Frugal Finds ~ My shopping trips to CVS and Walgreens

Okay, I’m a little late with last weeks post on my deals from CVS and Walgreens, but here it is…

This is my Walgreens purchase… and I spent $2.11 OOP and got $3.00 back in Walgreens bucks… So basically, I made money… YEAH!!

And here’s what I managed to get at CVS ~  

I hadn’t planned on getting the Dove chocolate bars, but they were B2G1 Free and I had 2 coupons for B1G1 Free, so I couldn’t resist… Using ECB’s from last week, I spent $2.91 OOP and got $7.99 back in ECB’s… made money again!!! WOOHOO!!!

Then I was off to Kroger ~ I spent more this shopping trip than normal, because I was buying chicken (which when buying free-range, vegetarian fed birds gets super expensive) but I still managed to shave off $96.25 using coupons and my Kroger Plus savings… all I will need over the next 3 weeks will be some fresh veggies and milk…

Happy Shopping!!

Great book deals!!

I love buying books! I love finding books at a great price even better.

This week while traveling with my family, I stopped at a thrift store to kill some time before picking up my mother-in-law.

for $20, here’s what I came out with…

Science :   

• Geology Rocks
• Poison
• Extreme Pets
• Weather by Janice Van Cleave
• Plants by Janice Van Cleave

History: 

• 100 Things You Should Know About A Pirate
• The Story of the Pony Express (Cornerstones of Freedom)
• The Journal Of Wong Ming Chung (Dear America Series)
• Meet Kirsten (American Girl) ~ we already had this one though
• Meet Molly (American Girl)
• Life of Washington

Literature: 

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Moby Dick
• Benjamin’s Box (we already have this one, but I’ll give it to my nephews)
• Black Beauty

 

Frugal Finds ~ My shopping trip to CVS

This week CVS had some great deals… They had their “buy $15 get $5 ECB” deal going on household items… Things I really needed for spring cleaning like Clorox bleach and Clorox wipes… and then again the few things I didn’t need like the 3 ~ 12pks. of diet coke… (don’t tell on me)

My grand total for all the items I bought was $98.31 and after ECB’s I spent
$24.52 OOP and still have $7 in ECB’s for next week… The key for me this week was I had time to do my purchases as 3 separate purchases and was able to roll over earned ECB’s… I was lucky that I picked a slow time to go to CVS and there was no one in line other than myself…

Here’s a look at what I came home with:

3 ~ 12pks of Diet Coke

6 ~ canisters of Clorox Clean-Up wipes

1 ~ Dawn Diswashing Detergent w/ Oil of Olay

1 ~ Clorox Bleach

2 ~ boxes of Triscuit

1 ~ container of Cottonelle Wipes

2  ~ refills of Cottonelle Wipes

1 ~ box of Allegra Allergy (a must have for me this time of year)

1 ~ Cobroxin Homeopathic spray (definitely going in the donate box)

Wasn’t really impressed with the sales at Walgreens this week, so I think I will have to wait and see what they have to offer next week…

Frugal Finds ~ my shopping trips to CVS and Walgreens

I wasn’t able to go shopping last week due to some time constraints, but I made up for that this week…
Here’s what I ended up coming home with this week:
CVS

3 bottles Purex “CRYSTALS” laundry softener
2 bottles Purex laundry detergent
2 bottles Clean & Clear Body Wash
1  Irish Spring deodorant
2 bags of TENA products (to donate)
6 king-size Hershey bars
6 Dove Chocolate bars
and I spent a whopping $18.93 OOP  (that’s for $106.76 worth of merchandise)

Next up was Walgreens and I did really well there too …

I came out with:
1 bottle Dial For Men lotion (really smells good too)
1 bottle Irish Spring Body Wash
2 Right Guard deodorants
1 box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
1 box of Cap’n Crunch Cereal
and I spent a whopping $2.94 OOP 
Me and my wallet are doing the happy dance!!

Friends of the Library Book Sale..

Nirvana for the book lover or the homeschool mom on the hunt for resources for the next year…Which I am both…
I went to our local (45 min. away) “Friends of the Library Book Sale” today and did I ever luck up…
It was being a kid in a candy store… I was in heaven!!
                                        
I bought 48 books and spent a whopping $10… yes it was $5 a box and I had my 2 boxes loaded…
                                         
  I got some great paperbacks like:
What you should know about the American Flag”
Hans Brinker 
Adventure in Alaska
Journey Home
Mississippi Bridge
On the Long Trail Home
             
And some fantastic hardbacks like People and Places, America’s Story, Earth and Stars, Numbers and Discoveries (all great books from Southwestern)
“What your 6th grader needs to know”  ED Hirsh (Core Knowledge series)
Several books from the “Cornerstone of Freedom” series
Lots of books on different countries from the“Enchantment of the World” series
and several  of the “NewTrueBook” science / geography series
    
These two were $33.50 each on Amazon and are brand new!!
Yes, I am doing the HAPPY DANCE!!!

FRUGAL FINDS... (my shopping trip to RiteAid)

I have been having fun becoming more frugal... it has been like a game ~ a treasure hunt for me...

I went to Krogers earlier in the week with my grocery list ans coupons in tow and left the store with $117 in groceries with only $32 out of my pocket...I was thrilled and so was my husband and my budget!!

So, I saw where my friend Melissa had went to RiteAid.. and some of the things she got where things that I buy on a weekly basis.  Our closest RiteAid is about 45 min. away, but I was going there for my kids basketball game and thought I would just stop in and see how it would go.

Well, I came out with $25 of items and only spent $9.31 out of my pocket... not bad and certainly worth the few minutes it took me to get my list together and stop by...

  Yes, I know I bought quite a bit of candy, but it's to make an edible cell with the kids for our Human Anatomy class we are doing...

FRUAGL FINDS... (my shopping trip to CVS and Walgreens)

Got some great deals at CVS and Walgreens this week... There are lots of good deals out there this week on items we regulary use...

I spent a total of $26 out-of-pocket this week ( this was after using my coupons, Extra-Care bucks, and Rgister Rewards)

Here's what I managed to get this week:

Walgreens:

2 bags of cough drops

Glad Trash Bags (scented 40cnt)

2 bags of Reese's Peanut Butter Valentine Hearts candy (8oz. bags)

1 bag of York Peppermint Valentine candy (8oz bag)

1 bag of M&M's Valentine candy (8oz bag)

paper plates (72 cnt)

Gold Bond Body Wash

Colgate Pro Clinical toothpaste



At CVS, I did even better:

Crest Pro-Health Complete Rinse

2 (64oz) Welch's Concord Grape juice

2 (12 roll pks.) of Scott Toilet Tissue

8 Vitamin Waters

2  Honest Abe Teas (I love the Pomegranite)

2 bottles Xtra detergent

and then a small bag of Skittles, a roll of Sweettarts, and a Hershey bar (for me and the kids)

Bargain Book Buys!!

Last week I managed to find time to stop in a couple of thrift stores...

I found some great deals at one which was having a 50% off sale...  so for a meager 54cents, I cam out with the following books:

"The Man Who Dropped From the Sky" by Kevin Shyne

"Conquista"  by Clyde Robert Bulla

"Nevada"  by Bernadine Bailey (going to be a great go-along to our states study this summer)

"White Stallion of Lippiza"  by Marguerite Henry  (This book came at a perfect time since we are planning on taking the kids to see them this weekend while they are in town!!)....

Couponing 101

Last night (after finally making it out after all the snow),a friend and I went to a class on couponing sponsored by an area church. We thought we might be 2 of a handful there, but there was at least 150 people in that room. And we were all there for the soul purpose of "SAVING MONEY"...

The class was taught by the founder of SouthernSavers.com and was around 2 1/2 hrs. long. This was great for me since I have trouble using coupons and tend to buy store brands and shop alot at Sam's..

The cost of the class was $10 and we each got a workbook. I learned how which stores take what coupons and how to correctly use them to make the most of the savings (yes, there is an order to it) and which stores were a waste of money in using coupons at. I also learned the coupon lingo (yes, it has it's own language) and how to really play the CVS and Walgreens games...

I'm looking forward to my first shopping trip using my newly acquired knowledge. Hopefully it helps.. I'll be sure topost an update after I make my trip...

If you'd like to learn more about couponing and saving money~ you can check out these websites...All are wonderful, easy to understand and implement...

Money Saving Mom

Coupon Mom

Southern Savers

Happy Saving!!

Making frugality easy!!!

 Recently I was given the opportunity to review Molly’s Money - Saving Digest for October and being the frugalista that I am, I jumped at the chance, and I can say I was thoroughly pleased with what I saw and learned from this digest.

Molly is a long-time money saver and frugal mommy. She has great ideas and offers them up to share.

I always had thought I did pretty well at frugal living, but Molly has definitely helped me in more ways. She offers simple, completely doable ideas with links to other creative ways and frugal sites. Her suggestions and helpful tips on cooking, finances, home décor, and so much more are gonna keep me using these monthly installments for a long time.

In the October issue, Molly begins the issue with a brief discussion on Fall and things that it reminds us of in “Molly’s Minute” and then heads into some great fall recipes that are sure to save you and your family money and keep you full and satisfied. She shares her favorites along with some warm ways to use up that left over Thanksgiving food. And I can’t wait to try her slow-cooker “Texas-style Chili”.

Next she offers up advice on what is on sale this month and how to get the most bang out of your buck when shopping. And October is the time to stockup on candy for some Christmas stocking stuffers!!

The monthly holiday list is great for me as a home-schooling mom, since my kidlets love waking up to some unusual holiday that we may never have celebrated before, like October 10^th being National Angel Food Cake Day… I can count on some great fun that day with Angel Food cake as our snack.

Her tips and tools for organization are a plus this month because it is the “laundry room helper” and what mom doesn’t need help in that area? Well, Molly has it covered with some great ideas for stain removal and a fantastic checklist. And for those of us who don’t already make laundry detergent, she has included some great recipes to try that will really save money in the laundry room. “The Kid’s Corner” features some great laundry inspired activities that can be used not only to save you time, but also instill laundry knowledge in your kids. I mean, what mom doesn’t want or need help with the laundry?

I am always looking for crafty ideas to use when decorating or have gift giving coming up, and I love doing it economically. Molly has a great idea this month for wall art that I am going to be using not only for my home, but as Christmas gifts this year for several on my list using inexpensive canvas’ from Big Lots and road maps.

“In the Kitchen with Molly” has some great menu ideas and comfort food for the cooler fall weather, as well as, more money saving ways to use up those great left-overs.

But my favorite sections has to be the “Something Old - Something New” section. In the October edition, Molly shares how to make a dress out of two shirts and a spare belt. I can’t wait to try this for my daughter who is the budding fashionista.

Molly’s Money - Saving digest has something something for everyone and for those who are finding it difficult in the economy well worth checking into. Her frugal tips and great ideas are definitely helpful in saving my family and others time and money. In reviewing this for The Old Schoolhouse, I have found that I not only need to subscribe to Molly, but I can definitely find more ways to save just by doing so and the savings are definitely worth the small subscription price. Making saving simple - what more could I want?

Book Buys!!

This year, I am budgeting monthly for homeschool purchases... So, I have been waiting to go to McKay's (our local used book store)   until the middle of the month so as I would be able to buy books if I found great prices... Here's what I came out with...I found some great book buys while out today running errands...

Here's what I got:

For 75 cents to a $1.50 each, I got Magic Tree House Research Guides for:

 Rain Forests  (Afternoon on the Amazon)

American Revolution (Revolutionary War on Wednesday)

Polar Bears and the Arctic (Polar Bears Past Bedtime)

Ancient Greece (Hour of the Olympics)

Pilgrims (Thanksgiving on Thursday)

Twisters and other Terrible Storms (Twister on Tuesday)

Knights and Castles (The Knight at Dawn)

 "Consider the Following"  by Bill Nye The Science Guy for 75 cents... (a way cool set of science questions, answers, experiments, and ideas to ponder)

"Can it Rain Cats and Dogs" questions and answers about weather by Melvin and Gilda Berger for $1.50

"The Warrior and The Moon"  spiritual stories for children of the Maasai (which I have been looking for forever!! for $2.50

and last but not least... "Great Americans, The Life and Times of" Ben Franklin and George Washington for $1 each...

So I am pretty happy with my book buys this month!!