I’ve just recently discovered that Walgreens often has really good deals that, when combined with coupons, add up to significant savings. If you have a Walgreens near you, you might want to check out these deals for this week:

FREE ITEMS:

Revlon Nail Enamel, 0.5oz
Reg. = $4.79
Submit for Walgreens rebate ($4.79)

L’Oreal Advanced RevitaLift Clinical Action Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate, 1oz
Reg. 16.49
Sale = $12.37 (25% off)
Use 1.00/1 coupon (Redplum 8/3; SmartSouce 7/20)
Submit for Walgreens Rebate ($12.37)
FREE plus overage after rebate

Crest Pro-Health Whitening Toothpaste, 4.2 oz
Reg. =$3.79
Use coupon $0.75/1 (P&G insert 8/31)
Submit for Walgreens rebate ($3.79)
FREE plus overage after rebate
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My goal for this week’s CVS shopping is to grow the ExtraBucks (ECBs) I already have. The way this works is to use existing ECBs to generate ECBs of a greater value.

Items:
1 Right Guard deodorant, reg. $3.29, sale $2.99
1 L’oreal cleanser cream, reg. $6.99, sale $5.99 (free after ECBs)

Coupons used:
1 Right Guard manu. coupon - $1.00
1 L’Oreal manu. coupon - $1.00
ECBs - $6.00

Out of pocket expenses (including tax) = $1.16
ECBs generated = $7.99 ($2.00 from Right Guard, $5.99 from L’Oreal)

I spent $1.16 cash for $10.28 worth of merchandise and got back $7.99 in ECBs to replace $6.00 ECBs used.

Running Totals
Total merchandise = $523.53
Total out of pocket expenses = $201.90
Total savings = $321.63 (61%)

It’s a good week to shop at CVS. With the right coupons, some of the deals will end up as moneymakers. Here are my deal scenarios:

Transaction #1

Items:
2 x Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste 4oz., reg. $3.49 each, sale $2.99 x 2 = $5.98
2 x Neutrogena Healthy Volume mascara, reg. $6.49 each, sale $5.99 x 2 = $11.98
1 Covergirl Wetslicks AmazeMint, $5.99

Coupons used:
Covergirl manu. coupon - $1.00
Colgate manu. coupon - $1.00
Colgate manu. printable coupon, available here - $1.50
Neutrogena $3/2 manu. coupon - $3.00
ECBs - $16.98

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What?!? Two CVS posts in a row!!?!

Well, this week’s CVS deals are too good to have to wait till later. It’s a week for making some money with ECBs and coupons, as you can see in my transaction today:

2 Stayfree products, reg. $6.69 each, on sale for 2/$9.00
1 Kotex Lightdays, 16 ct., $1.49
2 Zipfizz energy drinks, $5.99 each, $11.98 for 2

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There weren’t a lot of good deals that I could use this past week at CVS. For one thing, I’ve used up my ECBs and didn’t have a lot of coupons that I could stack with the store sales.

However, at the end of the week, I found we needed some ibuprofen and so I did a quick stop to get the following:

Bandaid Ultra strips, $4.49
Neosporin ointment, $5.79
CVS brand ibuprofen, $7.49
CVS brand acetaminophen, $4.79

Coupons:
Bandaid manufacturer’s coupon - $1.00
Neosporin manufacturer’s coupon - $1.00
CVS coupon ($2.50 off $12.00 CVS brand) - $2.50

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Here are some of the great deals I saw for this week at CVS and Rite-Aid. These sales don’t require store cards or coupons. These are just the for-everyone sales prices at these two stores. So even if you don’t have a CVS card, or are confused when people start talking about ECBs, or if you are simply not into coupon-clipping, these deals will still save you money. But if you do have coupons for these products, then you’ll save even more.

While I believe the sales at CVS and Rite-Aid stores are pretty much the same across the U.S., I can’t guarantee that. So do check the flyers for stores in your area to be sure of these prices.

CVS Pharmacy

Good Deals:

selected General Mills cereals, 2/$5
Bic Soleil Razor cartridges, 4ct, $4.99
Centrum original or silver vitamins (varied reg. price), $6.99
Oreo Cookies 18oz, 2/$5
Wrigley’s multipack gum, 8-10/pk, 4/$4
Kodak FunSaver camera, $3.99
Energizer Max AAA Alkaline batteries, 4/pk, $2.99
Bic Velocity pens, 2/$5
Bic Mark-It markers, $3.99
Huggies Diapers Jumbo pack, $8.99
L’Oreal Visible Lift Foundation, $9.99

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The savvy CVS shoppers I know make it a point to visit and shop there at least once a week. Last week, there weren’t many deals, except for candy. So that’s what I stocked up on to generate a decent amount of Extra Care Bucks (ECBs). Here’s a summary of last week’s transactions:

Transaction 1 from last week

Items:
several bags of assorted candy and chocolates, reg. price $24 , on sale for $17.50
3 x Kotex products, reg. price $11.97, on sale for 3/$7.50
2 x Tom of Maine’s deodorant, reg. price $10.98, on sale for 2/$5.98
1 pack Scott paper towels, reg. price $9.99, on sale for $4.99
1 pack Pampers diapers, reg. price $17.99, on sale for $12.99
2 x Maxwell instant coffee, reg. price $7.89, on sale buy 1 get 1 free
1 bag marshmallows, $1.29
SUB-TOTAL = $58.14

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A number of savvy and very helpful bloggers have listed the sales that will be coming up next week. It’s a good idea to check them out before you go shopping. Planning is key to getting the best bang for your buck at these stores.

Most of these lists also include any coupons that you can stack with the store sales. Here are some of the sale lists I’ve been able to find:

Walgreens August freebies list at Money Saving Mom; scanned pages of the flyer here

CVS Weekly Deals listed at Coupon Cravings

Preview of CVS ExtraCare Savings for August at Keeping the Kingdom First

Cheap school supplies at Staples, also at Keeping the Kingdom First

Everything is more expensive these days. It is harder and harder to stretch a budget and still check off every item on the grocery list. There are ways to cut down on food bills, and still have healthy food for the family.

Today’s food editor Phil Lempert has listed ideas to “fill your grocery cart without busting your budget”. He has suggestions that can be applied to just about anything from the grocery. In addition, he also talks about 10 staple items that you can save money on. These items are milk, eggs, pasta, bread, cereal, rice, produce, fish, meat and beans. I specially like his tip for saving on pasta sauce by making your own from canned crushed tomatoes, herbs and olive oil.

These 10 items are really all you need for good nutrition and you can save money on them by following Phil’s tips. You can find his suggestions at MSNBC.

Creative Commons image by ralphbijker on Flickr