Contact Solutions and Tampons - $1.49

I went to Rite Aid this afternoon to pick up a couple of things. Specifically, contact solution and tampons. Both are on special this week.

The twin pack 8-oz bottles of Renu multi-purpose solution is $9.99 (reg. $10.99) with a $9.99 "freebate". With my $1.00 off coupon I am making a small profit on this purchase.

The 36-40 cnt box of Tampax Pearl is $6.99 (reg. $8.49). This purchase qualifies for a $3.00 rebate which makes the net cost $3.99. The $1.50 coupon that I got with a sample last month reduces my net cost even further to just $2.49. (A significant savings on its own!)

The total net cost of both purchases works out to a mere $1.49.

And I don't have to worry about missing out on the rebate deadline. I simply logged in to the Rite Aid website when I got home and entered my receipt information. If I forget to submit the rebates at the end of the qualifying period, the system will automatically do it for me before the end of the filing deadline. Two to three weeks later...there's a check in my mailbox.

Saving money doesn't get any easier!

Clean Green and Save Green

I have a friend who keeps pitching the wonders of DIY cleaning products. Initially he tried to convince me to switch to natural by telling me how much cheaper make-it-at-home products are compared to commercially produced cleaners. Even as the words were spilling out of his mouth, he realized how weak his argument was because I very seldom pay full retail for cleaning products.

Then he tried to sell me on the whole green thing. I'm ashamed to admit that the environmental position wasn't working with me either. I thought it would take too much time to make my own cleaning products, and I didn't think changing my habits would have that much impact on the condition of the world.

So he switched tactics and tried one more thing. He began - little by little - to convert me into one of the globally aware.

It worked. I now recycle paper, plastic, and glass. I have my own little compost bin. I carry a reusable grocery bag whenever I go shopping. And I was thrilled to find out that some (a lot) of my frugal ways are as good for the environment as they are my bank account.

And I have begun to consider the possibility of maybe making my own green cleaners someday...

It turns out that making your own green cleaning products only takes a few minutes and has many benefits. Besides being more environmentally-friendly, and healthier for you and your family, they can help you cut costs as well.

Here are a few simple do-it-yourself recipes to clean your home with, along with some go-to multitaskers that might be in your kitchen right now:

• Vinegar – Cuts through grease and removes mildew. Put in a spray bottle to use as a disinfectant, mildew remover, or grease cutter. For a general all-purpose cleaner, mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Add some lemon juice for scent. For grimy surfaces, mix in a bit of salt.
• Lemon – Cuts through grease and acts as an anti bacterial.
  
• Salt – Acts as an abrasive.
  
• Baking soda – Cleaner, abrasive, and deodorizer. Used dry, it's a great appliance cleaner; wipe it off with a damp sponge.
  
• Club Soda - Poured into a spray bottle, club soda is a great all purpose cleaner and window cleaner. It's especially good for getting acid-based stains like coffee out of clothing.
• Cream of Tartar - This common baking ingredient is a mild acid that can be used as a sink and bathtub stain remover. It can also be used to remove spots from aluminum cookware.

Air Freshener. Pour 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice, and 2 cups hot water into a spray bottle and spritz away to remove odors. (Note: While white vinegar has a slight scent while wet, it leaves no odor when it dries.)

Detergent Booster. To reduce the amount of laundry detergent you need to use (especially if you have hard water) add baking soda or washing soda to your wash. These minerals soften the water which increases the detergent’s cleaning power. For liquid detergent, add 1/2 cup of soda at the beginning of the wash. For powdered detergent, add 1/2 cup of soda during the rinse cycle.

Window Cleaner. Just add 3 tablespoons vinegar per 1 quart water in a spray bottle and you've got a safe, eco-friendly window cleaner. Some recommend using half vinegar and half water. For extra-dirty windows try this: 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 cups of water. Shake well. The best way to get streak-free windows? Use newspaper instead of paper towels to wipe them.

"Soft Scrub". Use baking soda to clean up in the kitchen. For a "soft-scrub" for countertops, mix baking soda and liquid soap to until you get a consistency you like. The amounts don’t have to be perfect. Make only as much as you need, as it dries up quickly. To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; rinse surfaces well (gloves are recommended as washing soda may irritate skin).

Borax Bathroom Cleaner. For a good all-purpose bathroom sanitizer, mix 2 teaspoons of borax, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, and 3 to 4 cups of hot water in a spray bottle. (Borax is a water softener and sanitizer that is sold in most grocery stores.) For extra cleaning power, add 1/4 teaspoon liquid soap to the mixture. To clean your toilet bowl, pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet before going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush. For an extra-strength cleaner, add 1/4 cup vinegar to the borax.

Baking Soda Bathroom Cleaner. To clean out your sink and bathtub, mix some baking soda with a bit of water to form a paste. Scrub and rinse. To clean your toilet bowl, mix ¼ cup of baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar. Pour into your toilet and let sit for a few minutes. Scrub and rinse.

Drain Cleaner. Pour 1/2 cup salt down the drain and follow with boiling water. Run hot tap water until clog clears.

Copper and Brass Cleaner. Dissolve 1 part salt to two parts vinegar. Soak until shiny. To use as a scrub, increase salt to make a paste and scrub until clean!


If you have some DIY green cleaner recipes that you like, please feel free to share. I plan replace my chemical cleaners with homemade products as they run out. After all, I love to save money wherever I can, and if I can help save the planet in the process...well, that just makes good practical cents.

Get Free Scope Outlast Products

Be one of the first to try the new Scope Outlast.

Walmart is giving away free samples of, I believe, both a tube of Crest toothpaste with Scope Outlast and a bottle of Scope mouthwash. The samples are typically the "travel size" (which sell for .99 in stores) and are great toss in a weekend bag or your desk drawer, or for donating to homeless shelters.

The best part about requesting this sample is that you will also get coupons!

These are new products so the manufacturer is going to be putting coupons in the hands of the consumers to try to generate interest. I don't know how much the coupons will be for, but I can guarantee you that they will be better than the ones that will be in the Sunday inserts. I can also guarantee that at least one of the chain drugstores will have the Scope Outlast products on special.

So order your samples, file those coupons, and watch the fliers - you should be able to pick up both products for free! Who knows, you may just get paid to take them home.

How I Made $80.42 Shopping

The first thing I need to do is apologize to anyone who checked in yesterday to find out how I made a profit shopping at CVS on Sunday. I had another flood in my apartment and spent most of the day dealing with that. The good news is that both the total of what I purchased and the total of how much I saved are greater than I originally reported. Keep reading…

On Sunday, August 2, I bought the following items at CVS:

1” binders – 2 @ $2.49/ea

Book covers – 2 @ .99/ea (regular $1.99/ea)

Tears eye drops – 1 @ $7.99 (regular $9.99)

EAS meal replacement bars – 2 @ $1.99/ea

Wrigley’s spearmint gum – 1 @ $1.19

Slimfast Multipack Bars – 4 boxes @ 1.67/ea (regular $6.69/ea)

Slimfast Multipack Bars – 1 box @ $1.25 (regular $4.99)

Suave body wash – 2 bottles @ $1.99/ea (regular $2.79/ea)

Softsoap body wash – 1 bottle @ $4.99

Clean n Clear astringent – 1 bottle @ .52 (regular $5.99)

Clean n Clear face wash – 1 tube @ .99

CVS Mouthwash – 1 bottle @ $2.59

I bought everything as two separate transactions because I had a coupon for $4 off a $20 total purchase and a coupon for $3 off a $15 total purchase. By splitting my purchases I was able to use both coupons.

The first transaction subtotal was $20.12 before taxes. I used the $4 off $20 coupon which brought my subtotal to $16.12. I had a coupon for a free EAS bar and a second coupon for up to $3.98 off any EAS product. I had expected to only get both EAS bars for free, but the cashier gave me full credit for the “up to $3.98” coupon which, when combined with the free bar coupon, decreased my subtotal to $10.15. I also used a $3.00 coupon for The Tears eye drops. That brought the subtotal to down to $7.15 – that is 65% less than the original subtotal, or 71% off the regular retail prices!

But then it got even better…

The Tears came with $7.99 (the full purchase price) back in Extra Bucks. I purchased the binders with rain checks issued 2 weeks ago. The special was for $3 per binder with $3 Extra Bucks back on each. The binders that were substituted for the special only cost $2.49 each, but the cashier issued $3 each in Extra. The book covers are a special this week for .99 each with .99 each in Extra Bucks which makes them the same as free. After calculating my savings with the added Extra Bucks, I made a profit of $8.82.

The subtotal for the second transaction was $21 which qualified for the $3 off $15 coupon, and immediately reduced the subtotal to $18. I had a coupon for free CVS mouthwash ($2.59) that had been issued with the Extra Bucks on the first transaction. New subtotal - $15.41. Even though the Slimfast bars were clearance priced I was able to use the five $1 off coupons I had which lowered the subtotal to $10.41. I wrapped up my coupon discounts with two - .50¢ coupons for Suave body wash and a $1.00 coupon for the Clean n Clear. The final subtotal was $8.41. The only item that I got Extra Bucks for on this transaction was the Softsoap, but I received $4 worth. My net cost, before taxes, for this transaction was $4.41 for nearly $52 worth of merchandise – that is about a 92% savings!

After subtracting the net cost of the second transaction from the net profit of the first transaction, I made an overall net profit of $4.41 before taxes on purchases that would have cost most people $76.01.

If reading about how the coupons savings worked has you confused, don’t give up. It sounds more complicated than it really is. The three most important things to remember are: 1) match your coupons to the store sales to maximize your savings, 2) use the Extra Bucks before they expire!, and 3) do it again next week.

With a little practice, you too can get paid to shop.

I Got Paid to Shop at CVS Today

CVS gave me all this stuff today plus $1.51 in free Extra Bucks.

Check back tomorrow to find out how I made a profit by taking home more than $70 in free groceries, toiletries, personal care items and school supplies.