Target and Walgreens Run

My plan for the run is here.

Did a very adventurous Target run yesterday. At first I thought I could not find ANYTHING I wanted, but it took me a little while (and a lot of God's grace) and got everything.

Got 6 packs of dipes (Huggies Supreme) at $37.44, that's $0.17 per dipe (I did a bad calculation before). Almost spent WAY more, cos I forgot the coupons!!! Went back to customer service, fortunately they were real nice. And I got some very good gifts.

At Wags, got the free Venus razor, used the RR to buy 5 packs of size 6 Walgreens dipes (YES!!! I wish my son will potty train) and the lady was so wonderful. I was able to use the pharmacy coupon and keep it! And I decided I'll share the rest of my Venus coupons with the lady (since I was supposed to share it, according to Vocalpoint). She's happy and me too. The dipes came up to $19.95, and that's...$0.18 per dipe. Imagine this is a size 6, which can easily cost me...$0.38!! This is a great deal.

Cheap Amazon Toys

We're shopping for our kids' birthday and Christmas gifts. and found a great deal. Hope to use it soon...now just looking through the BIG pool of toys at .AmazonToys

Basically, you buy $25 worth of toys, you can get a free subscription to Cookie magazine worth of $15. But you can also write in with a form, saying you'd rather have a refund of that $15. So you spend only $10. Great deal?

Go here to start shopping: AmazonToys

And the details for the refund is here.

*UPDATE* I don't see the ad for the Cookie Magazine anymore. So, I think as of today when I looked (Nov 3) the deal should have expired.

*More UPDATES* I wrote to Amazon and they said the deal is still on and the end date is not fixed. So, go grab them!

Diaper deal at CVS/Rite Aid

Great diaper deals again!

CVS:
Buy $25, get $10 ECBs.

In the end, here's my transaction:
2 packs of Huggies Jumbo dipes, $9.99 each, 2 $1.50 MQs
1 Johnson's Moisture Body Wash $2.99, $1 MQ online
1 Johnson's baby shampoo $2.99, no MQ

$5/25 coupon
$8 ECBs
$2 Caregivers' rebate

OOP: $8.96, $10 ECB back.
So, counting all ECBs and rebates, I spent $4.96 on the above. Pretty good deal!

Rite Aid:
3 packs of Huggies Jumbo Dipes, $33, rebate $10
Caregivers' Rebate: $3
Final price: $20 for 120 Size 3 dipes! (that's $0.16 each, nice)

Prizes from Bright Baby Buys!

Our prizes came! Thanks, Candy!
The kids had so much fun looking through the cups/containers/cream (lots of stuff!!)...and their favorite..The Sassy Bath toys.
If you live in the States, do go onto her site and recommend a must-have baby product. You may win a prize too!!

Walgreens Huggies Deals 10/3

At first I thought I won't do the $5/$20 coupon this time. Then, I remembered, with this coupon and the RR deal on Huggies (that we did last Sun) this can be a very sweet deal! So we did it. We went 3 rounds (one by my hubby) so that we can get 5 diapers (to send in for rebate at Caregivers Marketplace).

So, here's our loot and damage.

Transaction 1:

Huggies Jumbo Size Diapers (30 for Size 5): $9.99

Huggies Jumbo Size Diapers (30 for Size 5): $9.99

Huggies Wipes: $5.99

Used $5/$20 coupon

Get back $5 RR

(Good way to use up the $4RR we got from the Gillette deal!)

Total spent: $16.05 (I count RR as money in and out)

Transaction 2:
Huggies Jumbo Size Diapers (30 for Size 5): $9.99
Huggies Jumbo Size Diapers (30 for Size 5): $9.99
Huggies Wipes: $5.99
Used $5/$20 coupon
Get back $5 RR
(Good way to use up the $4RR we got from the Gillette deal!)
Total spent: $16.05 (I count RR as money in and out)

Transaction 3:

Huggies Jumbo Size Diapers (30 for Size 5): $9.99
Huggies Wipes: $5.99
Energy Boost Drink: $3.99

Eggs: $1.50

Reward item (Keebler cookies) for my son, who has been patient with me in the runs : $0.99

Used $5/$20 coupon
Get back $3 RR, Energy drink will be rebated.

Total Spent: $10.24 (After rebate)

Grand Total: $42.34 (That's mostly out of giftcards)

Now, in perspective,

$42.34 minus

Wipes (696 wipes) - $13.92 (In the cheapest, at BJs)

Eggs - $1.50 (I count that reward item as my "expense")

Equals $26.92 for 150 Size 5 diaper will cost me $0.18 per dipe (I have to spend $0.25 at BJs for these). Now, if Size 3 are in stock it would have been a REAL deal ($0.13 per dipe)

AND...if the rebate from Caregivers' Marketplace comes through...I would have only spent $21.92, that's...$0.15 per dipe! Gosh! What a steal!!

Only thing I didn't like was I have all these Register Rewards to use up in a certain timeframe. And they are considered 1 coupon and I can only use 1 at a time.

So, if you're thinking of the diaper deal, DO IT!

Winner!

We won to be Baby and Big Kid of the Month at BrightBabyBuys! =) Our kids are famous! (haha)

Win Baby Products!

What is your must-have for baby products? Mine is above: The Ergo Baby Carrier.

Head over to Brightbabybuys, where you can recommend baby products and win prizes! They give baby products relevant to your child/ren's age/s if you win. Every month, your baby can have a chance to be the Baby of the Month and at the end of the year you stand a chance to win $500 in baby products.

Free Toothbrush!

Remember I signed up for the Colgate Free Toothbrush program?

We signed up for our free toothbrush today! How cool is that!!

I LOVE this program. It helps me remember to get Ian to brush. And he is so motivated to brush because he can put the stars (I print out the log).

Now waiting for them to arrive.

Grocery/Drugstores Sep 28

Grocery this week: $57.90 (but $17.38 are for others, gifts or cooking for others) and also we have a guest coming tomorrow! (I'm really excited about that! (So actual grocery - $40.52, including fruits!) (I think I'm missing out a couple things, may have to top a $5 this week)

Drugstores. It's DIAPERS/Gillette Fusion STOCK-UP TIME! =)

Walgreens:
Huggies/Wipes/Kotex pads RR deal (did 3 runs of these):
Buy $14 get $3 RR
So we got

(1st transaction)
Dipes (9.99) + Wipes (5.99) - $0.50 Wipes MQ, $3 RR
Gillette Fusion $8.99 - $4 MQ, $4 RR
Used $10 RR from before

(2nd transaction)
Dipes (9.99) + Wipes (5.99) - $0.50 Wipes MQ, $3 RR

(3rd transaction)
Dipes (9.99) + Kotex Lightdays (5) - $1 Kotex MQ + Newspapers (more great coupons!), $3 RR

I'm filing in caregivers marketplace rebate for $3 back

CVS:
This is the store that really got me today. After we scan $4/20 coupon, we can't use our $10 ECB from last week. How come? The balance is a lot more than $10. It's just frustrating how these computers are so inconsistent. Are there rules about this? I don't want to waste my time next time! We had to spend a LONG time in CVS thinking through what to buy then, and thus I missed out some coupons and some deals. GRRR...

Still, we got
Gillette Fusion $9.99 - $4 MQ, $5 ECB
2 Dawn - $0.99 each - $1 off 2
floss (I need that) - $1.49
2 packs of pampers - $9.99 - $1.50 MQ each (these contribute to the last of our gifts to grow points to 100, so we can redeem a free photobook for our Christmas present
and cover girl Clean foundation - $5.49 - $1, $5.49 ECB
Cover Girl blush - $4.19 - free (BOGO coupon)

Used a $2/10 coupon and $10 ECB from before (rolled 1 $5.49 ECB)

Rite Aid
Gillette Fusion (YES! It's Gillette Fusion day!) $9 - $4 MQ, $5 rebate (I pay $0.75 for tax)

TOTAL AT DRUGSTORES:
Spent: $55.37 (I count RR and ECB used to pay as cash and I deduct the ECB and RR I get back).
That's $55.37 for all those above, 120 pieces of size 3 dipes, 60 pieces of size 5 dipes, THREE Gillette Fusion (with catridges), 2 packs of wipes, Kotex lightdays, dishwashing liquid and others.

In perspective...If I buy the dipes, wipes, lightdays, dishwashing liquid and floss at where I would normally do (BJs or other discounted place), I'll would have $2 left to spend on the 3 Gillette Fusion and Cover Girl Make up. That's pretty cool I think.

Funny Diaper Story to win diapers!

Got this from ShaketheSalt.

Alrightee, here goes my story. Having 2 kids in the house in diapers can be confusing. I finished changing the older one (who's wearing 5) and I felt that the dipe is a bit tight. Oh my, you've grown, I thought. No. I put on the little one's dipe on him (size 3).

Free Colgate Toothbrush for kids

This is so cool. You log in your child's healthy habits before bed (wash hands, brush teeth, read books) daily and you get a free brush after 45 stars , that 2 weeks. Sign up here.

CVS Aug 10-16

Here's our CVS trip this week. We learnt from some websites that people actually EARN money from shopping at drugstores. This is a completely out-of-the-world concept to us. Cos things at drugstores are SUPERDUPEREXPENSIVE. Yet, we learn. We already got some good stuff from Walgreens, and then Rite-Aid and now CVS, the king of drugstores. Why I say that? cos everyone doing drugstore shopping stands by CVS. People even do not need to spend a cent on household stuff, because they use great strategies at CVS!

Here's our first "official" trip. (we got a couple of toothpastes, toothbrushes before...big deal...look at this one)

That's how we did it.

Transaction 1 (hubby got them near his work, which has horrible sales since it's in the city):

2 Infant's Advil (no, we do not use this, but it's a money-saver for future use and we can donate/sell this) - $11.58

Coupons used:
$2 out of $10 CVS coupon
2 $1 Advil MC (Manufacturer's coupons)
$5 ECB from last week (ECB is like CVS cash voucher)

Paid out-of-pocket: $2.58, but gained back $11.58 ECB.

Transaction 2 (this is a little more complicated):
3 Johnson's head-to-toe wash
1 Johnson's buddies (which we're returning today, cos it's a wrong deal)
1 playskool wipes
1 alavert (medicine for allergy, which we don't use either)
1 Skin effects facial cleanser

Coupons used:
$2 out of $10 CVS coupon
3 $1 JJ Coupons
$2 CVS Skin effects coupon
$4 Alavert MC
$11.58 ECB from last transaction

Paid out of pocket: $5.75 (after our return of JJ buddies, maybe less), gained back $8 ECB.

We were trying to get towards buying $25 worth of baby products and get $5 ECB back, but that will not work after a lengthy discussion with hubby (and what I will write in detail later). And also this particular CVS is horrible at taking internet coupons (though legitimate), so we are stopping here for this week.

SOOO...if we get to return the buddies,

We paid out of pocket total: $3.99 and have $8 ECB back for next purchase. So we actually "earn" $4.01 this week at CVS with all the items above. Not too bad for a newbie.

Hair Cut

Finally...borrowed a hair-cutter from F and P (those razor-like thingey for guys?) and I cut Ian's hair!!! With A LOT of persuasion and 2 bowls of ice-cream, we did it without screaming cries. And I think I did a really good job!

Saved...$10. WOH!

Our Diaper Conquest

We bought a total of 24 packs diapers, 806 pieces of them, at $13.76.

Averaging Size 5 dipe and Size 3 dipe, each dipe would have cost us $0.20
...806 pieces at $134.8...

Which means we saved a whooping $121.04!!!

That's all because my hubby did his "exercise" runs to Walgreens. Thank you, dear!!

Savings from wipes and papers

Mission R: Reducing cost by using cloth (to wipe kids' mouth and clean table) and using 1/2 a wipe to clean bum when no poop and wash colleen when poop instead of wipes.

Savings: $3.60 per month (on kitchen towel) and $3.00 per month (on wipes)

Seems little but it can add up! (that's $79.20 per year)

Diaper Deal at Walgreens

The diaper conquest that got us all started...

We buy 3 pack of Walgreens Diapers (very specific, mind you, we only realized after many tries...only the ones with "Walgreens" work), on sale at $5.99 each. ($17.97)
Use the Easy Saver Coupon ($2.50 off each pack) (less $7.50)
Use the Prescription Savings Coupon ($2 off each pack) (less $6)
Get $5 back as Register Reward (like giftcard to use for next purchase).

$17.97
Less $7.50
Less $6
Less $5
__________
We gain back $0.43!!!!!!

We did that yesterday for 2 rounds and they didn't work as sweet. So...including today's deal, we paid $9.51 for over 300 diapers. Even at BJs, we would have spent about $40 on the 300. We saved $30.

What I'm most grateful, besides all these deals and fun, is that my hubby is in this with me, hands and feet. He ran around getting all the diapers and found it to be exhilarating. In his words, he would have found all these a bore if he hasn't taken over the CFO role. Let your man lead, ladies!