CVS Recap for Thanksgiving Week

I was unable to take full advantage of the CVS deals this week because of my holiday traveling. By the time I got home, and made it to CVS, some of the specials were gone. I also realized that the CVS $5.00 off coupon that I had planned to use had expired - see, it even happens to me...

I was still able to get much of what was being offered though, and I had several coupons to work with. Here's what was in my shopping bags today:

(1) Hershey’s King Size Candy Bar – Net Cost $0

Reg. $1.59, Sale $1.00, Extra Bucks $1.00

(1) Aussie Shampoo – Net Cost (-) .50¢

Reg. $4.69, Sale $2.99, Coupon .50¢, Extra Bucks $2.99

(1) Aussie Conditioner – Net Cost (-) .50¢

Reg. $4.69, Sale $2.99, Coupon .50¢, Extra Bucks $2.99

(1) Johnson & Johnson Soft Lotion – Net Cost $0

Reg. $5.99, Sale $5.69, Extra Bucks $5.69

(2) Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste – Net Cost (-)$2.00

Reg. $3.89/ea., Sale $2.99/ea., Coupon $1.00/ea., Extra Bucks $2.99/ea.

(2) L’Oreal Color Juice Lip Gloss – Net Cost $0

Reg. $8.19/ea., Sale $6.99/ea., Extra Bucks

(1) Sally Hansen Maximum Growth nail polish – Net Cost $0

Reg. $4.29, Sale $3.79, Extra Bucks $3.79

(2) Sony MP3 Headphones – Net Cost $0

Reg. $9.99/ea., Sale $6.99/ea., Extra Bucks - $6.99/ea.

(1) Maybelline Mineral Power foundation – Net Cost $0

Reg. $9.49, Sale $8.99, Extra Bucks $8.99

(1) 5-Hour Energy Maximum Strength 2 pk – Net Cost $0

Reg. $5.99, Sale $3.99, Extra Bucks - $3.99

(1) Complete contact solution – Net Cost (-)$1.00

Reg. 9.99, Sale $8.99, Coupon $1.00, Extra Bucks $8.99

(3) Gatoraid G2’s – Net Cost $0

Price $1.49/ea., Extra Bucks $1.49/ea.

(1) CoverGirl Smoothers foundation – Net Cost $0

Price $7.99, Extra Bucks $7.99

(1) CoverGirl Smoothers compact powder – Net Cost $0

Price $5.99, Extra Bucks $5.99

Total Net Cost: (-)$4.00

My actual out-of-pocket cost was $40.11 after I used my Extra Bucks – considerably more than I normally pay on my CVS shopping trips – but I got $94.31 back in Extra Bucks, which will keep me from having to spend anything at the register for a couple of weeks.

Please keep in mind that if you are at CVS picking up their specials, and your out-of-pocket costs are going to be more than your budget allows, you can break up your purchases into two or more different transactions and apply the Extra Bucks from the precious transaction. If you’re just getting started using Extra Bucks, you can use this technique until you get to the point that you have enough Extra Bucks to make all of your purchases in one transaction.

(The candy bar is not in the photo because I ate it on the way home… LOL!)

Budget Dinner with Leftover Turkey

This recipe scores high in all three major categories: it's easy to fix, it's inexpensive, and everyone likes it. And it's a great way to use up leftover turkey when everyone is sick of turkey sandwiches.

"Turkey" Rice Casserole
1 cup leftover turkey scraps
1 can cream of (whatever) soup - purchased for .35¢ at Publix this week
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese - purchased for $1.25 at Publix this week
1 cup instant rice - I already have this in my pantry
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together in a small casserole dish (8" square is a good size) holding back about a 1/4 cup of cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. Add remaining cheese to top of casserole and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

That's it! A one dish, budget friendly recipe that everyone will love. It's also very versatile.

I like to add a thawed box of broccoli florets to the top of the casserole for the last 15 minutes. You can substitute chicken or ham to use whatever leftovers you have. If you don't have leftovers, but still want to make it, you can use a large can of chunk chicken. The cream soup can be whatever you like (cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli). Same with the cheese, although I do recommend including at least a little bit of an orange-colored cheese for color.

If you are feeding more than 2 or 3 people, you should probably double the recipe and use a 9"x13" or 10"x15" baking dish. Other than that, everything else is the same.

Serve with a salad, and some bread and butter, and you've got an entire meal for about $1 a person.

10 Tips for Surviving the Holidays With Your Budget in Tact:

We’ve all paid too much for holiday gifts - making costly choices with dollar signs in front of them. A lot of those decisions happen when we’re caught up in the stress and emotion of the Christmas season and procrastinate a little too long.

Here are 10 Christmas shopping tips to make this year different:

1. Prioritize.
   Instead of getting stressed out with all the parties, baking, shopping and decorating, in addition to your normal daily life, set some priorities before you’re bombarded with a million obligations. Think about which things are “must do” and which are “would be nice to do.” It’s all right to say no to keep yourself sane. Shopping is a lot more fun when you’re not completely stressed out.
2. Establish a Budget.
   Before you make a gift list and head out to shop, establish a reasonable budget for gift buying. Make a commitment that you won’t add more money to the pot every week just because you saw something cute that your niece would love.
3. Use Cash, Not Plastic.
   Once you have set your budget, stay away from credit cards and debit cards! You will spend an average of 15% more if you use plastic, and, if you use credit cards, you’ll be paying it off in 2009 at an inflated interest rate that adds even more to the amount that you shouldn’t have spent! Doesn’t paying with cash sound more appealing than having a credit card balance looming over your head?
4. Limit Your Gift Buying List.
   Do you really need to buy gifts for every extended family member and friend you have ever had? That can get overwhelming and expensive for everyone. Whittle away at your list until you have a doable number of people to buy for. Limit the amount that you spend on each person. Spend at the retail value – i.e., if the $20 sweater is on sale for $10, count it as a $20 gift and either save the extra $10 or apply it somewhere else in your budget. Talk with family members and coworkers about drawing names for gifts or donating money to a common cause.
5. Listen.
   Listen to the hints your loved ones drop about what they need or want. Maybe your Grandmother would really like someone to help her in the garden this year, or your brother keeps losing his guitar picks. A thoughtful gift like this will mean a lot more to the recipient than just buying any old thing off the shelf because you need a gift and it fits the budget criteria.
6. Make a List - On Paper.
   If you think you can spend time in “Retail Land” without getting distracted by all the shiny toys, you’re in for a big surprise! You’ll be more likely to buy impulsively if you do it that way. Write down what each person you’re buying for would like and stick to the list. Stay focused!
7. Shop Around.
   “Shopping around” doesn’t mean you have to spend valuable time and gas running from store to store to save an extra 10 cents. Take a look at your gift list and do some comparative price-checking online or with the sale fliers before you head out into the madness. This will save you money, time, and stress!
8. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute.
   Procrastination is not the most appealing gift out there. Don’t find yourself stressed out on Christmas Eve just because you didn’t invest a little bit of time to plan. Buying under this kind of pressure will cause you to considerably overspend.
9. Plan for Next Year.
   Throughout the next year, look for outrageous sales on things your loved ones will like or need. If you time the sales right, and clip some coupons, you could land a huge discount on something you were going to buy for a birthday or wedding present in a few months anyway. Remember to have a list and budget for this, too.
10. Remember Why We Celebrate.
    If this season becomes all about shopping and gifts, you’ve missed the whole point. People—not things—matter.

3 (Bonus) Days of CVS Extra Bucks

In an effort to compete for some of the holiday spending during the Thanksgiving weekend shopping frenzy, CVS is having extra "Extra Bucks" specials on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All of the following deals are free after the full "Extra Bucks" rewards on the purchase price:

• Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste - $2.99 (limit 2)
  
• Magnavox Universal remote or Philips Headphones - $6.99 (limit 2)
  
• Aussie shampoo, conditioner or styler - $2.99 (limit 2)
• Johnson's Softlotion - $5.69 (limit 1)
• Gatorade G2 20 oz - $1.49 (limit 3)
• Hershey's King Size candy bars - $1 (limit 1)
• Bic Soleil single razor w/ 2 cartidges and shower holder - $5.99 (limit 2)
• Garnier Nutritioniste cleansing towelettes - $5.99 (limit 1)
• Maybelline Mineral Power liquid foundation - $8.99 (limit 1)
• 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength 2 pk. - $3.99 (limit 1)
• L'Oreal Colour Juice Sheer lip gloss - $6.99 (limit 2)
• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth nail color - $3.79 (limit 1)
• CoverGirl Smoother liquid makeup - $7.99 (limit 1)
• CoverGirl Smoothers pressed powder - $5.99 (limit 1)

This is over $115 worth of merchandise for FREE even if you don't use any coupons. I plan to use the following coupons to increase my savings:

• (2) $1.00 Colgate manufacturer's coupons
• (1) $1.00 Colgate CVS coupon
  
• (2) $1.00 Aussie manufacturer's coupons
  
• (2) $3.00 Bic Soleil manufactuer's coupons
• (1) $5.00 CVS Coupon for spending $30 or more
• 
  

My coupons will give me an extra $16 in savings, or as I like to put it, CVS is paying me $16 to take 21 great products home!

Make sure you stop by CVS to pick up your bargains as well. Your budget will love you for it. If you don't think that taking advantage of these deals is "worth the hassle", think of it this way - a savings of $131 translates into approximately 23 hours of work for anyone making minimum wage. How many hours would you have to work to make $131 after taxes?

Retail Slump Could be Boon to Buyers

by Janet Cho of The Plain Dealer

“With most retailers expecting a crummy Christmas, glad tidings may await cash-strapped consumers. In normal times, the day after Thanksgiving, when stores traditionally kick off the Christmas shopping season with door-buster sales, is seen as the time to snag some real bargains.”

“But this year, the wobbly economy and plummeting consumer confidence caused worried retailers to start slashing prices weeks before the day known as Black Friday. Retailers count on Black Friday to help them turn a profit for the year. Analysts use the day to gauge whether deal-conscious consumers are in a spending mood. And if shoppers aren’t in the mood, the deals could get much better later.

“If they’re not finding things at a price they’re wiling to pay, they may be willing to wait a little while,” said Erin Herskowitz, spokeswoman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a trade association based in New York City. That’s the sort of thing retailers don’t need to hear.”

“A recent survey by Vertis Communications in Amesbury, Mass., found that 60% of Americans plan to cut back on their purchase, vs. only 40% who said so last November. The key for retailers is drilling home the idea that the deals shoppers will score on Black Friday are worth making the effort to get out there. For most malls and shopping center, Friday will be the first time this year that they see significant traffic in their stores and parking lots.”

“Last year, 66 million shoppers turned out for Black Friday, according to the National Retail Federation. And despite – or, perhaps, because of – tighter holiday budgets, more people are expected to brave the crowds this year, including people who usually don’t shop on Black Friday, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. “Regardless of the economy, crowds will still turn out to shop, “because people who enjoy Black Friday enjoy the event and enjoy the event…” Kopacz said.

"One out of four Black Friday shoppers is expected to be at the stores by 5 AM. Kohl’s and J.C. Penney will open at 4 AM, followed by Macy’s, Wal-Mart and Best Buy at 5 AM and Target at 6 AM."

“85% of shoppers are looking to buy electronics, such as video game systems, iPods and MP3 players, flat panel TV’s, cell phones, camcorders and home theater systems, Consumer Reports says. Prices on big-screen HD televisions had already dropped by hundreds of dollars when Circuit City Stores announced it was closing 155 stores and liquidating its inventory before the end of the year. Best Buy will be selling a limited number of 52” Samsung flat-panel LCD HDTVs, plus installation and free shipping, for $1499.99, down from $2,299.99."

“Consumer electronics are going to be deeply discounted this year, we know that,” said Marti Kopacz, national managing principal for Grant Thornton’s Corporate Advisory and Restructuring Services in New York. “The Circuit City liquidations will push all other pricing down. Bes But as well as regional stores, all of them are going to have to drop prices.”

Black Friday sales typically account for about 10% of all Christmas sales, but Herskowitz of the shopping centers council said that percentage could increase this year. While sales at clothing, department and luxury stores are weak, she said wholesale clubs and discount stores, particularly Wal-Mart and BJ’s Wholesale Club, continue to fare well.”

“So far this year, cozens of retail companies have declared bankruptcy, closed stores or both. Despite dire warnings that more stores will close after the holidays if sales disappoint, retailers continue to project results as rosy and upbeat as the carols being played over their speakers. “Retailers are the most optimistic group of people you will meet in your entire life.” Kopacz said, “and the sun will always come up tomorrow.”

Bargain Shopping Your Prescriptions

Pharmaceutical prices are on the rise, as anyone who takes prescription medication knows. Seniors have an especially difficult time, since, on average, they take more medications than other age groups and are often on fixed incomes.

But budget-breaking prescription costs are not just effecting seniors. Get sick once and your prescription costs could be enough to send you scrambling for months to get your budget back on track. Have a condition that requires daily maintenance medications? Every month could put you in the position of having to choose between buying your necessary prescriptions and paying a bill or eating. There is help though. By employing some creative tactics, you can legally reduce your prescription costs.

Some chain retailers with pharmacy departments, like WalMart and Sams, offers a lot of prescriptions at significantly reduced prices. You can purchase a 30-day supply of some medications for only $4, or a 90-day supply for only $10. There are several hundred medications available on this program, so the chances are very good that something you need is on the list. You can pick up a copy of the covered prescriptions at your local WalMart, or you can go online to WalMart.com under the pharmacy department tab to get a list. Take a copy of this list with you when you go to your doctor so that he/she can find something that meets your needs.

Publix also wants to help you with your health-care costs, so they will give you a great deal on certain antibiotics doctors often prescribe. New or current customers can take in a prescription for one of eight different oral antibiotics to their neighborhood Publix Pharmacy and receive it FREE, up to a 14-day supply. There are no limits on the number of prescriptions you can have filled. And they're FREE to you regardless of your prescription insurance provider. The list of antibiotics is available at your local Publix pharmacy, or online at Publix.com under the pharmacy tab.

If your doctor wants to prescribe something that is not on either of these lists, ask for samples. Pharmaceutical companies often provide doctors with samples of new and popular medications to give to their patients. If your doctor has the samples, it is likely that you can get enough to treat your one-time illness, or get you through a month or so of maintenance medication. This is especially helpful if your doctor is wanting to try a different treatment for a chronic condition. It's a horrible waste of money to fill an entire prescription only to find out after a week or two that the medication isn't working for you.

Another place to get ongoing help with prescription costs is through the pharmaceuticals companies themselves. Pfizer offers patient assistance programs to people without prescription coverage. These programs provide:

• Savings on Pfizer medicines, regardless of age or income; or
• Free Pfizer medicines for people with limited incomes who qualify

Go to PfizerHelpfulAnswers.com to search by program or by drug. Pfizer does have pretty strict guidelines in who qualifies and who doesn't, but it's worth the time to fill out the application. Who knows, you may just meet the criteria.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) is a nonprofit organization that helps to match qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage with public or private program that provide prescription assistance. Many people in the program get their prescriptions for free or nearly free. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669), or you can apply online at PPARX.org.

If you have checked out all of the above options, and find that you have to pay for your medications, there are still a few other ways that you can save money on your prescription costs.

The first is to take advantage of the pharmacy incentives. Several of the larger chains (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc.) are offering $25 gift cards for your new and transferred prescriptions. While the gift card does not reduce the prescription price, it does help offset the cost of other items that you may be buying at that store. And, if you are already doing your bargain shopping at these stores, $25 translates into a lot of free toiletries and personal care items. The $25 gift card applies to every new/transferred prescription regardless of the prescription cost or insurance coverage you may have, and there are no rules that prohibit you from transferring that same prescription the next month to another pharmacy that offers a gift card incentive.

The second way to save money is to ask your doctor to write your prescription at double strength with instructions to take 1/2 of the pill. Surprisingly, most prescriptions are considerably cheaper this way (think "buying in bulk"). I personally cut my annual prescription costs by 25% using this method. You will need to purchase a pill cutter in order to implement this method and still get the correct dosage, but a model should cost you less than $5. Keep in mind, though, that your doctor is not going to prescribe 30 pills for 30 days at double dose. If it is a one month prescription at double dose you will only get 15 pills. Anything else would put your doctor in jeopardy of losing his license.

And, finally, ask your doctor to approve generics with your prescriptions. I think everyone already knows that generics are almost always cheaper than brand names, and when they are available the difference can be significant, but unless your doctor allows generics your pharmacists can not give them to you. Always make sure you ask for the cheapest medication available because in some instances the brand name is cheaper. If your medication is not available this month as a generic, ask again next month. At some point almost every medication becomes available as a generic, and you don't want to miss out on the savings when it does.

By using one or more of these strategies, you too can make prescription costs a little easier to swallow. (Yeah, I know, it's a bad joke, but you have to take them where you can get them...)

Freebie Websites

Here are a few "new" freebie websites to check out:

• www.FreeCoupons.Pillsbury.com - Sign up and get $10 worth of Pillsbury coupons. This is an especially great deal considering that grocery stores will be running lots of big sales between now and Christmas.

• www.DoveBodyLotion.com - For a free sample of, what else but, body lotion! Dove is real good about throwing in a coupon or two with their samples also.

• www.Dove.com - Free samples of other dove products and printable coupons. This month's sample is Shine Therapy shampoo and conditioner, and the coupons are for $1.50 off Cream Oil Body Wash, $2.00 off Clinical Protection Deoderant, and $3.50 off a Skin Vitalizer.

• www.StartSampling.com - This used to be my favorite freebie site, but a while back they pretty much quit having freebies. In the past month or so they've started coming back around. Definitely worth your time to check out.
  

Black Friday

Black Friday is only 3 days away, and thanks to the magic of the internet, you no longer have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to find out what is going to be on sale. Black Friday 2008 is a website with all the sales at 45 major retailers. Check it out at
http://www.bfads.net

You can get a jump start on planning your holiday shopping and making your lists. Be realistic when setting your shopping goals and have a backup plan. Shopping is going to take a lot longer than it normally would, and some things are going to be gone by the time you get to them. Anticipate that there will be large crowds. Everyone is feeling the pinch of the economy and people that might otherwise not concern themselves with the madness of shopping the day after Thanksgiving will be looking for a bargain too.

Using a plan will help you figure out how to make the most biggest retail shopping day of the year. After all, you don't want to stand in line for an hour to get into WalMart for two items if the bulk of the purchases you want to make are at Target. Plan to shop with a friend or family member so that each of you can hit different sections of the store(s) simultaneously thus doubling the odds that you each get the items that you set out for. Then meet back up in a central location and swap stuff around. In the past I've even seen one person take a place in line while a 2nd person did the shopping. That way when the shopping was done they didn't have to go to the end of the line and wait an extra 30-45 minutes to check out. Try to map your route in a logical manner, shopping at stores that are near each other at the same time, so that you aren't wasting time and gas driving back and forth all over town.

Using a list will help keep you focused and on budget when you're being caught up in the shopping frenzy of bargain hungry crowds and stacks of discount merchandise, and buying everything in sight. It will also help to keep you from spontaneous purchasing small gifts for every cousin, babysitter, and neighbor that you ever had just because it's "so them" and "such a good price". Those small purchases add up to a big checkout total, and that defeats the whole purpose of shopping on Black Friday. Remember, a bargain isn't a bargain if it's something you don't need, wouldn't normally buy, and/or you are still paying for it in February.

Which brings me to another important shopping tip - shop with cash! You are more likely to stay on budget. Studies have proven that people who use plastic, whether it's a debit card or a credit card, spend 12%-18% more. Plastic doesn't have the "Ouch" factor that cash has.

It's going to be a jungle out there but with a little planning, and a good attitude, you can survive and knock out the bulk of your Christmas shopping at huge savings. Then you can take the next 3 weeks to do what you really should be doing during the holidays - enjoying the season with family and friends.

Happy Shopping Everyone!

Big Savings at Publix

I've been shopping today. (Big surprise there... LOL!) I went grocery shopping at Publix and bargain shopping at CVS. Altogether I paid $10.97(+tax) out-of-pocket for $129.93 worth of groceries and toiletries. That is a savings of more than $118.96! (I say "more than" because I would have also paid taxes on the $118.96 had I paid full price.) If you calculate the $40.98 that I got back in CVS "Extra Bucks" that is used the same as cash at CVS, I actually ended up "making" $30.

How did I do it? Simply by combining store sales with store coupons and/or incentives, and manufacturers coupons.

This is what I did at CVS:

I bought 2 3-packs of Dial at the sale price of $1.99 each. There was a $1 Extra Buck on each one and I had a.30¢ off coupon for each one. Rightguard professional strength is on sale for $7.99 each with $7 Extra Bucks each. I bought three. Maybelline Mineral Power foundation and Complete contact solution (with a free lens case) are sale priced at $8.99 each with the full amounts back in Extra Bucks. I also had a $1 off coupon for the contact solution. I then used $43.98 in Extra Bucks that I had received at last weeks shopping trip, and Voila! I walked out of CVS .49¢ lighter but with a whole bag full of goodies.

The Publix trip was done pretty much the same way, but without the Extra Bucks.

Publix is having a lot of BOGO's this week since it's the shopping week prior to Thanksgiving. Manufacturer's are issuing a lot of coupons for the same reason. I carefully went through the Publix sale flier, matched it to the Publix coupons available through other fliers, and added in the manufacturer's coupons. I think I only bought one item that I didn't have a coupon for, but it was a BOGO.

There were three key Publix coupons to use on this shopping trip: the mystery coupon which was for Emerald Deluxe Mixed Nuts, a $5 off coupon on any order of $35 or more, and $5 off the purchase of 10 J.M. Smucker's products. I combined these store coupon's with matching manufacturer's coupons to maximize my savings. Another key element is that Publix doubles all coupons that are up .50¢ in face value.

For the J.M. Smucker's savings I bought: (2) Hungry Jack Instant Potatoes, (4) Martha White muffin mixes, (2) Pet Evaporated Milk, and (2) Pilsbury Frosting. After all of my coupons were deducted, I paid $1.48 total for all ten items, and I had a subtotal of $11.58 which was enough to qualify me for the mixed nuts mystery coupon. Adding the price of the nuts to the J.M. Smucker's purchases gave me $17.37 (or almost half) of what I needed to get the $5 off the total order.

At that point I had no doubt that I could buy another $17.63 (before coupons) to get the additional $5 off, so I pretty much quit keeping track of prices. Prior to going to the store I had used "Coupon Mom" to go through my coupons and pull the ones that were going to give me the most savings, and I was only buying what I had coupons for. The remaining items that I purchased included:
(2) Domino's Brown Sugar - .38¢
(2) Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice - .90¢
(2) Jimmy Dean packages of turkey sausage patties - $2.00
(1) Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin Mix - .30¢
(2) Duncan Hines cake mixes - .75¢
(1) Mt. Olive Sweet Gherkins - .39¢
(2) Wish Bone salad dressings - .35¢
(1) Pillsbury Grands Biscuits - $1.00
(1) Chex Snack Mix - .23¢
(1) Birds Eye Frozen Veggie - .54¢
(1) Birds Eye Voila - $1.35
(1) 1/2 gal. Publix Premium ice cream - $2.00
(2) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - $1.89

*I may not have all of the prices exactly right, but they're pretty close and you can the idea of how I was able to buy so much for so little.

Now, I will admit that my shopping trip does not include any meat (well, except the sausage), produce, or dairy. Purchasing those types of items would have definitely driven up my grocery total. However, I am going to be out of town most of the week and did not want to purchase any perishables. My primary goal was to take advantage of the sale and coupons to stock up on nonperishables that could be used later when they are not available so cheap.

Shopping this way does take more time than just going to the grocery store and grabbing things off the shelves, but as you can see the savings are definitely worth it. If I calculate my savings per hour, I estimate I save approximately $37 an hour. Not bad for a part time job!