options!

Children's Place Summer Sale

Remember the $7.04 I made buying Similac on clearance at CVS?  I was looking for something really great to spend that $7 on, something that I don't normally coupon for.  I noticed a sale sign outside one of my favorite kids clothing shops the other day, and when I went in I found the perfect thing!

These boys shorts were on the $1.99 sale rack.  I couldn't believe they were only $1.99, so I brought a pair up to ask the cashier if that was the correct price.  They rang up for only $.99!  I couldn't believe it.  I bought a bunch for next summer for my son, and 7 pair to donate.  My total after tax was $7.54, so counting the profit from those formula purchases I only spent an extra $.50 from the budget.  What a great find!

Chicago

I am at the airport coming home from my weekend in Chicago! Excited to finish up my posts from last week and start a new week of couponing.

Rite Aid - I finally got some toothbrushes!

For the past 9 weeks I have been buying so much toothpaste, and just waiting for the toothbrushes to come up free!  This week I got my wish at Rite Aid.

Oral B toothbrushes are on sale for 2.99.  I used a $1 coupon from the Rite Aid Oral Health Coupon Book (thanks Wendy for passing these books along!), and a $.50 coupon from the Sunday paper.  I spent only $1.49 on each one, and got back the full sale price, $2.99, in rewards for each one as well.  I had to use 2 cards because there is a limit of 2 on this deal, which also applies to Crest toothpaste:)

Next I bought the cosmetics - one blush and one nail file set.  Rite Aid is offering the same promotion again this week.  Buy one Revlon cosmetic get one half price, and when you spend $10 you get back $4 in rewards.  The blush cost $9.79, and the files are $1.25, but I got it half price, so $.62.  I then used the last $5 one Revlon face product in my arsenal (thanks to Meira for that one!).  I paid $5.41, and got back the $4 reward.

My next deal was the Stayfree and OB.  These are on sale 2 for $4.  I had one final $2 off Stayfree coupon (thanks to Tracie for that one!), and I printed a $1/1 OB coupon online.  I spent only $1 for both, and got back a $1 reward.

My favorite deal this week was the Nivea.  I bought these on 2 separate cards as well because of how I needed to use my rewards.  The lotion retails for $10.49, and when you spend $10 you get back $5.  I bought one and used a $3 coupon, so it was $7.49 to get back $5.  When I rang this item up on the second card, it was discounted to $8.39.  I figured out that I get a discount on all full price items because of how many points I have earned shopping at Rite Aid.  So while this was good news, I didn't qualify for the $5 reward, which made the deal not as sweet!  After I talked to the manager, I ended up returning the lotion and buying it back along with another Nivea hand cream.  All Nivea products are also buy on get one half price this week, so I bought a $5.99 hand cream for an extra $2.98.  All together I spent $8.37 for both items and got my $5 in rewards.

I definitely learned the hard way that it always pays to add up your totals before you get to the register so you can tell if something is off, and to check for rewards before you leave the register as well.  I can't tell you how many times I walked away from the store only to realize that a coupon didn't scan, or I didn't get the rewards I was expecting.

So, all told, I used a bunch of rewards that were expiring this week ($22), and I paid out of pocket $9.10 for all of this including the $1 I made buying the Enfagrow from the last post), and I made back $26.96 in rewards.  It's shaping up to be a good week!

More FREE Similac & Enfagrow

CVS has a great promotion on baby stuff this week. When you spend $30 on brands like Enfamil and Huggies you get $10 back. I also scanned my card at the coupon machine and got a $10 off $50 purchase coupon. I combined the promotion and coupon:
Bought 2 Enfamil tubs for my daughter, $24 each (usually $33).
Bought 2 clearance similac ready to feed, $3.14 each. These brought my total up over $50 so that I could use my coupon.
Used my $10 off coupon and earned $10 in rewards. I am applying the $10 off to the similac purchase making them both free. I hope I can find more at other locations!

I was lucky enough to find 3 more copies of the Enfagrow coupon in my file at school!  Rite Aid is still selling these at the reduced price of $3.49, and the coupon is for $5/1.  I bought four, so the total was just under $14, but I used all 3 coupons, which means I saved $15.  This extra dollar came off my other purchases at Rite Aid.

I always thought it was so crazy when the shoppers on Extreme Couponing would get formula items for free because they are so expensive!  But now I see it is possible:)

CVS razors, rinse, and gloss:)

After finding more Similac formula on clearance I was feeling ready to shop for non-baby items!  Here is what I got this week at CVS:

The CVS coupon machine is printing out a $4 off $12 cosmetics purchase this week.  I decided to buy 2 Maybelline lip gloss at $7.29 each.  I used the $4 off and 2 $1/1 coupons as well, so I saved $6 and earned back $3.

I bought the Gillette Fusion razor at full price, $11.49.  I used a $4 off coupon, making it only $7.49, and got back $5 in rewards.  The $4 off coupon expires this week, so I was glad to use it!

Last, I bought a Colgate Optic White mouth rinse.  It was on sale for $4.99, and I had a CVS coupon for $1.50/1 and a manufacturer coupon for $1/1.  I paid $2.49 and got back $2 in rewards.

I also used $18 in previous rewards.  Before tax my total was $.56, and after tax it was $3.28.  I also earned back $10 in rewards.  That was fun!

Week 9 Summary

Here is the haul from week 9.  I am super excited to have so much baby formula to donate, and even more excited that I didn't pay a penny for any of it!  The totals for the week are:

WEEK 9 RETAIL: $283.65 (a new record!!)
WEEK 9 AFTER TAX: $2.17 - after the big overage from the Similac purchase!  But even better, this will come out of Lamoine's cash donation, so for CFCLA the total spent this week is $0.

TOTAL RETAIL: $1,545.74
TOTAL BEFORE TAX: $68.02
TOTAL AFTER TAX: $121.19

The total after tax has actually gone down this week, thanks to not having any actual out of pocket (with Lamoine's donation) plus the moneymaker on Similac.  How great is that?

So thankful to everyone who has donated coupons and products to help Upward Bound House! Wendy's formula donation, Tracie and Meira's coupons, and of course Lamoine.  I have already started Week 10 shopping, and it is looking good!

Free After Rebate Groceries!

In the Sunday paper a few weeks ago there was a rebate form for a big selection of groceries from Safeway/Vons.  I stopped in today and picked up the non perishable stuff on the list.  After I submit the form, I will get a check back for the full pre-tax amount, and because all of the items are food there is no additional tax to pay out of pocket.  Wonderful:)

I also got the applesauce pouch at Ralphs the other day at a free sample table.  I was carrying it around in my purse for a moment when one of my kids needed a snack when I realized that it was free, and I should donate it!

I MADE $7.04 to buy Baby Formula!

Those Similac checks sure did come in handy!  I found these ready to feed infant formula bottles on clearance for only $3.24 (don't expire until April 2013!).  I used a $5 check on each one, so I actually made a total of $7.04 to buy these.  I made sure to add other items to my order so that the extra amount could come off of those items, and then I will just put the $7.04 back into the pot toward CFCLA items.  Because these manufacturer checks are actually processed like a check payment, the amount can be applied toward other items.

Another HUGE thank you to Meira and your friend for this amazing donation.  Now let's see what great stuff I can get using that $7.04:)

Baby Formula Donation

A HUGE thank you to Meira for this donation of baby formula samples from her friend.  These retail for over $16 each.  I am so excited to have these to donate!!

Also in the sample box from Similac were 4 $5 checks good on any Similac product.  I just happened to see Similac on clearance at CVS, so I am hoping to get some more free formula with these.

Thank you!!

Only $.10 Before Tax:)

Check out this awesome deal at CVS!
My last shopping trip I got a 25% off coupon. At CVS, these are only good on full price items, which make them tricky to use. Here is how I used mine, plus $7 in rewards, to get the below for only $.10.

The Colgate was on sale for $2.99, and I used 2 $1 off coupons, so they were $1.99 each.  I also got $2 back for each one.

The Wet n Wild nail polish was free - my last coupon from this batch!  It is priced at $.99 and the coupon is $1 off.

The razors were full price - $8.49.  I used a $3 off coupon and the 25% off coupon, so this only cost $3.12, and earned me a $3 reward.

All together I spent $.10 plus tax, used a $7 reward, and earned back $7 in rewards.

$2.54 at Rite Aid!

With my cash donation from Lamoine I was looking at some items this week that I don't normally buy, like face cleansers and moisturizers.  It is common to get rewards for these items, but you do usually have to spend a bit more out of pocket.  With a ton of rewards to use up this week, and a bit of good luck at the register, I got all this for only $2.54 out of pocket and made over $12 in rewards.  Here is how it worked out:

The razor was on sale for $8.99.  I had a $4 off coupon, so it was $4.99 and I earned a $2 reward.

The Almay make up remover sticks (very cool - I wanted to keep these!!) were on sale for $4.95.  I used a $2 in flyer coupon, and a $2 manufacturer coupon, so they were only $.95.

The baby products are normally $6 each, but were on sale for $3 each.  I had 2 $1.50 coupons, so I paid $3 total and got back $1 in rewards.

The Revlon face powder was $8.99, and the promotion was buy one Revlon cosmetic get one half price, which made the lipstick only $3.74.  I used a $5 coupon for the powder and a $2 Rite Aid Video coupon for the lipstick.  I also got a $4 reward.

The Poligrip was free with coupon.  I love coupons for free stuff.

The Biore was generating a $5 reward when you buy 2 items, and I had a buy one strips get one cleanser for free.  The strips are $7.99, and the cleanser was $7.49.  The coupon was only up to $7, but my cashier rang it up at $7.49, so I actually had a little overage which I will explain later...

The Garnier was on sale buy one get one half price.  They are $8.49, so the second was only $4.24.  I had $2 coupons as well.  Garnier was generating a $5 reward when you spend $15, so I also bought some hair color for myself (they are the same price, $8.49 and the second one half price, and I had $4 coupons).  I bought enough product to earn $10 in rewards.

For the Biore and Garnier I used $17 in rewards.  Because the cashier rang through my Biore coupon at $7.49 instead of $7, I was actually under o my before tax spending by $.28 (rewards can not be used to pay for tax).  This came off of my hair color purchase, so I have adjusted the totals to have this come off of CFCLA purchases instead.

So this bit of luck plus the $3 in overage from the Enfagrow purchase (see my last post) resulted in all of this for only $2.54 after tax.  I earned $22 in rewards total, but some of those were earned because of my own purchases.  Still, they will all go toward CFCLA.

A huge thank you to Tracie for your coupon donation - a lot of the coupons from this deal were yours!!

CVS Deal - Less Than $5!

I was so happy to see some great deals this week with rewards. Here is what I got for less than $5 today:

Colgate was on sale for $2.99. I bought 2 and used 2 $1 off coupons, so they were $1.99 each. They also generated $2 rewards each.

The Physicians Formula lip gloss was $9.99. I used a $1 off coupon, so paid $8.99, and got back $7 in rewards (because I spent $10 - CVS rounds up).

I also bought 5 Dawn dish soap on sale for $.97. I used 4 $.75 off coupons and one $.50 off coupon. This was in order to spend enough so that I could use rewards -you can't use rewards on tax, so the retail needs to be exactly what you have to spend:) I also got a total of 8 more Wet & Wild nailpoish, which is only $.99, so free with the $1 coupon. All together my total was $1.31 before tax, and $4.70 after tax. This will also come out of Lamoine's cash donation so no cost to CFCLA!!

A nice cashier = Moneymaker on Enfagrow!

I was so excited to see online printable coupons for Enfagrow this week.  Rite Aid still has these on sale for $3.49, and I printed 2 $5 coupons.  It seems that every Rite Aid I go to only has 2 of these in the whole store - not one has any in the back for me:)

My plan was to buy 3 (for $10.47) and use both $5 coupons.  But, with only 2 in stock I figured they would adjust the coupon amount and I would still get 2 free.  I told the cashier that the coupon amount exceeded the item amount, but he smiled and said "don't worry about it"!!  He put them both through for the full amount.  So, I actually made 3 dollars to buy these!!

I was buying other items for myself (soda), so I will just add the $3 back into the cash amount from Lamoine to cover some expenses from another Rite Aid shopping trip.

If anyone out there could print these for me I would be so happy!  Here is the link:

http://enfamiloffers.com/coupons/enfagrow_071912_efb15mo.html?cm_mmc=eEFB-_-routine-_-toddler-_-main

The mailing address is:
Coupons for Causes LA
9477 Gloaming Dr
Beverly Hills CA 90210

Free stuff is the best, especially when there is no tax to pay:)

Rolling Rewards!

Last week I used $8 in rewards at Walgreens to buy 8 shampoos and conditioners.  I paid only the tax, and earned back my $8 in rewards.  This week, I was able to do it again!

I had 4 $2 rewards.  Blistex Moisture Melt was on sale for $2, and generating a $2 reward.  So I bought each one separately, and paid only $.18 tax each, and earned back the full $8 in rewards.  I hope there will be another deal next week to continue rolling these over:)

This was my first purchase with the $40 donation from Lamoine.  So, I have used $.72 of the cash so far!  I will show you everything I was able to get for the full $40 once I have reached that amount.