A few weeks ago, I was "On the Hunt for the Hunts"--affordable items to stuff Easter eggs for several egg hunts. I settled on stickers as the most economical and environmental choice, but now that I'm preparing the Easter baskets for the kids, I realized CVS's candy sale this week is really a good deal.
I wanted three chocolate bunnies--one for each of the kids. Since yes, I am a chocolate snob, I prefer Dove or Lindt to the cheaper brands. CVS has both brands this week for $3 each, but Dove's is 6oz of solid chocolate and Lindt is 3.5oz. I'll take Dove. Better yet, if you spend more than $10 on candy, you get $3ECB. Here's how to stock up on items you probably need and score "free" chocolate at the same time (deals good through 3/27 as far as I know).
Transaction #1:
Buy 1 tube of Colgate Total for $3.99. Use $1/1 coupon, pay only $3 and get $4ECB.
Buy 1 pack of Pampers for $8.97 (all sizes should apply, even if the tag doesn't specify--do a price scan before you buy). Use $2/1 coupon or $1.50/1 (they're everywhere), and get $3ECB.
Total I spent: $10 plus tax
Bonus: I also received a $2ECB if I spend $10 on my next transaction; not sure if that's printed for everyone. Regardless, you should have at least $7ECB.
Transaction #2:
Spend at least $10 in candy a number of ways. You can buy any 4 types of bagged candy marked 2/$6. Or you could buy 3 bags of candy and two packs of generic jelly beans to spend a little less, but nobody likes jelly beans in my house. Another idea is to buy 3 bags Hershey chocolates and 1 other item and use a $2/3 printable found here. Note: The coupon will not work with the $.99 advertised Hershey chocolates because of the size.
I chose 3 Dove bunnies and 1 pack of Dove eggs.
My total spent: $3 plus tax (after $9ECB), and I walked away with $3ECB for next time. Sweet!
Make sure you have your green tag attached to a reusable bag; for every four visits to CVS, you get $1ECB. Money for something I'm already doing--awesome! And if you bought Pampers, don't forget to set aside your receipt for the P&G deal to receive $100 of coupons. You just have to spend $50 on any P&G products from 2/1/10 to 4/15/10; separate receipts are fine. One per household. I just mailed mine yesterday.
As long as we're on the subject of Easter baskets, I wanted this year's baskets to be personal, economical, and environmental. Buying new pre-made baskets fails all three criteria. So I'll reuse baskets from previous years (along with the plastic grass from year's past), fill them with the bunnies I just bought along with our stash of plastic eggs with various chocolates and stickers, and have one special gift per child (all $8 each) that I know they'll love and use.
At Target today I picked up one Bakugan combat set for Bobby (saved $3.99), 5 puzzles in 1 box for Devin, and a bubble machine for Brooke (saved $2.09). Connect 4 and Monopoly are also a steal right now: $7 each. With a $4 coupon for Connect 4 and a $5 coupon for Monopoly, these only cost $2 or $3 each. If they're out, ask for a raincheck (good for 45 days but the coupons expire April 15.)
How did you save money on Easter this year?
the candy sale I thought was only good till Tuesday?? Is the hershey's still $1.97? I got 6 bags for .80 each Sunday after ECBS and coupons. Also at Target I got 2 conect 4 games free with 2 manu coups and then 2 target coups.
ReplyDeleteThe Hershey candy I saw (a larger variety than the kisses and Reese's pieces) is now $3/bag. And now I'm kicking myself because I totally have that Target coupon for Connect 4. I was thinking it was another manufacturer coupon and didn't use it. If I take it to Customer Service next time I'm in Target, will they give me $3?
ReplyDeleteif you go within 7 days of purchase they will give the $3. Just take in your reciept and the coup.
ReplyDelete