CVS for Oct. 5

Here are the best deals I see this week and below is my plan!

Glaceau vitamin water 32 0z. = 2.29
FREE after EB, Limit 1

Always Infinity=4.98
FREE after EB, Limit 1

Bic Soliel cartridges or razor with cartridges=5.99
Get 4 EB back, Limit 5
Use 2/1 coupon here or from recent insert to get this for FREE after coupon!

Colgate Max Fresh beads toothpaste=2.99
Get 2 EB back, limit 2
Use 1/1 coupons from 9/28 inserts to get this item for FREE after coupon!

Ascencia Breeze 2 Meter=14.99
Get 10 EB back, limit 1
Use $30/1 coupon from 6/1 coupon inserts and get this item FREE + $10 in overage after coupon! I had mentioned in Aug. holding off and waiting for this deal. It origially was supposed to be FREE after EB, but I guess $10 in overage isn't so bad!

Buy $20 of Benefiber, Maalox or Gas-X and get $10 EB back, limit 1
Some prices start at 5.29
There are 2/1 Benefiber coupons and 2/1 Maalox coupons.

• The best deal would be to buy 4 of either at 5.29=21.16
• Use 4 2/1 coupon
• Total=13.16 and you get $10 EB back. If you have a $5 CRT for these products they would be FREE after using that.

MY PLAN!

• 1 Always Infinity=4.98
• 1 Glaceau Water= 2.39
• 4 Bic Soliel Razors or cartridges=23.96
• 1 Ascencia Breeze meter=14.99
• 2 Colgate toothpastes=5.98
• = 52.30+ tax before coupons
• -4 2/1 Bic coupons (-8)
• -2 1/1 Colgate coupons (-2)
• - 30/1 Breeze coupon adjusted to 14.99 (-14.99)
• = 27.31+ tax and I will get back 37.37 in EB!

That is an overage of $10!!!

Note: If you do this transaction you will get a $16 EB back for the Bic Soliel. If you do not like having an EB that big then just simply do 2 transactions and split the 4 razors amoung the 2 transacitons. Remember also that if your CVS takes their own expired coupons you can use any $2/1 coupons you have left over. I, however, do not suggest that you print anymore!

A Week in Review

Phew... there were a lot of great deals to be had this week. I will be gone for a few days so here is a quick recap of the week:

You can get great Walgreens deals! See what I got here, here and here!
You can also use this 5/20 coupon today and tomorrow only!

See how I got 4 12 packs of Coke for only $4 here!

Dillons has some killer prices on ground beef and Yo-plait whips yogurt! Find out about them here!

Hy-Vee is also has some prices that are worth stocking up on. You can see those here!

And finally if you are interested in learning how to get FREE gift cards to your favorite clothing stores or restaurants be sure to read this post here on how I do it!

Have a great weekend! I will be back Saturday evening with the CVS post. It is going to be a great week there!

Walgreens: Rolling RRs

After I received my 7 RRs from the second Tylenol Deal I did I decided to "roll" them or in other words I bought other items that gave me RR's in return. I had a $5 RR and a $2 RR to use.

Here is what I did with my RRs:

Transaction #1:
1 Gillette Fusion Phenom razor system (this one came with shave cream and body wash!)=8.99
-$2 RR from Tylenol deal
-4/1 MF coupon
Total=2.99 + tax, and I got back a $4 RR!

Transaction #2:
3 Softsoap body washes at 3.49/1=10.47
- $5 RR from Tylenol deal
-2 1/1 MF coupons
-3 1/1 ES coupons
Total=.47 cents + tax, and I got back a $5 RR!

Transaction #3:
1 Jumbo pack of Huggies diapers=9.99
1 232 ct. pack of Huggies wipes=5.99
=15.98
- $4 RR from Transaction #1
- $ 5 RR from Transaction #2
- 1.50/1 MF coupon
-1/1 any Huggies item MF coupon (recieve in the mail)
=4.48 + tax, and I got back a $3 RR!

You can see my other transactions for the week here and here. I think I will make this my last trip!

So for the week I bought $90.23 worth of merchandise and only spent 25.23 on my gift card and I still have $3 in RR to spend, plus I will get back a $5 rebate for the gillette shampoo I bought. So when you deduct my $3 RR and my $5 rebate, I have only spent $17.23 for $90 worth of stuff! That is over 80% in Savings!!

Hy-Vee 10/1-10/7

• 1 lb. 85 % ground beef rolls=1.99 (Dillons fresh ground beef is on sale for same price)
  
• Hunts 24 oz. bottles of ketchup=.99/1! (Aldi 36 oz. bottles are $1.15)
• Betty Crocker Muffin mixes are 3/$2 or .67/1!
• Midwest County fair 8oz. cans of pinapple are 2/.88! (These are usually around $1) Stock up for holiday recipes!
• Pillsbury cake mixes are .88/1
• Midwest County Fair 8 oz (2 cup bags) of cheese are .99!!!! Stock up at this price!
• Hamburger or Hot dogs buns are .99/pack
• Hy-Vee 12 ct. box of taco shells are .99/1
• 24 oz. bottles of Pancake syrup are 1.50/1
• 32 oz. cans of Hy-Vee ground coffee are 5.99
• Hy-Vee brand selected varieties of cereal are 6/$10. That is 1.67/box. (comparable to Aldi price)
• Hy-Vee brand diced tomatoes are .44/1. (comparable to Aldi price)
• Hy-Vee brand stage 1 baby food jars are 3/$1!!! GOOD DEAL!
• Kraft Mac and Cheese is .48/box
• Big canisters of Folder's coffee are 6.99/1. Good price for folders, use .25/1 coupon from Oct. P&G to get this for 6.74.
• Cheerios and other GM cerals are 5/$10. Use 1/1 cheerios coupons from Cheerios challenge to get this for $1/box!
• 24 oz. Hy-Vee brand cottage cheese is 1.88/1 (Aldi price is usually 2.12)
• Dole pre-packaged salad mixesa are 2/$3. Use .50/1 coupon to get these for $1!
• Mangos are 1.18/lb.
• Fresh Dole Celary is .99
• Plums are 1.18/lb.
• Hy-Vee frozen packages of chicken breasts are 1.99/lb, these come in a 3lb. bag which would be 5.97/bag! (This is the Aldi price)
• Bird's eye frozen veggies, steam fresh and veggies in sauce are 10/10. Use $1/3 steam fresh veggies coupon to get these for .67/1!
• Mid-West county fair 12ct. double roll TP is 3.99! Good price!

In-ad coupons:

• Hy-Vee brand 2lb. bags of brown or powdered sugar are .88/1. Limit 1 per coupon (Aldi price is .99)
• 16 oz. tub of Hy-Vee soft margarine is .69/1. Limit 1 per coupon
• 16 oz. tub of Hy-Vee sour cream is .77/1. Limit 1 per coupon (Aldi price is .99/1)
• Hy-Vee 16 oz. bag of shredded cheese is 2.77/1. Limit 1 per coupon (Midwest county fair cheese is a better deal)
• 6 ct. package of Hy-Vee single applesauces is .99/1. Limit 1 per coupon

Unileaver Product Promotion.
Buy $15 get $5 toward next purchase
Buy $20 get $7 toward next purchase
Buy $30 get $10 toward next purchase
Buy $40 get $15 toward next purchase
Participating products are:

• Ragu Pasta Sauce=1.48/1. Use .50/2 coupon
  
• Skipp PB=1.99/1. Use .60/1 coupon
  
• Hellman's Mayo=3.29/1. Use .50/1 coupon
  
• Wish bone salad dressing or Spritzer=1.88/1. Use .75/2 coupon
  
• Knorr side dishes=10/10. Use .60/2 coupons
  
• Lipton boxes of tea bags=2.48/1. Use .50/1 coupons
  
• I can't believe it is not butter spread=2/4.
  

If you use any of these products this will be a good deal for you especially if you have corresponding coupons. Let us know of any great deal plans you all might come up with!

As always please comment on any other great deals you find or things I might have missed. Don't foget to check the Dillon's post here and Apple Market deals here!

Dillons 10/1-10/7

It is a great week for coupons! Remember that the goal of me doing these posts is to hopefully help you learn what the best price is for an item. If you can start to know the prices you are paying and where you can get the best price this will be your ticket to saving more money!

Be sure you read through the Yo-Plait deal ideas because you can get some cheap yogurt this week!

• 1 gal. Dillons Milk=2.88 (It has ranged from 2.70-2.90 at Aldi lately)
• 1 dozen large Dillons eggs=.98 (they have been .88 at Aldi lately)
• Grands Biscuits are 10/10. Use .50/2 doubled coupon from coupon widget on this site to get 2 for $1 or .50/1! (BEST PRICE!)
• Grands Crescent or cinnamon rolls are 1.79/1. Use .35/1 coupons from coupon widget on this site to get these for 1.09/1. (Pretty good price, Aldi price tends to be 1.50 and up)
• Driscoll's strawberries are BIGI with prices at 3.99/1. So get 2 packages for 3.99 or 1.98/1. (Aldi price is usually 1.69, but not as good of quality)
• Cambell's Tomatoe or Chicken Noodle soup are 2/$1. Buy 4 and use .40/4 coupon doubled to get all 4 for $1.20 or .30/1.
• Kroger 10 lb. bags of potatoes are 2.99! (These have been 3.79 at Aldi lately)
• 2 ct. boxes of Lean/Hot Pockets are 3/5. Use 1/1 coupons from recent insert to get these for .67/1!
• Fresh Ground Beef is 1.99/lb. (Great Price... one I use to stock up!)
• Hunt's Canned Tomatoes are .75/1. Use .40/2 coupon from recent insert to get 2 cans for .70/2 or .35/1! (Stock up on Hunts if you have the coupons b/c Aldi price is .45/can)
  
• Pork Loin are BIGI free ( I have recently been told this is a great deal!)
• Yo-Plait is still on sale 20/10. This is a good price for Yo-Plait period. However if you have the right coupons this can be a great deal! My Deal Idea: Buy 12 Yo-Plait yogurts=$6 Print 2 .50/6 coupons from my coupon widget. Combine with shortcuts coupon .40/6. After doubled MF coupons and the shortcuts coupon your total should be $3.20, or .27 cents for 1 cup of Yogurt!!! You can also buy 6 Whips=$3. Use 2 .60/3 coupons from coupon widget and the MF coupon of get 1 FREE when you buy 4 (-.50 off total) and get 6 cups of whips for .50 or .08 cents for a cup of yogurt!!!!
  
• Kroger canned veggies are 12/4.99 this week or .42/can. (comparible to Aldi Price)
• Cottonelle 4 packs of TP are still .99. Use .50/1 coupon doubled to $1 and the .50/1 shortcuts coupon to actually get .50 cents overage on this product!
• Farmland Jumbo Hot dogs or Bologne is 3/4. If you signed up for Farmland coupons you can get these for .33/1 using any 1 of the coupons they sent you.
  
• Johnathan Apples and Barlett Pears are 2lbs for $3
• Red Bell Peppers are 1.33/1 (not the best price, but good considering they are usually $2.50!

Sorry if your head is spinning from all the coupons! It is a great week to use them. There are many other great couopns on the widget to be printed as well... especially the $1 Green Giant Steamers coupon! You can use this is at Walmart to get Green Giant steamers for .27/1 after coupons! The BIGI Glade Plug-in coupon is also on the widget as well!

Please let me know if I missed anything! Also remember that Dillons doubles coupons up to $1 and not more. Shortcuts.com is an online program where you load coupons to your Dillons card. These coupons come off automatically when your card is scanned and you buy a corresponding product with the coupon loaded on your card. The coupon amount taken off is what it is and does not double. Access shortcuts.com here.

Check back later for Hy-Vee deals and head over to Cara's blog for Apple Market deals!

Walgreens: MORE TYLENOL!!!

When I did the children's Tylenol deal it totally escaped me that you can get some pretty cheap Tylenol cold medicine as well. Here is how:

Buy 3 Tylenol Cold rapid release gel cap 24ct. products or the 8oz. liquid=14.97
Use 3 1/1 coupons from recent inserts or from here
Use 1.50/1 ES coupon, will be taken off 3 times for -4.50 off total
Total after coupons=7.47+tax, and you get back 7 RRs! That is .47 cents for 3 boxes/bottles of cold medicine!

Remember that in the ad it says that only 5 RRs will print, but for some reason a $5RR and a $2RR have been printing!

Note: When you shop at Walgreens you should always present your coupons in this order: RRs first followed by MF coupons and then Walgreens coupons. It has been my experience that when you do it this way it should not matter if you have more items than coupons.

For example this was my transaction tonight:

• 3 Tylelnol cold rapid release products=14.97
• - 4.50 RR from Oral B tooth brush deal
  
• - 3 1/1 coupons
• -1.50/1 ES coupon taken off 3 times=-4.50
• Total=2.97 + tax, and I got back $7 in RR!!!
  

FREE $25 Applebee's Gift Card

About a month ago I posted about how I got a FREE $25 Chilis gift card. I am excited to say that I have received another FREE $25 gift card, only this time it was to Applebee's. How did I get these for FREE? I use an online program called MyPoints.

Since we live on such a tight budget this is often how we are able to enjoy a dinner out or new clothing. Mypoints has many venders you can redeem your points with including restaurants and retail. We picked Applebees this time since our son had a FREE kids meal he earned through our local library this past summer. I am thinking next time I might spoil myself and go for a Gap gift card!

So far we have gotten: $25 Barnes and Noble card, $25 Panera Card, $50 towards Chilis (we loves this place!) and a $25 Applebee's gift card. I signed my email up about a year and half ago. Once I saw how easy it was I even signed up my husband's email! We average 1 gift card about every 4-5 months.

How Mypoints works:
Once you sign up you will be sent a series of emails everyday (about 5). Note: these emails in and of themselves will not generate spam mail! You earn points for simply clicking through the email and if it is an offer you want to sign up for you earn extra points upon sign up. Regardless, you get at least 5 points for just reading the email! You can also earn points by completing the surveys they send. Another great point earning opportunity is to shop through mypoints. If you are going to be purchasing something online be sure to see if mypoints is an affiliate with the store you are shopping at. If they are you can earn points per dollar spent. Some stores offer 10 points per dollar!

If you are interested in this program be sure to explore the link below!
Earn Rewards at MyPoints.

Spinach Bacon Pasta Toss

This is a recipe I haven't made for a while, but one my family really loves. I got the recipe here about 2 years ago. I will do 2 price break downs. The 1st one is if you make it for the serving size it suggests and the usual best price of the ingredients. The second will be based on how I make it, and how much I paid this week for my ingredients.

Spinach Bacon Pasta Toss, Serves 8
If you make this according to recipe directions this is a breakdown of what it would cost assuming you pay the prices I suggest.

• 1 lb. wide egg noodles, uncooked (12 oz. bag will work from Aldi)=.99
• 3/4 c. Zesty Italian dressing (Use Aldi brand) bottle costs 1.19. 3/4 of a cup=roughly .40 cents
• 1 pt. cherry tomatoes halved (Use grape, Aldi regularly has these for 1.20 or less)=.99
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts (Aldi 3 lb. bags of chicken are 5.99) 1lb.=1.99
• 1 bag of baby spinach (If you pay full price)=2.50/bag (if you can find this on manager special for .99 it will cut your cost!)
  
• 1 cup of Italian cheese (You can usually get a 2 cup bag for 1.79 or less with Dillons sale)=.90 cents
• 8 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled (you can get 1 lb. (16 slices) package of Kroger brand for 1.87)= .94 cents

Total for this=$8.71 or $1.09 per serving

My version: I tend to make this fit 6 servings since there are only 3 of us

• 3/4 bag of Aldi brand Egg noodles (bag costs .99)=.66 cents
• 3/4 cup of Italian dressing (I got a bottle of Kraft free a few months ago)=FREE
• 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes halved (I use grape a paid 1.19 this week at Aldi)=.60
• 3/4 pound of chicken (I paid 4.50 for 3 lbs of fresh chicken a few weeks ago)= $1 for 3/4 lb.
  
• 1 cup of Italian cheese (Mozzarella works too) I paid 2.99 for a 4 cup bag last week= .75 for one cup
• 8 slices of bacon (I paid $1/package last week)=.50
• I think this can do with out with the spinach so I cut this out completely or just make a separate salad.

Total=3.51 or .59 cents a serving!

A good thing to remember is that you do not have to cook according to recipe directions. This is often how we are able to eat on less. As you see here I cut some things out of the recipe or simply used less of an item.

Menu Planning is also very helpful in staying on a low food budget. When I planned my menu for this week I took into account that I had all of these ingredients on hand with the exception of grape tomatoes. I was well stock on everything else because I make sure to always stock up when things I know I use often are on sale for the rock bottom price.

I hope you find this information helpful, and this recipe to be delicious!

Walgreens Trip

I have to say a HUGE THANKS to my two friends who alerted me to these awesome deals... you know who you are:) Below are my transactions

#1
Buy 3 Children's Tylenol 4 oz.=$15
-3/3 from recent insert
- 1.50/1 ES coupon =-4.50
Total=7.50 + tax, and I got back $7 in RR. This deal is only supposed to print out $5 in RR, but there is a glitch and it is printing a seperate $2 RR also!

#2
Buy 2 Gillete Shampoos=$10
Buy 1 Oral B toothbrush=4.49
Use 2 2/1 Gillette coupons from Oct. P&G (-4)
Use 1 .75/1 Oral B coupon from Oct. P&G (-.75)
Use $7 in RR from previous transaction
Total=2.74 + tax, and I got back $4.50 on RR for the Oral B and I can turn in the gillete for a $5 ES rebate for October!

After tax I spent a total of 12.41 OOP, and I got back 11.50 in RR and I will get a $5 rebate back... total overage= $4.09! You can stop here if you want or see below for what else I did.

#3
1 Oral B tooth brush=4.49
-.75/1
Total after tax=4.07, and I got back $4.50 in RR, overage of .43 cents!

#4
1 Bleach=1.59
1 3 pack of paper towels=2.49
1 25 ct. pack of quart size bagies=1.79
-4.50 RR
Total=1.81

So for today I spent a total of 18.29 OOP, got back $16 in RR, and a $5 rebate for October. I still came out ahead by $2.71!

Menu Plan for week of Sept. 29

Here is the plan!

Sunday: We ate at my parents house!
Monday: Bacon Pasta Toss, (I think it is better with out the spinach) steamed carrots, fruit
Tuesday: Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday: Beef and Potato Casserole, broccoli, homemade bread
Thursday: Breakfast: Sausage and egg scramble over potatoes, orange rolls, fruit.
Friday and Saturday: Out of town

Check back tomorrow for a price breakdown of the Bacon Pasta Toss!