Thursday, September 30, 2010

2010-09-27 -- $3.11

I began with 36.79ECB on Card3 for Household3.

Regular Prices:
14.99 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
14.99 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
14.99 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
6.29 Nivea Smooth Indulgence (5oz)
6.29 Nivea Smooth Indulgence (5oz)
3.19 Nivea Lip Cream
2.49 CVS Charm
1.00 CVS Post-Its
1.00 CVS Post-Its

65.23 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
3.74 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
3.74 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
3.74 Febreze Flameless Candle Kit
5.99 Nivea Smooth Indulgence (5oz)
5.99 Nivea Smooth Indulgence (5oz)
2.99 Nivea Lip Cream
2.49 CVS Charm
0.25 CVS Post-Its
0.25 CVS Post-Its

29.18 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
2.49 STORE Coupon "Free CVS Charm"
4.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Febreze Candle"
4.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Febreze Candle"
4.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Febreze Candle"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Nivea Smooth"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Nivea Smooth"
9.99 ExtraBuck

28.48 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

The total came to 70 cents.  The local tax amount was $2.41, making the total out-of-pocket cost $3.11.  I began with 36.79ECB, spent 9.99ECB, and earned 6.00ECB (5.00ECB for Nivea and 1.00ECB for the fourth use of my cloth bag). That leaves Card3 with 33.80ECB.

I miss the "Save $4 Off $20+ Purchase" coupons already!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

2010-09-27 -- $1.55 + $0.88 = $2.43

I began with 9.00ECB.

Regular Prices:
5.99 Head+Shoulders
5.99 Head+Shoulders
3.69 Febreze Set+Rest
3.69 Febreze Set+Rest
1.59 SoBe
1.59 SoBe
1.59 SoBe
1.59 SoBe
0.20 CA CRV
0.89 Candy Bar

26.81 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
5.00 Head+Shoulders
5.00 Head+Shoulders
2.99 Febreze Set+Rest
2.99 Febreze Set+Rest
0.99 SoBe
0.00 SoBe (RAINCHECK)
0.99 SoBe
0.00 SoBe (RAINCHECK)
0.20 CA CRV
0.89 Candy Bar

19.05 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Head+Shoulders"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Head+Shoulders"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Febreze S+R"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Febreze S+R"
0.99 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Buy 1 SoBe, Get 1 Free"
0.99 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Buy 1 SoBe, Get 1 Free"
4.00 ExtraBuck
3.00 ExtraBuck
2.00 ExtraBuck

18.98 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

Initially, my total went negative, freaking out the cashier and necessitating an 89-cent candy bar to bring the total back into positive territory.  That 7 cents, plus and additional $1.48 in local tax, made for a grand total of $1.55.

I spent all 9.00ECB and only earned back 5.00ECB (for Head+Shoulders).

I had intended to complete the special Febreze ECB promotion, but the store was limited in its inventory, so I headed to a nearby store and made a second transaction.

Regular Prices:
3.69 Febreze Set+Rest
3.69 Febreze Set+Rest
2.99 Photo Cube
1.00 Holiday Towel
1.00 Holiday Towel

12.37 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
2.99 Febreze Set+Rest
2.99 Febreze Set+Rest
0.29 Photo Cube
0.49 Holiday Towel
0.49 Holiday Towel

7.25 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon
5.00 ExtraBuck

7.00 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

This total came to 25 cents, plus an additional 63 cents in tax, for a grand total of 88 cents. I spent all 5.00ECB and earned only 3.00ECB (for Febreze).

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

2010-09-22 -- $3.24 + $2.47 = $5.71

Not the greatest of deals, but wallowing in ECB and coupons led me to make a couple quick transactions.

Regular Prices:
7.99 Revlon LipStick
7.49 LOreal Revitalist Towels
4.49 Right Guard
4.49 Right Guard
3.49 Edge Shave Gel
1.99 Bowl Appetit

29.94 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
6.99 Revlon LipStick
5.99 LOreal Revitalist Cream
2.99 Right Guard
2.99 Right Guard
2.79 Edge Shave Gel
1.00 Bowl Appetit

22.75 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
3.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Two Right Guard"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Revlon LipStick"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any LOreal Revitalist"
4.00 ExtraBuck
3.00 ExtraBuck
2.00 ExtraBuck
1.99 ExtraBuck

20.99 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

The total for the first transaction came to $1.76, plus an additional $1.48 in local tax, for a grand total of $3.24.  I began with 10.99ECB, spent all of them, and earned 10.80ECB (5.00ECB for Revlon, 4.00ECB for Right Guard, and 1.80ECB for Edge).

I had expected to receive an additional 2.00ECB for LOreal, but had mistakenly read the offer.  I needed to purchase TWO LOreal (making it a not-really-all-that-great deal).  So, armed with some additional coupons, I made a second transaction.

Regular Prices:
8.99 Revlon LipStick
7.49 LOreal Revitalist Cream
3.29 CVS Absolutely Divine Cookies
2.49 CVS Charm
1.99 Bowl Appetit
1.59 Glade Plug-In Oil Base

25.84 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
6.99 Revlon LipStick
4.99 LOreal Revitalist Cream
2.50 CVS Absolutely Divine Cookies
2.49 CVS Charm
1.00 Bowl Appetit
1.59 Glade Plug-In Oil Base

20.56 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.49 STORE Coupon "Free CVS Charm"
1.50 STORE Coupon "Any Glade"
1.00 STORE Coupon "Any Absolutely Divine"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any LOreal"
5.00 ExtraBuck
4.00 ExtraBuck

18.99 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

The total for this transaction came to $1.57, plus $0.90 in tax, for a grand total of $2.47.  I spent 9.00ECB and only earned back 7.00ECB (5.00 for Revlon and 2.00 for LOreal).

After both transactions, Card2 for Household2 has 8.80ECB.

Monday, September 20, 2010

2010-09-20 -- $0.47 + $1.38 = $1.85

I began with 37.96ECB on the recently unretired Card3 for Household3.  Once again, I had two separate "$4 Off $20+ Purchase" coupons, so I made back-to-back transactions.

Regular Prices:
8.29 Nivea Happy Sensations
8.29 Nivea Essentially Enriched
3.29 CVS Absolutely Divine Chocolate Cookies
2.49 CVS Charm

22.36 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
7.99 Nivea Happy Sensations
7.99 Nivea Essentially Enriched
2.50 CVS Absolutely Divine Chocolate Cookies
2.49 CVS Charm

20.97 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.49 STORE Coupon "Free CVS Charm"
2.00 STORE Coupon "Any Lotion"
1.00 STORE Coupon "CVS Absolutely Divine"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Nivea Happy Sensation"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Nivea"
5.00 ExtraBuck
3.00 ExtraBuck
0.99 ExtraBuck

21.48 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts Applied

My total went negative (mostly due to some pricing discrepancies with the Nivea), but with $1.03 in local tax, my grand total cost came to $0.47.  I began with a whopping 37.96ECB, spent 8.99ECB, and earned back 5.00ECB.  Card3 now has 33.97ECB.  Immediately, I used the second "$4 Off $20+ Purchase" coupon to make a second transaction.

Regular Prices:
7.99 Revlon Lipstick
4.49 Dove Chocolate (9.5oz)
4.49 Right Guard Total Defense
4.49 Right Guard Total Defense
3.49 Edge Infused Hydrate Gel
3.49 Edge Infused Hydrate Gel
1.00 Emerald Nuts

29.44 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
6.99 Revlon Lipstick
2.99 Dove Chocolate
2.99 Right Guard Total Defense
2.99 Right Guard Total Defense
2.79 Edge Infused Hydrate Gel
2.79 Edge Infused Hydrate Gel
1.00 Emerald Nuts

22.54 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
1.00 STORE Coupon "Dove Chocolate"
3.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Two Right Guard"
2.79 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Buy 1 Edge, Get 1 Free"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Emerald Nuts"
0.50 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Dove Bag"
4.99 ExtraBuck
2.00 ExtraBuck
0.99 ExtraBuck

22.27 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

The balance for this transaction was $0.27, plus an additional $1.12 in local tax, for a grand total of $1.37.  I spent 7.98ECB, earned 10.80ECB (5.00ECB for Revlon, 4.00ECB for Right Guard, and 1.80ECB for Edge).  The balance for Card3 is now 36.79ECB.

So, for a grand daily total of $1.85, I got two bottles of Nivea lotion, two Right Guard, two Edge shave gel, a bag of chocolate, a box of cookies, a can of nuts, a lipstick, and a CVS charm (also a lipstick!).  In addition, my ECB balance went from 37.96ECB to 36.79ECB, barely a dollar reduction.  All told, I spent barely "three dollars" in cash and credit.

Friday, September 17, 2010

2010-09-17 -- $2.46

I began with 10.99ECB on Card1.

Regular Prices:
7.99 Tylenol Precise
5.99 Almay Towelettes
5.99 Almay Towelettes
3.99 Skintimate

23.96 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
5.99 Tylenol Precise
5.99 Almay Towelettes
5.99 Almay Towelettes
3.99 Skintimate

21.96 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Almay"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Almay"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Tylenol Precise"
5.00 ExtraBuck
4.99 ExtraBuck
1.00 ExtraBuck

20.99 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

My total came to $0.97, plus an additional $1.48 in local tax, for a grand total of $2.46.  I spent all 10.99ECB, but earned back 9.00ECB (4.00ECB for Almay, 3.00ECB for Skintimate, and 2.00ECB for Tylenol Precise).

Card1 for Household1 now has 9.00ECB.

2010-09-17 -- $1.07

I began with 17.99ECB.

Regular Prices:
7.99 Tylenol Precise
5.99 Almay Towelettes
5.99 Almay Towelettes
3.99 Skintimate
1.99 High Octane Chews
1.99 Lorna Doone Cookies
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.00 Emerald Nuts

34.90 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
5.99 Tylenol Precise
5.99 Almay Towelettes
5.99 Almay Towelettes
3.99 Skintimate
1.99 High Octane Chews
1.00 Lorna Doone Cookies
1.49 Altoids Mini
0.00 Altoids Mini
1.49 Altoids Mini
0.00 Altoids Mini
1.00 Emerald Nuts

28.93 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Almay"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Almay"
2.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Tylenol Precise"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Emerald Nuts"
9.99 ExtraBuck
8.00 ExtraBuck

28.99 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

Once again, my total went negative:  - $0.06.  Since there was $1.13 in tax, the total transaction cost was $1.07.  I spent all 17.99ECB and earned back 10.99ECB (4.00ECB for Almay, 3.00ECB for Skintimate, 2.00ECB for Tylenol, and 1.99ECB for High Octane Chews).

The new balance for Card2 is 10.99ECB.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

2010-09-16 -- $3.11

I began with 11.98ECB.

Regular Prices:
12.29 Blink Tears
10.99 Alive Multi-Vitamins
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.49 Altoids Mini
1.00 Emerald Nuts

27.26 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
7,99 Blink Tears (RAINCHECK)
9.99 Alive Multi-Vitamins
1.49 Altoids Mini
0.00 Altoids MIni
1.00 Emerald Nuts

20.47 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
1.50 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Blink"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Emerald Nuts"
5.00 ExtraBucks
4.99 ExtraBucks
1.00 ExtraBucks
0.99 ExtraBucks

18.48 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

The total came to $1.99, plus an additional $1.12 in tax, for a grand total of $3.11.  I began with 11.98ECB, spent all of them, and earned back 17.99ECB (9.99ECB for Alive and 8.00ECB for Blink Raincheck).

Once again, CVS has paid me to shop.  For $3.11 in actual cash, I bought these five items and increased my ECB from 11.98ECB to 17.99ECB.  Overall, a nearly $3.00 profit.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Wednesday Balance

The perpetual CVS Store Coupons ("$4 Off $20+ Purchase") continue to keep my ECB balance quite high.

Card1 = 10.99ECB
Card2 = 11.98ECB
Card3 = 37.96ECB

Nearly 61.00ECB for all three of my Households.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

2010-09-14 -- $0.83 + $1.20 = $2.03

I began with 10.00ECB on Card2 for Household2.

Regular Prices:
6.29 Nivea Men Body Wash
4.29 AirWick AquaMist
4.29 AirWick AquaMist
4.29 AirWick AquaMist
4.29 AirWick AquaMist
0.99 Halloween Mix

24.44 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
4.99 Nivea Men Body Wash
2.50 AirWick AquaMist
2.50 AirWick AquaMist
2.50 AirWick AquaMist
2.50 AirWick AquaMist
0.99 Halloween Mix

15.98 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
5.00 STORE Coupon "$5 Off $15+ Purchase"
2.50 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Buy 1 AquaMist, Get 1 Free"
2.50 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Buy 1 AquaMist, Get 1 Free"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Nivea Men"
5.00 ExtraBuck

16.00 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

Yup, I went negative.  Always scary, but also rewarding. The tax of $0.85 put me back into positive territory.  I paid $0.83 total.  I had started with 10.00ECB, spent 5.00ECB, an earned back 11.98ECB (5.00ECB for AirWick, 4.99ECB for Nivea, 1.00ECB for the fourth use of my cloth bag, and 0.99ECB for the Halloween Mix).  That brought the total for Card2 to 16.98ECB.

Card2 also generated TWO "$4 Off $20+ Purchase" coupons, so I made a second transaction to use that coupon.

Regular Prices:
8.99 Nivea Body Lotion
8.99 Nivea Body Lotion
2.49 CVS Charm
1.99 Golden Oreos
1.99 Lorna Doone cookies
1.00 Emerald Nuts

25.45 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
8.99 Nivea Body Lotion
8.99 Nivea Body Lotion
2.49 CVS Charm
1.00 Golden Oreos
1.00 Lorna Doone Cookies
1.00 Emerald Nuts

23.47 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.49 STORE Coupon "Free CVS Charm"
2.00 STORE Coupon "Any Lotion"
4.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Two Nivea"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Emerald Nuts"
5.00 ExtraBuck
5.00 ExtraBuck

23.49 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

BOOM. Yup, a second negative transaction.  For this transaction, the tax came to $1.22, making my grand total $1.20.

I began this transaction with 16.98ECB, spent 10.00ECB, and earned back only 5.00ECB. Card2 for Household2 now has 11.98ECB.

Once again, I spent barely two dollars in actual real cash ($0.83+$1.20=$2.03) and increased my in-store credit total from 10.00ECB to 11.98ECB.  So, in effect, it cost me one nickel to buy a dozen items.

2010-09-14 -- $8.83 + $1.37 = $10.20

Whoa.  An out-of-pocket total of more than TEN DOLLARS. Egad.  Horrors.

But there is a rationale.  My longest-held card, Card1, obtained in the early 2000s while I was traveling on the East Coast and mostly clueless about "how to CVS", had dwindled down to a mere 0.99ECB.  I was actually intending on retiring this card for awhile, despite the decent store coupons I have been getting.  Juggling purchases for three households can get confusing, especially with so many deals and wonderful coupons of late.

But the temptation was just to great.  When I scanned Card1 on Tuesday, out spit TWO "$4 Off $20+ Purchase" coupons.  And that was on top of the "$5 Off $15+ Purchase" coupon that I had gotten over the weekend.  I had been toying with a way to use the lowly 0.99ECB with the 5/15 coupon and had crafted a decent transaction with little out-of-pocket cost.  Of course, that plan was foiled when three items I had planned to buy were out of stock. These were all semi-pricey items with BOGO manufacturer coupons.  Had the items been in stock, I could have parlayed the 0.99ECB into enough ECB to then use the "$4 Off $20+ Purchase".

But alas, inventory issues stopped me cold.  I debated just not using these great store coupons, but then decided that in the long run, I could re-start Card1 and build from there.

So, began with 0.99ECB.

Regular Prices:
10.99 Alive Multi-Vitamins
5.99 Nivea Men Body Wash
0.99 Halloween Mix

17.97 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
9.99 Alive Multi-Vitamins
4.99 Nivea Men Body Wash
0.99 Halloween Mix

15.97 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
5.00 STORE Coupon "$5 Off $15+ Purchase"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Nivea Men"
1.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Alive"
0.99 ExtraBuck

7.99 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

My total came to $7.98, plus an additional $0.85 in tax for a grand total of $8.83.  I began with 0.99ECB, spent all of it, and earned back 15.97ECB (9.99ECB for Alive, 4.99ECB for Nivea, and 0.99ECB for Halloween Mix).

So, even with the huge amount of cash paid, the cash yielded nearly 100% more in ECB. Using those 15.97ECB, I made a second transaction.

Regular Prices:
8.99 CVS Swim Goggles
8.99 CVS Swim Goggles
8.99 CVS Swim Goggles
8.99 CVS Swim Goggles
7.99 Nivea Body Lotion
7.99 Nivea Body Lotion
2.49 CVS Charm
1.49 Altoid Minis
1.49 Altoid Minis

57.41 TOTAL Regular Prices

Sale Prices:
0.89 CVS Swim Goggles
0.89 CVS Swim Goggles
0.89 CVS Swim Goggles
0.89 CVS Swim Goggles
7.99 Nivea Body Lotion
7.99 Nivea Body Lotion
2.49 CVS Charm
1.49 Altoid Minis
0.00 Altoid Minis

23.52 TOTAL Sale Prices

Coupons and Discounts Applied:
4.00 STORE Coupon "$4 Off $20+ Purchase"
2.49 STORE Coupon "CVS Charm"
2.00 STORE Coupon "Any Lotion"
4.00 MANUFACTURER Coupon "Any Two Nivea"
9.99 ExtraBuck
0.99 ExtraBuck

23.47 TOTAL Coupons and Discounts

My total came to $0.05, plus an addtional $1.32 in local tax, for a grand total of $1.37.  I began with 15.97ECB, spent 10.98ECB, and earned back 6.00ECB (5.00 for Nivea and 1.00ECB for the fourth use of my cloth bag).  As a result, I ended the day with 10.99ECB for Card1.

So, yes, I spent a whopping $10.20 in real actual cash (yikes).  But I added 10.00ECB to Card1. So for two dimes, I bought 12 items, at least half of which will be used for holiday gifts/stocking stuffers.