Couponing for Charity 6/20-26 & Update #14

Sorry for the delay in this post. Just the typical duties of caring for three children full-time and making family life a priority. I did make it to CVS and Walgreen's on Sunday, and here's what I found.

For the best freebies, head to Walgreen's, but if you need diapers, go to CVS. Click here for Southern Saver's Walgreen's match-ups. Click here for Coupon Katie's picks. And here are a few of my lessons learned that might save you some time and effort in the future.

Lesson #1: Since it was Father's Day and I didn't want to leave hubby with the kids to shop, I asked if I could just "run in." When you're trying to work the deals, there's no such thing as "just running in." I returned to a harumphed husband and antsy kids and decided not to do that again.

Lesson #2: Don't rely on hang tags to give you all the deals. My Walgreen's rarely has the tags on the weekly register rewards deals. That can be good because the deals are still there; it's bad because you're second guessing yourself, making sure you got the product that qualifies. Make sure you grab a weekly ad when you walk in to check the product.

Lesson #3: If the deal seems phenomenal, you probably won't get it. Sorry. I was excited to read about the Neutragena deal that could be a $7.78 money maker. Maybe other stores have them, but I searched several places with no luck.

Lesson #4: Have a system for handling your coupons and stick with it. I usually have my stack of coupons that I'll probably use in my hand. As I add an item to the cart, I put the coupon in my pocket. I did that with two of my coupons and then got rushed, sensing anxiety in the car outside. When I got to the register, I couldn't find two coupons. Not thinking clearly, I put the products aside and realized my mistake when I got home. Ugh!

Lesson #5: Only do multiple transactions if necessary. I had planned two transactions so that I could use a RR from one for the other but then couldn't find my coupons. So I ended up taking twice as long with two customers behind me tapping their feet all for nothing. Ugh!

Lesson #6: Check your stockpile beforehand to make sure you don't buy something you don't need. I bought crackers for $1 with one of my $1RR, only to realize I had four full boxes in the pantry.

After all that, did I accomplish anything or get anything right?! Well, yes. I managed to spend the register rewards that were expiring that day on small items like crackers and dental floss. I picked up my free photo collage for Father's Day, our Sunday paper and these two freebies:

1 Bausch and Lomb Renu multi-purpose solution (on sale for $7.50; get $7.50RR)--I've read enough bloggers saying how good it is to have this on hand that I'll be keeping this one.

1 Herbal Essences shampoo ($2.99; get $2RR)

Used $2 Renu printable (made it a $2 money maker)

Used $1/1 Herbal Essences (made it free)

Used $11RR from previous trips

Total spent: $3.77

Total saved: $20.99

RR for next time: $9.50

UPDATE 6/25: I did manage to sneak in another trip to Walgreen's this week to pick up the following:

Transaction #1:

1 Rephresh tampons ($5.99; get $5RR)

2 Gillette body wash ($4.49; get $4.50RR)

1 Herbal Essences shampoo ($2.99; get $2RR)

--Used $1/1 Rephresh coupon (making it free)

--Used a B1G1 Gillette coupon (making both free)

--Used $1/1 Herbal Essences coupon (making that free)

--Used $7.50RR from last trip

Total Spent: $5.63

RR for next time: $11.50

Transaction #2:

1 Rephresh tampons ($5.99; get $5RR)

1 Herbal Essences conditioner ($2.99; get $2RR)

1 caramel for filler ($.34)

--Used $1/1 Rephresh coupon (making it free)

--Used $1/1 Herbal Essences coupon (making that free)

--Used $4.50RR from first transaction

Total Spent: $3.68

RR for next time: $7

For Southern's Saver's CVS match-ups, click here. For Coupon's Katie's picks, click here. CVS was much faster (I did that one first) because I got 4 items:

1 large box of Huggies diapers ($20; get $10ECB) (tip: Coupon Katie advises you ask for a raincheck if they're out)

1 Colgate Total ($2.99; get $2ECB)

2 Powerbars ($1; get $1ECB each)

--Used $3 Huggies printable (tip: Southern Savers said there were further discounts printing on some CVS receipts, but I haven't seen that.)

--Used $1/1 Colgate (making it free)

--Used $12ECB from previous trips

Total spent: $11.24

Total saved: $20.90

Total ECBs for next time: $14

Since I don't donate every good deal I get, here's what is going to charity:

Total products to donate this week: 2 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 box of tampons, 2 body wash, 1 toothpaste, 1 box of crackers

Total value of these products: $28.90 ($9 for shampoo, $6 for tampons, $9 for body wash, $3.90 for toothpaste, $1 for crackers--not sure of non sale prices for most goods)

Total spent for these products: $1 (everything but the crackers were free with coupons; even though I used a $1RR for the crackers, that savings was calculated in a previous purchase)

Total products to donate to date: 6 tubes toothpaste, 5 deodorants, 2 bars of soap, 1 hand soap, 2 dish soap, 14 body wash, 5 shampoo, 2 conditioner, 1 razor, 1 heat wrap, 5 feminine care, 1 box of tampons, 1 lip balm, 2 toothbrushes, 1 barrette, 1 box of tissues, 1 box of vitamins, 2 boxes of cereal, 1 box of crackers

Total value of products to date: $195.93

Total spent to date: -$16.70

What deals did you find this week?

Couponing for Charity 6/13-19 & Update #13

It's time again to grab those deals for charity, and this week there are some decent deals and even a surprise. I'm donating $26 worth of products and I made $5. If you're picking one place, head to CVS.

I actually started at Walgreen's for the paper. For all the Walgreen's match-ups, click here. Here's what I bought:

1 News Sentinel

1 Nivea for men body wash ($6; get $6RR)

1 Allways 18 count pack ($3.99)--I'm keeping this

--Used $2RR from last week

--Used $1/1 Nivea body wash coupon (I don't think we got the $3 coupon noted by Southern Savers)

--Used Free Allways catalina that printed a few weeks ago

Total Spent: $5.91

RR to use next time: $6

After clipping the $5 off Hydro razor in today's paper, I headed to CVS. They had emailed me a $4 off $20 purchase that expired today. That's $10 of ECBs they've given me in the past week for no purchase! If you haven't signed up for their emails, I would highly recommend it. For all the CVS match-ups, click here.

Update 6/15: If you would like to see Coupon Katie's CVS picks, click here. For the great rebate on the Shick razor, click here. I bought mine one day early; so I'm out of luck. You might also get a few deals I missed like free or $.25 Speed Stick deodorant and Colgate toothpaste.

Thanks to a tip from Coupon Katie, I bought a $50 gift card for Sears; it earns you $10ECB. If you buy $50 in mens apparel at Sears this week, you can submit for a rebate for $50 to use in the future. It's like $100 of clothing for $40! Since the hubby doesn't like to wait for sales and shops more like, "I need a pair of jeans, these fit, so I'll buy them," this is a way to make sure he saves money!

Transaction #1:

$50 Sears gift card

Total spent: $50

ECB printed: $10

Transaction #2:

2 Old Spice body wash (on sale for $4 each; get $4ECB. The ad noted you only got one $4ECB, but it actually gave me $8ECB. I thought I was getting both for free but it was actually a $4 money maker--SURPRISE!)

1 Hydro razor (on sale for $8.97; get $4ECB; using coupon makes it free)

1 bottle of vitamins ($10; not on sale but I was running low and they're not much cheaper at Kroger)

--Used $4 off $20ECB

--Used $10ECB from previous purchase

--Used $1ECB from green tag

--Used B1G1 Old Spice body wash

--Used $5/1 Hydro razor

Total Spent: $4.99

Total ECBs for future: $12

Total products to donate this week: 3 body wash for men, 1 razor

Total value of these products: $26 ($6 for Nivea, $5 each for Old Spice, $10 for razor--non-sale prices)

Total spent for these products: -$5 ($1 MM for Nivea and $4 MM for Old Spice)

Total products to donate to date: 5 tubes toothpaste, 5 deodorants, 2 bars of soap, 1 hand soap, 2 dish soap, 12 body wash, 3 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 razor, 1 heat wrap, 5 feminine care, 1 lip balm, 2 toothbrushes, 1 barrette, 1 box of tissues, 1 box of vitamins, 2 boxes of cereal

Total value of products to date: $167.03

Total spent to date: -$17.70

What deals did you find this week?

Top-Rated Sunscreen for FREE

If you've been watching Coupon Katie's blog, she's had several codes for Medco that can allow you to get free sunscreen. I'm sure those are great, but I have another way to get a free tube locally of one of the top-rated sunscreens at CVS.

First of all, how do you decide which is the best sunscreen out there amongst a gagillion on the market? Our kids have Irish fair skin and a family history of skin cancer; trying to prevent sunburns is a challenge and a priority for me.

Two weeks ago Consumer Reports came out with a new list of "best sunscreens." The top four were all continuous sprays and the top ranker was an affordable option at Target: Up & Up Sport 30. Personally, I'm not a fan of the spray bottles that leave a sticky film on surfaces and can stain suits and life jackets. The bottles say "not to get on clothes." How are you supposed to accomplish that?! So, I rule those out.

This blog post a few days ago is pretty informative about what sunscreens NOT to use. Even one rated an SPF of 100 was on the bad list. I found this part particularly helpful:

"Top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered. The best rated ones, according to the Environmental Working Group were by far, California Baby's range of sunscreen products, also Bullfrog, Badger and Jason Naturals."

I did notice California Baby's on the Medco list but they wanted $20 for not even 3 oz; ouch! So what's a budget-savvy, health-conscious, environmentally-aware mom to do? Well, last summer when my husband's father was diagnosed with skin cancer, he began researching options diligently. The minimum SPF we would consider was 30; anything 60 or above can get so thick it's a struggle with kids.

I was happy when he found on the lists CVS sunscreen with zinc oxide (not all CVS brands) with an SPF of 45. Here's a link that talks more about this brand. I've found it goes on clear if you don't use too much at once; ie: don't hand it to your 6-year-old and ask him to apply some--big mistake! I like that I've found a brand that I can easily get at a store where I find a lot of deals.

Now that I've found the product, I've been waiting for it to go on sale. No luck so far this summer and I was tired of waiting. I did receive a $1ECB for CVS sunscreen which I used my last trip to buy the 2oz version for the face ($3.99). That's also the trip when I received a $5 off $15 ECB; so I decided now was the time to get sunscreen for the summer. Since it expired within three days, I had to act fast. I was even more surprised to get another $2ECB off anything (no minimum required) the day I went to buy my deal. I have no idea if these are standard issue or if they're catered to my spending, but here's how I got one FREE tube of CVS sunscreen:

I bought two 4oz tubes for $6.49 each. I also bought 3 bottles of Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap on sale for $.97 each. Because I had all three kids in tow clamoring for something to eat, I also bought a Butterfinger bar for $.89.

My total before tax was $16.78.

I used the $5ECB for spending $15.

I used the $2ECB I got at the kiosk.

I used 3 $1/1 Dawn coupons from Home Made Simple mailers, but it deducted $2.91.

I used my free Butterfinger coupon I got from a Facebook promo.

Total I paid: $6.93

Total saved: $13.86 (and I got a $1ECB for my green tag.)

I was pretty excited to get two tubes of a top-rated sunscreen for the price of one without having a specific coupon or waiting for them to go on sale. Thanks, CVS! Note: I have no affiliation with CVS and was not compensated in any way for this post.

Update as of 6/11/10: I just received a $4 off $20 ECB in my email from CVS--good through Sunday. If you have not signed up for CVS emails, now would be a good time.