More RA deals

I went back to get some more SCR items for the week at Rite Aid. The Always was on sale, but I'd already gotten the rebate for the product, so I was just trying to get things to work out so these pantiliners were cheaper to free.

Several years ago, I found these pantiliners for $2.50 per box at Big Lots. Now the cheapest non-sale price I find these days is $3.25 at Dollar General. RA had them for $2.99. There's a $1/2 Q in 3/1 P&G, but I already got two boxes, so I just got one so I could get the $25 so I could use the $5/25.

The Organix shampoo has a try me free rebate, so I'll be mailing that in once the SCR online system reads my receipt.

So ...

1 Always pantiliners $2.99

1 Organix shampoo $6.99

1 Snore Stop tabs $8.99

1 Novitra $7.99

= $26.96

- $3 Novitra IP

- $5/25

- $8.99 Snore Stop SCR

- $7.99 Novitra SCR

- $6.99 Organix MIR

= $5.01 MM!

CVS the Skincare Edition

It didn't work out exactly as I intended, but it's OK. My local flyer didn't include the Crest ProHealth deal. In hindsight, I should have scanned a tube to see if it was at $2.99 to attemp to do the deal anyway.

The upside to that is because of that, I was having some difficulty coming up with the $25 I needed in order to use the $5/25. In the end, I decided to get a fifth Vaseline, even though I only had four $1.50/1 Qs.

Also, there is a Calamine Aveeno cream for $4.49. There's a $2 Internet Printable and the monthly deal gives you 2 ECBs, so it's 49 cents OOP!

I have discovered that the $2 on any 2 Gold Emblem nuts does work on the 99-cent nuts at CVS. I think that impressed the cashier, even. He didn't say anything about that, but he did say I had done a good job when he saw my OOP.

I also got all my Vaselines with the 30% extra free. Yippee!

So ...

5 Vaseline "10" oz = $18.45
2 Gold Emblem nuts $1.98
1 Aveeno Itch cream $4.49
2 ACT trial size (I thought this was a monthly deal. It wasn't so I didn't get my ECBs. It's OK, though.

- 4 $1.50 Vaseline Qs $6
- 2/2 Gold Emblem nuts
- $5/25
- $2 Aveeno Internet printable
- $10.99 ECBs

= $0.91 OOP + $12 ECBs ($10 Vaseline, $2 from Aveeno)

Financial Goal Update February 2009

Below is a list of my financial goals for 2009 and how I've done so far:
1. Finish sinking fund for replacement computer. DONE Jan 09
2. Dive into sinking fund for replacement car DONE, bought car Feb 09
3. Getting through Mom's final illness and death without incurring debt. DONE Mom died in January. And I'm not going to list this goal again. I don't think it's a good idea for me.
4. Read one investing book per quarter. GOING TO LIBRARY TONIGHT.
5. Get more acclimated with CVS' ECB program (which has totally intimidated me up to this point). Have started, ongoing.
6. Keep track of how much money I save via couponing, rebates, sales, ECB/RRs, etc. I set this up and have put on Google docs for personal ease in updating. So far this year, I've saved a little over $900.
7. Enjoy living my first full calendar year debt free since 1994, and having a 3-month emegerency fund for the first time. EVER. AHHH!
8. As funds allow, boosting EF to 6 months. DONE 02/09.
9. Once EF is 6 months (currently 3), restart putting money in IRA. LATER THIS YEAR.

ETA: While it looks like I'm kicking butt on my financial goals, there is one thing to consider which is unusual -- I recently received an inheritance. I don't recommend trying this at home. Trust me, it wasn't fun to get it (because of what happened in order to get it).

Cheap L'Oreal Hair Color

This weekend was spent at a conference. When I left late afternoon, I stopped off at a CVS in the town I was in ... a college town. They were wiped out already of most of the good stuff I wanted. I had a $5/25 expiring today, so I checked a store closer to home. They at least carried the ACT trial size, but were out. They still had everything else, though.

I had gotten a calculator last weekend to help with these scenarios. I used it today and it helped greatly!

I needed a filler and there was still some Valentine's Day stuff posted at 75% off. The college store had it marked off at 90% off, so I decided to scan the lone candy-related thing left. Do you believe that little bit of candy and that stuffed bear was retailing for $5.99? Well, I got it for 59 cents.

I'm particular about my hair color and it's only L'Oreal Preference. It's currently 40% off. There's a $3/1 in RP 2/1 that makes this stuff $3 a bottle! I have a CVS Q for $2 cosmetics, so I'll be checking out what I can combine for L'Oreal makeup over $8.02 so I can get $5 more ECB.

ETA: This is a month-long deal (buy $20 of L'Oreal and get 5 ECB). It looks like the 3/15 - 3/21 flyer will have HIP eyeshadow for $5 each. There's a $2/1 HIP Eye or Lip product in 2/1 RP, which will make these $3 each.

2 L'Oreal Preference HairColor $11.98
1 SlimQuick Energy Pack $4.99
1 Carnation Instant Breakfast Chocolate (the last one, but they still had vanilla) $4.99
1 CVS Vitamin D $2.99
1 Candy Heart with Bear $.59

= $25.54

- $0.75 Carnation Q in All You January
- $6 L'Oreal Hair Color (2 $3 Qs, RP 2/1)
- $5/25
- $11.98 ECB
= $1.81 OOP + $2.99 ECB Vit D + $4.99 ECB Carnation + $4.99 ECB SlimQuick = $12.97 ECB

New Rebate Month at Rite Aid

The trip to Rite Aid was early this morning. While it took a bit longer than I anticipated, it was worth it. I found a great deal on something I always use that I hadn't anticipated.

1 Soothe Eye Drops $7.49
1 Sinus Buster Nasal Spray $8.99
2 Always pantiliners $5.98

= $22.46

- $3 Bausch and Lomb SS 2/8
- $1/2 Always pantiliners P&G 3/1
- $1 SCR Always
- $8.99 Sinus Buster SCR
- $7.49 Soothe SCR

= $1.98 OOP

Rite Aid 3/1 - 3/7

There are a bunch of free after rebate deals at Rite Aid this week. If you're got a problem with sinuses or snoring, this is your week ... LOL! Thanks Frugal 4 A Busy Life!

Novitra Cold Sore Medication $7.99

Print coupon for $3/1 here *note Rite Aid only accepts internet printable coupons with their logo on it ... this one has their logo so it should work!

$7.99 SCR

$3 MM

Snore Stop Fast tabs 60ct or Nasal Spray 40 ct 8.99

$8.99 SCR

Note you can only get one rebate from this deal, so choose one product only

Total OOP: Free

Snore Stop Extinguisher 12.99

$12.99 rebate SCR

OOP: Free

Soothe Eyedrops 15ml $7.49

$7.49 SCR

$3/1 SS 2/8

OOP = $3 MM

Sinus Buster 20ml $8.99

$8.99 SCR

OOP = FREE

Ocean Complete Nasal Rinse $8.99

$8.99 SCR

OOP = FREE

Zone Perfect Bars 5/$5 *you do not need to buy 5 for this deal*

$1 each.

$1/1 March 1 SS

OOP = Free

I'm counting $55.44 retail and $6 MM for just this week! Wow!

Kroger Run 2/27

Besides my list for this weekend, I also was able to pick up some Manager's Specials, including a couple of packages of Creme Savers, a package of mushrooms and a tub of rice pudding. I also picked up a half-gallon of pulpy Kroger OJ (and I'm impressed with the taste) and cottage cheese.

Besides that, I got:

Two Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers
3 Betty Crocker Potatoes (I love these)
2 Green Giant frozen veggies
1 Kroger frozen veggies (I had a catalina)
1 COS tuna (cheaper than the Kroger tuna)
2 Kroger yogurt (for this weekend)
1 Grape leather (on sale, but even not on sale, cheaper than at the local produce store)
1 Kroger cottage cheese

Including the full price before Manager's Special markdowns (which doesn't reflect on the receipt), retail for this stuff was $32.24
OOP $14.72

Grocery Gift Card Giveway

Jenny at Southern Savers is giving away $50 gift cards to the Southern Savers grocery store of their choice. Since Kroger is both in the south and up here in the Motor City, and Kroger is my favorite grocery store, I'm in! The deadline is Friday at noon, so hurry!

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The Joys of Soy

On Sunday night, after my trip to BigLots, I went to four Rite Aids to try to find SoyJoys for their deal. My car was about ready to die, so I didn't feel comfortable going out at a separate time from going to Big Lots. I was disgruntled when I went to the first Rite Aid and found these. But when I went to the other three Rite Aids in the area, the nutritional bar area was completely emptied of SoyJoys.

Instead of just trying to go to Rite Aids locally, I decided on a different tact -- I was scheduled to get my new car from my hometown (very rural Michigan) later in the week, so I decided to check out a Rite Aid there.

Jackpot!


So, I used five BOGO coupons from 2/22 and 1/4 SS. Rite Aid's SCR this week is $5, so it'll be a $2.50 MM.

So OOP -- $2.50. SCR -- $5.

Walgreens Run

I'm a little skittish about doing RRs at Walgreens because I'm afraid they won't print for whatever reason. However, since I had two Internet printable Qs for Theraflu, making it a moneymaker, I decided to use my extra Gillette Gamer Q to do this:

Transaction #1
1 Gillette Gamer $8.99

- $4 Gillette Q

= $4.99 OOP + $6 Gillette RR

Transaction #2
2 Theraflu $10
1 carmel .35 (as filler)

- $6 Gillette RR
- 2 $2/1 Theraflu Internet Printable

= .35 OOP + $4.99 OOP Transaction 1 - $6 ESR = $0.66 MM!