Cha-Ching on a Shoestring™

Living Large on a Limited Budget

Walgreens Week of 6/21/09

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

If you are unfamiliar with shopping at Walgreens, you may want to check out my Top 5 Tips for Drugstore Shopping and my Top 5 Tips for Shopping at Walgreens.  Please note that coupons vary by region.

Don’t understand my coupon lingo?  Read more here!

Here are my favorite deals at Walgreens this week.  Did you see anything else?

**Register Rewards Deals

Aquafresh Advanced Toothpaste, $3
Get $3 RRs
$0.75/1 from SS 6/21/09
$1/1 Aquafresh printable
Better than FREE after coupon and RRs!

Speed Stick or Lady Speed Stick, $2.99
Get $2 RRs
$0.99 after RRs!

Accu check meter, $14.99, free after MIR on box
Get $5 RRs
Free plus overage after MIR and RRs!

Kotex Pads, Pantiliners and Tampons, $2.99
Get $1 RR wyb 1, $3 RRs wyb 3
$2/2 Kotex Pads printable
$1.50/2 Kotex Tampons printable
$1.50/2 Kotex Liners printable
$0.75/1 from SS 6/14/09
$1/1 from SS 6/14/09
$0.75/1 from SS 6/14/09
As low as $0.99 ea. after coupons and RRs!

Lysol Disinfectant Spray (12.5-oz.), 2/$7
Get $2 RRs wyb 2
$2/1 from SS 5/3/09
$0.50 ea. after coupons and RRs!

Lysol cleaners, 2/$5
Get $1 RR wyb 2
$.75/1 Kitchen Cleaner from SS 6/7/09
$.50/1 Kitchen Cleaner, any from SS 4/26/09
$.75/1 Bathroom Cleaner or Mildew Remover from SS 6/7/09
$1/1 Disinfecting Wipes from SS 6/7/09
$1/2 Disinfecting Wipes from SS 4/26/09
$.75/1 Toilet Bowl Cleaner from SS 6/7/09
As low as $1 after coupons and RRs!

Planters Trail Mix (6-oz.), 2/$3
Get $1 RR wyb 2
$1 ea. after RR!

General Mills Cereal, 3/$7
Get $1 RR wyb 3
$1/1 Cheerios printable (IE) or printable (FF)
$1 ea. after coupons and RR!

Purex 3-in-1 $5.99, (Monthly Deal)
Get $2 RRs
Use $2/1 coupon from SS 6/14/09 insert or this $1/1 printable coupon
As low as $1.99 ea. after coupon and RRs!

Johnson’s and Johnson’s Baby Powder (1.5 oz), $2/2, (Monthly Deal)
Get$1RR wyb two
Use two $1/1 coupons from RP 3/8/09 or 4/26/09
FREE plus $1 overage after coupons and RRs!

Oreo Cakesters, 2/$5 (Monthly Deal)
Get $3 RRs wyb 2
$1/1 Oreo Cakesters from SS 6/14/09
FREE after coupons and RRs!

Dove Deodorant, $2.61
Get $10 RRs wyb 8 Dove products
$1/1 from RP 6/7/09
$0.36 ea. after 8 coupons and RRs!

**Other Deals

Nabisco Chips Ahoy Cookies (small box), $1
$1/2 from SS 5/17/09
$0.50 ea. after coupon!

Band-Aids, 2/$3
$1/1 from SS 3/15/09
$1/1 from V 4/26/09
$0.50 after coupon!

Chex Mix, $1.33
$1/2 from SS 6/7/09
$0.83 ea. after coupon!

Skintimate or Edge Shave Gel, $1.99 (w/ in-ad coupon)
$1/1 Skintimate printable
$1/1 Edge printable
$0.99 after coupon!

Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, $2.99
$2/2 from SS 6/7/09
$3/2 from ALL YOU magazine April ‘09 issue
As low as $1.49 ea. after coupon!

Airwick Freshmatic Starter Kit, $5.99
$4/1 Airwich Freshmatic printable
$1.99 after coupon!

Lysol Neutra Air Starter Kit, $5.99
$4/1 from SS 5/31/09
$1.99 after coupon!

Huggies Little Swimmers, $6.99
$3/1 from SS 4/19/09 – regional
$1/1 from SS 4/19/09
$1/1 from SS 5/17/09
$1.50/1 Huggies Little Swimmers printable (IE) or printable (FF)
As low as $3.99 after coupon!

See all deals here.

Let me know how your shopping trip goes!

Free Johnson’s Gift Set

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

johnsons-gift-setWell, now…I am currently at a hotel in between a wedding and the reception, letting Lincoln sneak in a nap.  I had absolutely no intentions of posting a deal right now, but I saw this over at The Good, True and Beautiful and couldn’t pass up sharing it with you.

Hanna at Worldforbaby.com is giving away  a  Johnson’s Gift Set simply for stopping by her site and signing up.  The offer is limited to one per household and I’m guessing it’s while supplies last.  What a sweet deal!  Go here to sign up.

Now, it’s off to the reception for me…gotta get my dancin’ shoes on!

The (New and Improved) Cha-Ching Challenge

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Cha-Ching challenge

Welcome to the weekly Cha-Ching Challenge!

Did you find a HOT deal this week that you just want to share?  You’ve come to the right place!  Every week I post the Cha-Ching Challenge, sharing my savings for the week.    Add a link to your post detailing your savings for the week OR your favorite deal of the week. I’ll choose one participating blog to highlight next week right here on Cha-Ching on a Shoestring.

I’ve changed things up to make it even easier for you to post your favorite deals.  You can now add them to Mr. Linky at any time.  In order to be considered for the Cha-Ching Challenge Highlight, just be sure to add your link no later than Tuesday at midnight EST.

I’d like to share a little bit about my spending this week.  I actually spent more than usual and struggled with feeling badly about it for a little while.  I bought some clothes for Griffin ($46) because we haven’t found a whole lot at yard sales.  And I bought two dresses ($50) because Griffin is in a wedding this weekend and I needed one for the rehearsal and one for the wedding.  On top of that, Wes, Griffin, and I all got our hair cut.

I had to remind myself that this is not the norm for me and the whole reason we budget is so we can spend money on items like these when needed.  So instead of feeling badly, I want to feel grateful that we have this money to spend!

Check out my savings for the week below:

Savings from coupons and store sales: $16.25

Savings from ‘Free Money’: $3.43

  • Wes signed up for Pinecone Research and received a $3 check in the mail for completing a survey last week.
  • I just realized I didn’t check my YouData account this week.  So I just did and got $.43 for clicking a few buttons!

Savings from a little bit of hard work: $57

  • We held a yard sale last weekend!  While $57 may not seem like a lot, we were pleased considering we held it in a more rural area.  PLUS we got rid of my old manual treadmill and Wes’s old NordicTrack which were simply taking up space–AWESOME.

TOTAL SAVINGS:$76.68

TOTAL SAVINGS THIS YEAR: $2057.99 (we hit the $2000 mark!)

Click below to check out my favorite find of the week:

HOW DID YOU DO? Did you find any great deals? Leave a linky and let us know!  Be sure to link directly to your weekly savings or great deal post.

Feel free to copy and paste the button above into your post and link back here so that others can join in the fun!

And the Winner is…

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Total Time for My Big Race: 12:03

(not bad considering I had a newbie cashier who had a hard time with all my coupons and I saw some people I knew–I just did the “If-I-Don’t-Make-Eye-Contact-It-Means-I-Didn’t-See-You trick…)

And the winner coming in at 12.5 seconds is:

Chelsey (chelseyhall@xxxx)

Look for an e-mail from me in your inbox, Chelsey!

Thanks for playing, everybody–that was fun!

Freebie Favorites: The Father’s Day Edition

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

free-sign

Here are a few of my favorite Father’s Day freebies:

  • On Saturday (6/20), take your Dad to Chick-fil-A for a FREE 14 oz Hand-Spun Milkshake. Click here to find out if the restaurant near you is participating in this promotion.

Thanks to the Freebie Blogger for this list.  You can find the rest of her Father’s Day freebies here.

Sneak Peek: CVS 101 Week of 6/21/09

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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

If you are unfamiliar with how to shop at CVS, you may want to check out my Top 5 tips for Drugstore Shopping and my Top 5 Tips for CVSing. Please note that coupons vary by region.

Attention CVS Newbies!

Check out these transactions I’ve cooked up for you:

Transaction #1:
Buy: (4) SoyJoy Bars 4/$4
Use (2) B1G1 coupon from SS 5/31/09
Spend: $2 (plus tax)
Receive: $4  ECBs

Transaction #2:
Buy: (3) Pepsi 2 Liters, 3/$4
Use $4 ECBs from previous transaction
Spend: $0 (plus tax)
Receive: $1 ECBs

***WEEKLY DEALS***

Here are the best deals that I see at CVS this week.  Did I miss anything?

**ECB Deals

SoyJoy Bars 4/$4
Get $4 ECBs wyb 4 (Limit 5)
$2/10  or B1G1 coupon from SS 5/31/09
$1/5 printable
Better than free after coupon and ECBs!!

Deal Idea:
Buy (20) Soy Joy Bars
Use (1) $2/10 from SS 5/31
Use (2) B1G1 from SS 5/31
Use (2) $1/5 from SS 5/31
Spend: $14
Receive: $20 ECBs!

Thermacare Neck to Arm Wrap 1 ct, (price not listed)
Get $2.49 ECBs (Limit 2)
ThermaCare Heat Wrap $1 (6/30/09) V 3/29/09
ThermaCare Heat wrap $1 (7/31/09) V 4/19/09
$1 off any Thermacare

Buy 3 Pepsi 2 Liters, 3/$4
Get $1 ECB (Limit 2)
$1 each after ECBs!

Gain 2x or Tide 2x Detergent, $12.99
Get $3 ECBs (Limit 1)
$9.99 after ECBs!!

Tylenol 20 – 24 ct, $4.99
Get $2 ECBs (Limit 3)
$2/1 from V 5/17/09
$1/1 or $3/2 from V 4/5/09
As low as $.99 after coupon and ECBs!!

Multipacks of Crest, Fixodent or Oral B, psa $4.99
Get $3 ECBs (Limit 1)
$.50/1 Crest  Paste or Liquid Gel from PG 6/7/09
As low as $1.49 each after coupon and ECBs!!

Coppertone Suncare, $8.99
Get $2 ECBs (Limit 2)
$1.50/1 from SS 5/10/09
$3  and $5 Printable
As low as $1.99 each after coupon and ECBs!!

Buy $20 Aveeno Sunblock Lotion or Spray, $9.00
Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1)
$1/1  or $1.50/1 Sun Care from V 5/17/09
$1/1 or $1.50/2  Aveeno Product from  SS 4/5/09
$2/1 Printable
As low as $3.67 each after 3 coupons and ECBs!!

Aussie, Pantene or Herbal Essence, $5.99
Get $2 ECBs  (Limit 4)
$2/2 Aussie coupon from P G 5/17/09
$.50/1 Herbal Essences coupon from  P G 5/17/09
$1/2 Pantene coupon from PG 5/17/09
As low as $3.49 each (wyb 2) after coupons and ECBs!!

Clearcare, $8.99
Get $2 ECBs  (Limit 2)
$3/1 coupon from SS 5/10/09
As low as $3.99 after coupon and ECBs!!

Tampax Pearls 41 – 45 ct, 2/$14
Get $4 ECBs wyb 2  (Limit 3)
$1/2 coupon in PG 6/07/09
$1/1 in the P&G Savings $120 Coupon Booklet (rebate for booklet no longer available)
As low as $4 each after coupons and ECBs!!

Mitchum Deodorant, $2.99
Get $1 ECB  (Limit 1)
$.75/1 coupon from SS 6/21/09
As low as $1.24 each after coupons and ECBs!!

Almay Pure Blends Foundation or Face Powder, $13.99
Get $10 ECBs (Limit 3)
$1/1 from  SS 5/17 *EXPIRES 6/21!
As low as $2.99 each after coupons and ECBs!!


**Other Deals

Huggies Diapers or Pull Ups, $8.99
$3/1 Pure & Naturals printable here
$2/1 on Pull Ups in the 6/14 SS Insert (exp 7/18)
$3/1 Pull Ups Printable here
$2/1 Pull Ups Printable here
$1.50/1 in the 6/21 SS Insert (exp 7/18)
$2/1 Diapers Printable here
$2/1 Diapers Printable here
$1.50 on Diapers via Upromise (register your CVS card for account deposits)
:: $.75 Caregivers Marketplace Rebate
As low as $5.25 each after coupons/Rebate/Upromise deposit!

SoBe Life Water, B1G1
B1G1 FREE Printable here (if you haven’t printed it before)
Four free Sobe Life Waters after two coupons!!

French’s Mustard, $1
$.30/1 in the 3/29 SS Insert (exp 7/19)
$.50/1 in the 5/10 SS Insert (exp 8/31)
$.50/1 in the 6/21 SS Insert (exp 9/10)
$.50/1 Printable here
As low as $.50 each after coupon!

Kraft BBQ Sauce, $1
$1/2 from SS 6/14/09
As low as $.50 each after coupons!

$1 Frank’s Hot Sauce, $1
$1/1 in the 5/17 SS Insert
$.50/1 printable here
$.50 each after coupon!

Did you see anything that I missed?

***

I am proud to be a part of  BeCentsable’s Original Grocery Gathering for CVS.

All deals via Slick Deals!



UPDATE: Nielsen:No Longer Accepting Applicants

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Have you ever received a request from Nielsen to track your TV watching for the week?  We’ve done it a couple of times and I have been impressed by the fact that $30 in cash arrives in our mailbox before we even complete the survey.

Well, Nielsen is now accepting applicants to join the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel.  If you are accepted as a panel member, Homescan will provide you with a hand-held scanner. Every time you or members of your household shop, you’ll use the scanner to scan the barcodes on all of your purchases.

Once a week, you’ll transmit this information to Nielsen and you’ll earn points which can be redeemed for a variety of items from the Nielsen Gift Catalog.

Wes was accepted as a panel member and is currently on the waiting list for a scanner.  We think this is such a fun and simple way to earn rewards and can’t wait to try it out!  From what we’ve heard, it takes a little while to earn rewards, but once you do, they can be redeemed for some great prizes like electronics and household items.  Repeat after me: Free money is our friend!

If you are interested in signing up, they are taking applications for their panel right now. Go here to read more and sign up.

Mars Chocolate Giveaway

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It’s 9 AM–have you gotten your free chocolate yet?

Every Friday through September, Mars will be giving away 250,000 coupons to be redeemed for your favorite Mars product.  Simply head to www.realchocolate.com starting at 9 a.m. ET to enter the giveaway.  You can also enter your e-mail address to be sent a reminder.

You’ll receive your coupon by mail within six weeks. Limit four coupons per household during the offer period.