March shopping totals

March wasn't a great month in the grocery store for me, but was a great month in pharmacies!

In grocery stores, I found items on sale that we use a lot and I stocked up!  That's why there was such a lage amount of groceries bought in March.  I spent $225.01 and saved $85.15  Not only that, I bought a lot of fresh vegetables this month, and there are no savings on them.  In addition, I had a number of mail-in refunds where I got the purchase price back, so that savings will be counted in future months when I receive the refund checks back.  (I believe it was almost $50 in mail in refunds for the month.)

In refunds, I received $18.95.

At Walgreens, I spent $67.48 and saved $208.65.  I bought a lot of frozen food on clearance as well as about 20 packages of feminime items on clearance.  Great prices on both!

At CVS I spent $14.17 and saved $54.74.

At Dollar General I spent $3.30 and saved $13.00

So what I spent for the month was $309.96.  I saved  $364.54

I also cashed in for $25 in gift certificates to Amazon from  Swagbucks   (Very easy to earn, search engine and you can earn points to cash in for gift certificates.)

So far this year my totals are:

CVS:
spent:  $84.48   saved  $245.63

Walgreens:
spent:  $93.39  saved:  $261.75


I'm hoping to not have much spent at the grocery store in April because I did do a lot of shopping in March!

MONEY MAKER shopping trip! Made $1.80

Well, it's the end of the month and I have to hurry and use all those coupons that I want to use that expire this week.

I did really well.

First stop:  Dollar General.  I bought:

one very large Clorox bleach (clothes)

one regular sized DG bleach (dishes)

one large vinegar (laundry)

1 jar Cummin (I had run out.  Who runs out of Cummin?)

2 cans hominy

1 buy one get one free Excedrin Migrane (so two total)

2 jars chili powder (again I had run out)

price before coupons and gift card I won:  $16.30. 

Total I paid:  $3.30

Total saved: $13.00

CVS:

2 bags of Halls

1 Skintimate Shave Cream

1 Physician's Formula Mascara

2 Cadbury Creme Eggs

2 Cadbury Mini Eggs

1 Old El Paso Enchalada Sauce

Total before coupons:  $23.52

Total after coupons: $5.45

Total saved:  $18.07

Total I'll get back in mail in refund:  $9.99

Total I got back in Extra Care Bucks for my next purchases: $11.50

Foodland:

2 bananas

4 onions

12 pepperoni rolls

3 jars baby food

2 stalks celery

1 Take and Bake deli pizza

(and bonus, found some Coke Coupon booklets!  Whoo hoo!)

Total:  $20.05

Total I will get back in mail in refund:  $10

Walgreens:

9 cans/jars of nuts

1 package dried blueberries

1 fridge pack Diet Coke

2 48 count Stayfree Maxi Pads

1 48 count Poise Pads

1 Colgate Toothbrush

1 Colgate Total Toothpaste

2 Gain dishwashing liquid

2 Skintamate Shave Gels

Total before coupons: $67.92

Total after coupons:  $16.40

Total I received back in Register Rewards: $8.50

Total I will receive from mail in refund:  $7.00

So, my grand total for today:

Total before coupons:  $127.79

Total after coupons: $45.20

Total in mail in rebates:  $27.00

Total in Register Rewards/ Extra Care Bucks good on next purchases: $20

Or I made $1.80 after buying all this stuff if you take into account the money good on my next purchases!

Paid $23.23 for $153.05 of groceries.

There once was a joke on a sitcom about "Who buys groceries at a pharmacy?"  Well, I do! 

I usually do a couple big shopping trips before winter hits, and it's about time to replenish.  So this was a great day for me!

My guinea pig has been needing lots of care and I had a break for a few hours this afternoon right after I fed him and decided to run into town just to get out of the house.  I wanted three things at Walgreens, but they were sold out of two of them!  However, I discovered a treasure in the frozen foods.  They had tons of stuff on clearance.  I bought things I knew that we would use. 

Then I went to CVS.  CVS had a promotion on their Facebook page that if you were their "fan" you could print a coupon for one totally free candy or single serve beverage to $2.00.  My clerk tried to argue that "any" didn't mean "any" but what waas pictured on the coupon.  She wouldn't even try it.  Never mind that the dictionary says "any" means "Without specification or identification".  She kept insisting I could only get Orbit gum with the coupon.  I pulled out my phone and started dialing the number to corporate.  (I rarely go this route, but have called corporate from the store before.  I've found they will at least try whatever I want before I actually call corporate and I have never asked them to do something that isn't allowed.)  At which point she said that was fine, no need to call, she would see if the register would accept the coupon.  (It did with no problem.)  Then she made me get something that was sixty cents.  I'm not sure the reasoning behind that, didn't argue that one, just grabbed a blow pop.

So what all did I buy in my shopping trip?

CVS:
4 fridge packs of 12 cans Diet Pepsi
Whopper Robin Eggs, 10 oz. package
1 can Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Ravioli
1 Charms Blow pop

After coupons I paid 83 cents.  I received $3 back for my next shopping trip at CVS.  I saved $24.39

Walgreens:

1 carton Walgreens ice cream, Rocky Road
9 Stouffer's Stuffed peppers
4 Mama Mia microwave pizza 4-packs
4 Stouffer's chicken and vegetable skillet meals
4 Jimmy Dean Sausage bowls
2 Always Maxi pads
1 Lean Cuisine Sesamae Chicken
1 Cafe W Taquitos
5 Ore Ida Crispy Friea
5 French Bread five-cheese pizzas
3 Reese's cup candy bars
1 can Walgreens Mixed nuts
1 fleece throw (great for holding guinea pigs)

I paid a total of $22.40 and saved $105.43 and I got $8 back to spend on my next shopping trip.

So my total today while shopping?  I spent $23.23.  I saved $129.82.  I have $11 to spend on my next shopping trips.  (And I came home with $153.05 of groceries.)

Book Review: Lazarus Awakening

I usually can read a book in two to three days. This book, however, was a two month journey for me. Why? Because I couldn't get into it. I didn't really enjoy it, but there isn't really anything to say negatively about it either. The one exception is I felt her calling a town “Lazarusville” and then later in book saying that wasn't the real name was confusing. (I thought at the time why not just say “The town could have been called Lazarusville.”) I also didn't particularly like the use of Lazarella in one point. Do we always need to make a name feminine to relate?
I do have to say overall I was disappointed. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review this book. I wanted to like this book. I wanted to write a good review. I am sure this book will be well loved by some people, and likely some women will find it life changing. Me? Not so much. I kept thinking that it would be getting more in depth soon, but I didn't find that. I expected more of a deeper book, after all the subtitle is “Finding Your Place in the Heart of God”. It felt more of “Women's Study Lite” to me. It may be I've read a lot on this subject and didn't find anything new in this book, or it could be my personality.

I really, really hoped to be able to post a review saying this book was fantastic, but unfortunately, all I can say is “It's okay.” I hope others enjoy it more than I did, but for me it was difficult to get through.

I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. I read the entire book, and the free copy in no way influenced my opinions of this book.

I would appriciate if you would take a moment and rank my review (5 is the best, 1 is the worst). Your doing this allows me a better selection of books.

Walgreens last week

My Walgreens trip last week was pretty good, even though I didn't have any Register Rewards.

I saved $19.57, which is exactly what I paid.

I got the following:

2 Motrin PM
3 Chicken of the Sea tuna
1 Baby Magic Lotion
1 pound Mr. Coffee coffee
NasoGel for Dry Noses
1 Colgate Total
1 Aquafor Lip repair

I paid $19.57 and got $18 in Register Rewards back for my next Walgreens trip.  Also I received a Register Reward for free Poise Pads.

Last week: CVS money maker

I'm still nursing a sick guinea pig, but stopping by to tell about my CVS trip last week.

I got 2 tubes of Crest toothpaste and one Physician's Formula eye liner.

I had  $3, $1, and 75 cent coupons.

My total came to $7.89, and I saved $12.74.  I received $15.58 in ECBs back.

But, there was a "try me free" offer on the make up.  I sent off for a $10.95 refund.  Even if they only refund the price I paid for everything I'll still be making a few dollars on this.

CVS $31.89 for $6.32

I don't have a photo to post tonight.  But did want to tell about my CVS trip.

8 candy bars
1 bag of jelly beans
3 12 packs of diet root beer
5 bottles of SoBe

Retail price is $31.89.  After sales, coupons, and extra care bucks, I paid $6.32 (with $1.21 of that being sales tax since tax is paid on pre-coupon price), and I got $6 back in extra care bucks for the next time I shop at CVS.

$78 for $14 -- then free

Granted, once again I think CVS prices are high so to say this would have been $78, it certainly wouldn't have been that much at Wal-Mart or Dollar General, but I still had a good shopping trip tonight.  (The 90% off items were about $28 overpriced at their original price, but at 90% off I felt they were bargains.)

I walked in CVS and saw a cart of 90% off items.  I bought four packages of trial sized bottles that also included toothbrush holders.  Full sized toothbrush holders are my favorite for even at home, and sometimes it's difficult to find them at reasonable prices.  (Dollar Tree has them off and on, but doesn't seem to ALWAYS carry them.)

Also, there were packages of toy soldiers for 30 cents a package.  (I think an original price of $3 was high, as I see these at Dollar Tree.)  I have an ice cream party every summer, and one of the big "hits" with the children is a pinata.  Last year on a whim I bought a package of toy soldiers to include and even the girls were excited when those started falling from the pinata, so when I saw these, I decided to get them for this year.  (Who knew the kids would enjoy those junky toys so much?  Then again, kids tend to enjoy junky toys, so is it really a surprise?)

Also, on this trip I bought four packages of U by Kotex pads as well as two tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste.

Finally I bought 3 12 packs of Fresca.  My mother can't drink caffiene, she can't have sugar, and recently cola has been banned, so Fresca is a clear soda and it fits what she CAN drink.

After my coupons I paid $14.46.   Well, rather, I paid nothing.  I earned a CVS card with a points program online and used that, so really I paid NOTHING! 

I also received $10.58 back in Extra Care Bucks for next time I shop at CVS. 

For the price of a gallon of milk. . .

I tend to get lazy about bargain hunting this time of year.  It's the weather.  Don't know if you'll be snowed in, and what's the point of trying to find good bargains if you are snowed in. 

But I had about $25 of CVS Extra Care Bucks that were going to expire tomorrow if I didn't use them.  There were not lots of "free after ECB" offers this week (just a pack of gum) so I had to come up with the best way to use these for us.

I bought all this for the price of a gallon of milk.  (Milk is $2.99 at the cheapest place in town and I paid $2.99 for all this.)

2 boxes Quaker Maple and Brown sugar oatmeal
2 boxes Quaker Quick Oats
1 box Fiber One cereal
2 boxes Fiber One 90 calorie bars
1 box Kraft Easy Mac
1 box Velveeta Shells and cheese
1 package Trident gum
1 gallon milk

I paid $2.99.  I saved $37.96  All is stuff we will use.  In fact, my mother told me last night she needed more oatmeal soon.

I also have $11.99 in ECBs to use on future CVS purchases. 

The Shelter of God's Promises

I recently was given the opportunity to review the book:  The Shelter of God's Promises .  Here is my reveiw:

In “The Shelter of God's Promises”, Sheila Walsh takes the reader through some of the main ideas of promises in the Bible. She explores the ideas of peace, confidence, love, grace, and more. I'm usually a huge fan of Sheila Walsh's books, but this one didn't seem to be quite as good as some of her others, although it's still a very good read. It felt more of an instructional book than some of her other books which seem more like a chat with an old friend. That said, the story about her bolero and the missionary clothing drive made me laugh out loud and her personal tales woven into her books are what I enjoy so much about her writing. Having grown up in church, I can't say that there was anything new to me in this book, but sometimes it's good to be reminded of the basics that God has promised us. There is also a Bible study in the back of the book which would be helpful for either personal or group study. I did enjoy this book, and it would also make a great gift to someone who is struggling with – well basically – anything as it is a book of general comfort and encouragement.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.