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

Coupons used:
1 Kotex manufacturer’s coupon – $1.00
Stayfree Buy 1 Get 1 free manufacturer’s coupon – $4.50
ECBs – $5.00

Total merchandise = $26.85
Total out-of-pocket = $12.30
Savings = $14.55
New ECBs generated = $18.47 ($5 for Stayfree, $1.49 for Kotex, $11.98 for Zipfizz)

Money Saving Mom has a list of other possible deal scenarios at CVS this week.

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If you’re wondering what the Zipfizz is, it’s a dry mixture that is mixed with water. It was the perfect time to try it out for the first time today, which is cooking day. Yeah, I needed that extra energy to cook several dishes. Though I’m not too fond of the taste (Pink Lemonade flavor), it gave a good boost even with just a few sips.

image used with permission via CVS Media Library

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Earlier this week, I looked at the pile of items I got very cheaply at CVS and realized one key to saving on groceries: Have a stockpile of necessities.

I’ve always read that buying staples in bulk is a way to save money. Corollary to this idea is buying needed items ahead of time, and only when they’re on sale. When I browse through the blogs of successful coupon shoppers, I often see photos of their stash of toilet paper, toilet paper, toothpaste, diapers and so on. All of these wise shoppers get their supplies when they’re on sale so they never have to pay for anything at full price. Whenever they need anything, they simply go shopping at their stockpile. Another benefit of shopping this way is that they never run out of toilet paper.

Buy only what you’re going to use or give away. Getting excited about sales makes it easy to go overboard, though. How many tubes of sunscreen does one need every year? Buying items just because they’re on sale is never a good idea, regardless of how high the discount is. If you’re never going to use or donate it, it’s a waste of money.

Designate a single place to store extra supplies. I was originally planning to set-up a small area in the basement to store my CVS finds. I was going to simply put everything together, ignoring other storage areas I already have around the house. I initially envisioned my own little ‘grocery store’ to go shopping in when we run out of stuff.

On second thought, I realized that I could easily forget what I already have if they were all lumped with no organization whatsoever. I decided to continue to use those areas where I already put extra supplies. For example, I’ve always placed extra bottles of body wash in the second upstairs bathroom. There was no sense in having another area for storing these, when I already have the habit of checking that bathroom whenever I needed a new bottle. If there are no designated areas, store all extra supplies in one place where it will be easier to check what you already have. Place similar supplies together.

Store supplies in narrow shelves, with identical items stacked together. Make sure you can still see what’s at the back of your shelves. Put those with nearer expiration dates at the front so they will get used earlier.

Do a regular purge of your supplies. Once or twice a year, go through your supplies to find items that will expire soon. These should be used or donated. Get a tax receipt for your donations.

Creative Commons image by ninjapoodles on Flickr

Post from: Keeping the Castle

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

Post from: Keeping the Castle