Why I Love Couponing at CVS!

My CVS Booty

I love to coupon! I love the adrenaline rush of getting stuff for FREE! I love saving money, and I love the strategy of it all. I DO NOT LOVE couponing with my 3 little children in tow... that makes it hard, to be honest, when all the littles are running in different directions and pulling things off the aisle - however, it is what it is. When the deals are good, I just take them all along and try to make it quick and fun. (Candy never hurts!) CVS is my favorite place to shop for "incidentals", diapers, toothpaste, toilet paper, and low cost stock up items. CVS "Extra Bucks" can be earned and utilized to really make it fun and challenging. Do you want to see what I scored today? :-)
Transaction 1:
2 boxes of Special K (only 50 cents each after couponing!)
2 Glade Candles (FREE plus I made $1.00 after couponing!)
1) 12 pack roll of Scotts 1000 tissue (These rolls last forever and are Septic Safe!)
1 bottle of Ajax (FREE!)
1 pack of Huggies Diapers (Cheap!)
1 pack of Pull Ups (Cheap!)
2 CVS Re-Usable Grocery Bags (FREE!)
1 Physicians Formula Concealer Stick (FREE!)

I saved $14.55 at the register with my coupons.
I paid $29.40 cash (not including sales tax).
I submitted and received into my paypal account a total of $9.50 from my coupon apps: IBOTTA $6.00, CHECKOUT51 $2.00, and SavingStar $1.50.
I earned $11.00 in Extra Bucks for my next transaction.
So, hey, the way I see it, it is only as if I paid ($29.40 - $9.50 - $11.00 = $8.90 for everything!

Then I went back again!
Transaction 2:
1) 12 pack roll of Scotts 1000 tissue
2 packs of Pull Ups

I saved $8.00 at the register with coupons and used the $11.00 in Extra Bucks from Transaction 1.
I paid $6.47 in cash (not including tax).
I earned $15.00 in Extra Bucks for my next transaction. (Yes, I walked away with more than what I started. This is the beauty of CVS. Combining CVS coupons and Manufacture Coupons and Extra Buck Deals is AWESOME!)

And I went back once more:
Transaction 3:
I bought (4) 12 packs of Coke. (I love Coke.)
and 3 2 litters of Coke.

I used the $15.00 in Extra Bucks that I earned above in Transaction 2.
I only paid $0.75!.
I earned $5.00 in Extra Bucks for next time.
Yeah, again... I paid $0.75, and I walked away with $5.00 for "next time"! (And I have enough Coke and Toilet Paper to last me all summer.) So Cool!

Who else out there coupons? Who else loves CVS as much as I do?

Bounty at the Farmer's Market - Cheap Dinner Idea *Spaghetti Squash*

Fall is right around the corner and I LOVE OUR LOCAL FARMER'S MARKET... Well, it is more like a parking lot where a few farmers gather once a week to sell their produce. Nothing too fancy, but man, it is cheap and GOOD! I also discovered that near the end of the day, after school pickup... they are practically giving stuff away, all the perfect produce has been picked over, and what is left may go to waste.. it is still all quite good.  Look what I scored for only $4.00:

I decided to make spaghetti squash tonight for dinner. I haven't ever done this  before, and it was very easy and satisfying. Here is what I did:

1. Pre-heat over to 450 degrees.
2. Cut large squash in half, remove seeds with a spoon, and place skin side down in a glass casserole dish. I brushed it with olive oil and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 40 minutes. (It smelled great!)
4. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
5. Shred the insides with a fork. (Extremely easy! It practically will fall apart and "look" like spaghetti!)
6. Heat up a jar of pasta sauce and combine with the squash.
7. Serve immediately, with Parmesan cheese.

This served five with left overs for tomorrow's lunches! Not bad for an easy dinner for very cheap... My husband hates squash but he actually liked this. And so did the kids. Will do it again!

A New Season... A New Blog

Hello Friends!

I have not blogged in a while. I have undergone so many changes in the past year... A poor rural farming community replaced my comfortable affluent suburb. I have a new baby boy, my 4th child!  I turned 40 a few weeks ago. I quit my demanding 50+ hour a week corporate job as a software engineer to be a domestic engineer... a stay at home mom! I have replaced the guilt with new joys and frustrations of dealing with toddlers and babies all day!  I bought a sewing machine that I don't know how to use! I cooked a meatloaf for the first time in my life. I am realizing that this mother thing is serious business and it is at times maddening. I thought my house would finally be clean, but it is still a mess. I have begun to coupon and looking for ways to save money however I can!!! All in all... I am transforming and I desire to share tips I am learning on my journey but my old blog does not quite fit where I currently am at in life... so here's a new one.

I am glad you stumbled upon it!

~Sharon