CVS Finds

I had a coupon delivery disaster making it quite difficult to get to the store and find savings!  I recently changed suppliers with regard to my coupon insert subscription.  My March 1st coupons should have been delivered on the 4th, and they did not arrive.  I impatiently waited for the mailman on the 5th, and was very disappointed when they did not arrive.  On the 5th I was chomping at the bit for the mail to be delivered, and they weren't!  I emailed my supplier asking for a tracking number to track down my coupons.  I was given a tracking number.  I pulled it up and realized that was my tracking number for a February order.  I emailed her back and explained I received my February order, I was looking for the March order.  I received a response that she made an error and overlooked my order and they had not been mailed out.  The supplier would send them out that day (Friday) and throw in a few extras for the error.  Okay, not the end of the world, but it completely ruined my shopping plan for the week, and I went back to eagerly waiting for my coupons.  Monday came and went and my coupons once again were not in the mailbox as scheduled. Tuesday came and went and once again no coupons.  I knew my new order for the week should be delivered on Wednesday so there was hope!  Wednesday arrived and my new order for the week were there! Yay!  And my week old order was there as well!  Double Yay!!

I eagerly opened up my envelopes.  The first envelope I opened had this weeks order in it.  I had a Smart Source and a Red Plum insert.  I scanned each one quickly.  I then separated the coupons by putting all of the Smart Source together and all of the Red Plums together.  As I separated my inserts, I realized I was short one Smart Source insert.  I order 10 copies of each insert and I only had 19.  I then opened up my other envelope that should have arrived the week before.  I ordered 10 copies of each insert and there were only 4 copies in my order!  I was sick!  I had impatiently waited for those coupons with a plan all laid out and when the order came, it was not what I ordered.  Ugh!  A couponer nightmare!  I immediately emailed my supplier and explained that I had ordered 10 copies and I only received 4 for the order that did not ship on time, and that my new order was also missing one insert.  I was shorted 25 inserts for the past 2 weeks.  Needless to say, my subscription with this supplier was immediately cancelled.  I have yet to receive an email back from the supplier regarding the issue (two days later).

I was unhappy about the situation, and sure didn't feel excited to cut coupons and update my binder.  I scanned the coupons and decided to make a quick run to CVS and see if I could find anything!  I hate to go to the store without my binder organized, but I needed to do something to get over my coupon funk.  Off to CVS I went and here is what I found!

Irish Spring Gear Body Wash on sale for $3.50 ~ I had a $2 coupon!

Irish Spring Signature on sale for $4 with $1 EB ~ I had a $2 coupon.

Got 2b hair gel and glue $2.57

Got2B $2 coupon!!

Cover Girl mascara $7.49.  Spend $15 receive $5 EB.  I had $3 coupons!

Transaction #1:

Signature Irish Spring $4 and two Cover Girl Mascaras $7.49 each to total $18.98.  I used a $2 Irish Spring Signature coupon, I used two $3 Cover Girl coupons and a CVS $4 off $15 cosmetic purchase coupon.  I got the total down to $6.98.  I used $5 EB and paid $2.14 OOP (including tax) and received $5 EB for the mascara and $1 EB for the Irish Spring!

Transaction #2:

M&M's on sale 2/$6 receive $1 EB.  I had a $1 coupon.  My total was $5.  I used the $5 EB from transaction #1 and paid $0 OOP and received $1 EB.

Transaction #3:

Irish Spring Gear $3.50, Irish Spring Signature $4, Cover Girl mascara $7.49, Got2B hair supplies $2.57 to total $27.62.  I used $2 coupons on both Irish Spring washes, I used $2 coupons on each got2b hair products, I used $3 coupons on each mascara, and I used a $3/$10 cosmetic purchase ($17 in coupons).  I got my total down to $10.62.  I used a $10 EB and only paid $0.67 including tax OOP!  I also received $6 back in EB's!

I was glad I decided to get out and shop a bit!  Now I must focus and get my binder back in order!

Dollar General "Saturday"

Typically on Saturday at Dollar General they have a $5 promotion.  This week the $5 Dollar General coupon is off of a $30 pre-tax purchase.  My purchase was $30 pre-tax.  I used my $5/$30 Dollar General coupon as well as my manufacturer coupons and only paid $3.63 after tax!  Yay!

The Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle is on sale this week for $2.  The March Procter & Gamble inserts had $1 Mr. Clean coupon making each bottle only $1.  (Please note that all P&G coupons have a limit 4 so you can only buy 4 similar items per transaction)

The Always discreet liners are only $3 and with the P&G $3 coupon it makes them FREE!

The Garnier Fructis Shampoo & Conditioner is $3 each.  I used my $2 off of Shampoo or Conditioner coupons making each bottle only $1.

By utilizing the $5 off of $30 Dollar General coupon stacked with manufacturer coupons, I was able to increase my savings!  If you need help or ideas, please post a comment and I will be glad to give you direction on

More for Less

I got a new client this week to shop for and was very excited.  The Savvy Saving Shopper headed out with $100 to shop and save with.  I was able to buy $265.53 with $100! I believe this shop and/or save was a great success!  

The trip includes:  7 body washes (4 men & 3 women), 5 deodorants (2 men, 3 women), 3 toothpastes, mouthwash, 2 hand lotions, 9 dawn dish washing soaps, 4 Mr. Clean muscle cleaners, 4 Bounty Basic rolls, 2 Bounty 12 packs, 2 Charmin 16 double rolls, 10 detergents (6 Purex & 4 All), and 4 fabric softeners (Gain).

Please comment with any questions you have with regard to sales or deals!

A Great Saving

I've been out shopping again and helping others save money!  This story starts out with $150.  I kept my $35 fee to cover my expense and I shopped with $115!  I was able to purchase $380.05 worth of product with the $115 (over 70% savings).  

This purchase included: Frosted animal crackers, goldfish, 4 packages of crackers, 2 packages of Nutter Butters, 12 Pantenes, 2 razors, 5 toothpastes, 6 detergents, 9 body washes, 2 men shampoo + conditioners, Tide Oxi multi-purpose powder, 4 dawn, shave gel, 2 face washes, 10 boxes of cereal, 21 count Pampers, 58 count Huggies, wipes, 3 Cottonelle 18 packs, Scott 6 pack paper towels.  

I have now tried to break down the transactions so you can see the savings!  I did more than one transaction of course, used coupons, and rolled extra bucks to maximize my Savvy Saving Shopper totals!

Cottonelle was on sale for $6.99 with a promotion of spend $20 receive $5 EBs.  I used a $1.50 Cottonelle coupon and paid $21.08 OOP for three 18 packs of Cottonelle.  

The Scott paper towels were on sale for $5.49.  Thanks to my $5 EBs from the Cottonelle purchase, I only paid $0.53 OOP!

Colgate Optic White was on sale for $2.74.  I had $2 Optic White coupons.  The Colgate Total was on sale for $1.89 and I had $0.50 coupons.  I also had a $3/$10 oral care purchase.  I was able to buy 5 toothpastes for only $2.65!!

Pantene was on sale 3/$10 along with a spend $20 receive $5 EB promotion.  I purchased 6 shampoos and 6 conditioners.  I also used 4 $5/3 Pantene coupons.  The sale basically allows you to buy Pantene for only $0.83 each before tax!  

Select Kelloggs cereal was on sale 2/$5 purchase 2 receive $2 EBs!  That alone is a great stock up price on cereal!  I had two $1/2 Kelloggs cereal coupons.  I only paid $7 for the cereal thanks to the coupons and using $14 I had earned in EBs.

The Gillette Sensor razors were on sale for only $2.82 and I had $3 coupons making these razors a MONEY MAKER!  The only thing better than Free is a Money Maker!

The body washes were found at great clearance prices!  I was able to score 7 body washes for only $6.50 OOP thanks to my coupons and great sale prices!  $0.93 a piece is definitely a great stock up price!

The CVS body was on sale for $2.89! The Dove Shampoo+Conditioner were on sale for $3.50 and I had $2 Dove hair coupons making them only $1.50 a piece!  This purchase for 2 body washes and 2 shampoos with conditioner for men totaled $9.49!

Tide Multi-Purpose Oxi stain remover is great to have on hand for laundry and other cleaning projects!  I throw a scoop in with each load of laundry and use it as a booster when I clean!  The Tide Oxi is $9.97 at Walmart.  I used  $4 coupon and paid $6.46!

ALL laundry detergent was on sale $3.  I used a $2 coupon and $1 EB and paid only $3.25 for both detergents!

The Xtra detergent was on sale for $1.50.  I used two $1 coupons and paid only $4.33 OOP!

The Old Spice shave gel was on sale for only $0.89!  The Nivea face wash was on sale for $1.87.  I had two $2 Nivea coupons making those a Money Maker and paid only $0.68 OOP for all three items!

The Pampers were on sale for $8.99 - and receive $1 EB.  The Huggies were on sale for $18.99.  The wipes were $3.79.  I used a $5/$30 coupon, $2 off $10 Huggies purchase, $2 Huggies diaper coupon, $1 wipe coupon, $2 Pamper coupon and paid only $21.40 a $20 saving!

The Nutter Butters were on sale for $2.50.  The frosted animal crackers were on sale for $2.76.  I used a $0.75 Nutter Butter coupon and paid $7.01.

The Goldfish Puffs were on sale for $2.24.  I used a $2 EB from a cereal purchase to pay only $0.24!

The Dawn with Olay dish soap was on sale for $0.99.  I had $0.50 coupons.  I bought 4 dish soaps and paid only $2.12 including tax!

I found the Lance crackers at the Dollar Tree.  I had $1 coupons for each pack making them FREE!

Colgate deal

Today at CVS I was able to purchase 5 Colgate toothpastes for $2.65, making them only $0.53 each!  I believe $0.53 is definitely a Savvy Saving Shopper stock up price. 

The Colgate Optic white toothpaste was on sale for $2.74. I had $2 Optic White coupons. 

The Colgate Total whitening was on sale for $1.89. I had $0.50 Colgate Total coupons. I also had a $3/$10 oral care coupon from the magic machine.

The 5 toothpastes totaled $11.15. I used two $2 optic white coupons, three $0.50 total coupons, and my $3/$10 to pay only $2.65 OOP! 

Xtra Xtra

Xtra laundry detergent is on sale this week at CVS 2/$3. I had $1/2 Xtra coupons. I used two $1/2 coupons and paid $4.33 for 4 bottles including tax! $1 a bottle is definitely a Savvy Saving Shopper stock up price! 

Dollar Tree Freebies

Today I ventured out in the snow with my coupon binder to get out of the house for a bit! My first stop was the Dollar Tree. I am so glad we got a Dollar Tree again. 

Today I found Lance crackers and cookies! I had a $1 Lance coupon for any 6 or 8 pack item. 

I got 4 packs for FREE!! The coupon expires tomorrow so if you have it, save quick!! 

CVS Transaction Break Downs

Today I had to travel to Dumas for an appointment and decided I would check out their CVS for any deals.  I am so glad that I did.  I was able to score some unbelievable deals.  I will show you how I did each transaction in this post.  

Transaction 1:  

I bought 3 packs of Cottonelle on sale for $6.99 each this week.  I used my $1.50 off $5 Cottonelle purchase from the magic machine.  I paid $21.08 OOP including tax and received $5 EB.

Transaction 2:  I bought a pack of the Scott Choose-A-Sheet paper towels that are on sale for $5.49 this week.  I used my $5 EB from transaction #1 and paid $0.53 OOP.  

I basically got 3 packs of Cottonelle and a pack of Scott Choose-A-Sheet for $21.61 or $5.40 each including tax.

Transaction #3:  The Crest complete with Scope is regularly $3.49 and it was on sale for $1.74.  I used a $0.50 Crest complete coupon.  I paid $1.24 OOP.

Transaction #4:  I bought 2 Nivea Men face washes and an Old Spice shave gel.  The face wash is regularly $7.49 each and the shave gel is $3.59.  The shave gel was on sale for $0.89.  The face wash was on sale for $1.87.  I had two $2 Nivea men coupons and CVS allows overage making each face wash a $0.13 MONEY MAKER!  This Savvy Saving Shopper only paid $0.68 for all three items!  

Transaction #5:  The Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel is regularly $9.99 each.  Today they were on sale for $2.49 each.  I had two Neutrogena coupons for $3/2 stacked with a $2 off $8 soap purchase from the magic machine to get my total down to $2.12 OOP!  $0.53 each including tax is a great Savvy Saving Shopper buy considering the entire purchase was a 95% savings!

Transaction #6:  I found a great stock up price on soap!  The Dial soap at CVS is normally $5.49 each.  Today they were on sale for $1.37 each.  I also had a $1/2 Dial coupon.  The CVS soap regularly $4.39 was on sale for $1.09 each.  The Dove Men+ is normally $6.49 and was on sale for $1.62.  I used my $1 Dial coupon as well as a $2 off $8 soap purchase from the magic machine and paid only $6.50 OOP for 7 body washes!!  The body washes thanks to my coupons and sale prices ended up being $0.93 which is a great Savvy Saving Shopper score!

Last Minute Request

Today I had a last minute request from a client needing a Personal Shopper save.  I was happy to oblige.  I always feel tremendous pressure shopping for others since I have their hard earned money in my hands trying to score the best deals!  I try to plan out my buys before I leave as a rough guide to how much things will cost and I will be able to buy with the money I have to shop with.  Today I had no plan as I walked out my door to shop for this client.  

The client paid $100.  I kept my normal $25 fee and shopped with $75!  I was able to purchase $166.93 with the $75!  I more than doubled their money!  This haul includes:  8 bags of Tide pods (14 count), 2 Snuggle, 2 Bounce, 2 Gain dishwashing soap, Colgate toothpaste, 5 body washes, a 6 pack Dove bar soap, 2 Loreal shampoos, 2 Loreal conditioners, 3 Scott/Cottonelle 18 pack toilet paper, and a Scott 6 pack mega roll of paper towels!

Shopping for others has great responsibility, but it also comes with great reward.  Knowing the pricing at other stores is very important.  I do not want to overspend personally much less with someone else's money!  I shopped at both Walmart and CVS today for this Personal Shopper save.  

CVS advertised Tide pods 14 count on sale for $4.99 this week.  I knew that the 14 count Tide pods are normally only $4.44 at Walmart.  I chose to buy the pods at Walmart given the cheaper price and stack my coupons on that price.  The Loreal hair products this week trigger $4 back in Extra Bucks if you purchase two.  The Loreal shampoo/conditioners are $4.99 each or $.450 each if you purchase 2 or more.  I used a $3/2 coupon and paid $6.50 OOP and received $4 back.  I then purchased 4 body washes in my next transaction and used $3 in coupons along with my $4 from the shampoo transaction and paid only $0.83!  

I not only met my clients expectations today, but I also exceeded them with the amount I was able to purchase.  I believe today was definitely a great day to be a Savvy Saving Shopper!

99% Saving

Today I ran out for a last minute request from a client, and I found a great buy for myself!  The items above were on clearance and stacked with coupons it made for a great day as a Savvy Saving Shopper.  The Hershey kisses were on clearance for $0.39 a bag!  I had $1/2 coupons!  Each set of 2 were a $0.22 money maker since CVS allows overage!  The Valentine decals were on clearance as well for $0.39 and the the socks were on clearance for $0.29!  

I ONLY PAID $0.62 FOR THE ENTIRE PURCHASE!  I saved $46.30 with the clearance pricing and coupons today!  I plan on gifting the decals to my son's teacher to use next year if she would like.  The kisses will make great toppers to some peanut butter cookies!    

$100 Doubled Plus

I started out my shopping plan for a client with $100!  I was able to purchase all of the items shown above for $100!  The items before coupon and sales total $219.50!  I was able to double my clients $100 and then some with this Savvy Saving Shopper score!

This personal shopper buy includes:  4 toothbrushes, 2 toothpastes, Listerine, Degree clinical deodorant, Secret clinical deodorant, 6 pack Dove soap bars, 3 Olay body washes, CVS body wash, 3 Eucerin lotions, Gain dish soap, 2 boxes antacid chews (free), nutritional shake (free), 4 Wisk, 6 Tide Simply Clean, 2 Snuggle, 3 Downy, Tide multi-purpose oxo stain remover, 2 Scott 8=12 pack mega roll paper towels, and 3 Scott extra soft 18=36 toilet paper!

I have posted a few more pictures to try to show all of the items.

The picture below are the items bagged up and ready for pick up!

Candy Score

Today as I cruised the aisles of CVS, I found a great buy on Hershey's pieces! These gems were on clearance for $1.12 a bag! I had coupons for $1 off of 2 bags! My total for the 4 bags including tax was $2.68 making each bag only $0.67! Considering each bag is regularly $4.49, I definitely loved this Savvy Saving Shopping deal! 

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Well if you live where I do, you see that white yucky stuff as you look out your window.  I am definitely not a fan of snow, but really really not a fan of the ice.  I am more of a sand and sun type of person!  Acting as a responsible Mommy, I know that I cannot venture out to "save" on days like today.  Instead I get to stay home and snuggle up with the kiddos!

I am very proud of myself though.  I have cut and organized all of my coupons!  I do not have any extra coupon inserts just hanging out in my binder waiting for me to get to it!  I really do try to stay on top of it since I am a visual person when it comes to couponing.  I like to be cruising an aisle and be able to turn to a page and visually see if I have a coupon to match!  I know that each person has their own way that works for them, but this method I found was best for me.  I do however get caught up in my day to day life and sometimes the inserts tend to pile up in by binder until I have time to get to them.  I admit sometimes I may not get to them entirely.  Sometimes I am that person that stands in the aisle flipping through the inserts to see if my memory is correct and I do have that coupon still.  So I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment today as my binder is organized and ready to go.

I have taken advantage of the ice and snowy day and turned it into a positive.  I have gotten to enjoy a lazy day snuggling with my kiddos.  I have organized my binder. I have updated my shopping spreadsheets.  I have even updated my blog with this quick little post!  If the weather is nice where you are, please enjoy your day.  If your weather is frightful,  please stay safe and warm!

As My Journey Continues

I started this blog as a way to document my journey of savings this year.  I have found myself mainly documenting my "saves" for others and sharing in a group I started on Facebook.  While my life is pretty busy and hectic, and sometimes posting my "saves" for others and sharing to Facebook is easier, I want to make sure I also capture my journey.

I have recently added more "regulars" to my Personal Shopper service!  I am very excited about that. I love to coupon, and to coupon for others is a bonus!  When I first started writing this blog, I was receiving 4 copies of the coupon inserts each week thanks to my coupon subscription service, and I would like to say that I have had to increase my subscription to 10 copies of each insert each week!  I get asked frequently, if I still save money since I have to buy the coupons, and my answer is simply, Yes.  I do pay for the inserts, but the money I save with them more than pays for them.  Personally this month, I have purchased $466 worth of product and I have paid $124 and received $39 back.  I have been so busy shopping for others and thanks to my wonderful stock pile, I haven't need much this month.  I did however, stock up diapers when they were on sale.

My stockpile comes in very handy.  My sister and her husband are going on a mission trip this summer!  They are trying to find different ways to help raise money for their wonderful cause.  I informed my sister that I would put a Blessing Basket together and we would raffle it off.  I will be able to use all of the items from my stock pile to create another Blessing Basket and help raise money for her mission!  The Blessing Baskets are such a hit!  I am thankful that I am able to help with this great cause and purpose thanks to my couponing ability.  I will post a picture of the basket as well as the contents once it is all put together!

I hope you are enjoying my journey as a Savvy Saving Shopper as I share it with you.  I hope you are learning of some great buys!  I hope that you are inspired to find something you love and share it with others!

Earn Cash With Ebates

I have attached a copy of my most recent Ebates check. If you are not using Ebates when you are online shopping, you are missing out on cash, plain and simple. So far, I have received $309.30 by using Ebates when I shop online.  

Ebates is the pioneer in cash back online shopping!  It is easy.  You go to Ebates, select the store you shop online, it will take you to that store, you shop as your normally would, and checkout.  It's that easy!  Each store has a different cash back percentage.  Just look at the percentage next to the store name when you are on Ebates to see how much savings you will earn.   

I will post my referral link to make it easier for you to sign up and start saving money!  Please click here to sign up and start earning cash back!  Happy Saving!