CVS: Getting Started

A year ago, I thought nothing about dropping $10 on shampoo and conditioner and even more on razors. I had never even stepped foot in a CVS. That was until I found HotCouponWorld.

How it works:
Each week CVS offers items that let you earn Extra Care Bucks when you buy them.
Extra care bucks, also known as ECBs, work as cash on your next purchase.
By combining coupons, ECBs and store coupons it is easy to get most of your over ther counter meds, dental, and beauty care products free or close to it.

HotCouponWorld's CVS forum allows you to view ads weeks in advance so that you can collect the coupons.

First thing you need to do is get an Extra Care card. (register it online too!)
Most CVS introductions I have read recommend starting out with $5 in cash.

Example from this coming weeks sale:

$earn 3 ECB when you buy Adidas Deodorant $3.99 Limit 3
use 1 Adidas Anti-perspirant, deodorant, body spray or body wash, any size/variety $1.00/1 (5/30/2009) V 4/5/09
earn $2 ECB WYB Colgate Max Fresh or Max White $2.99 Limit 2
use 1 Colgate Adult or Kids Toothpaste, 4 oz.+ .75 (5/31/09) SS 2/22/09

Your total out of pocket will be about $5.50
and you will earn 5 ECBs to use on another purchase.

Another great deal:

earn $5 ECB when you buy Kelloggs Cereals 3/$10 Limit 1
Thanks to MoneySavingMom you can print $1/1 Kelloggs Coupons.
can use 3 of the $1/1 coupons
Also use the 5 ECBs you earned on the first transaction

making your total out of pocket only $2 for 3 boxes of cereal.
and you will earn a new 5 EBCs to use next week.

Eventually you will build a larger amount of ECBs to use each week, depending on the sales and the ECB payouts for the week.

Are you asking yourself, what if I dont need these items? Well they are only examples of combos, there are many more deals available. But I have to say, since I try to keep a 20 ECBs tab, it makes these things free and I can find a use for free stuff! I have a stash of 15 tubes of toothpaste, 30 shampoos and conditioners, 10 Glade Plugins, you get the idea...
My family stop by my house instead of Walmart when they need things.

Go check out HotCouponWorld and get started this weekend!

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

Snuggling w/ daddy

At the beach


in is Birthday shirt made by Aunt Mandy (note the curtains nailed straight into the wall, three boys and curtains dont make a good combo)


I cant wrap my mind around the fact that my baby, Isaiah, is turning four. It seems like yesterday he was the prettiest newborn I had ever seen. He came into the world a month early, but healthy as a horse, rocking in at a whooping
5lbs 4oz and 18.5 inches long. With him being my 3rd baby, I didn't have those concerns (that I did with #2) that I had enough love to give to three kids. Yet, I was blown away at how much I instantly loved him. Not sure if it was because he never left our side from the second he was born, but I really felt like my heart would explode from the love.
He has been a constant source of joy from the day we brought him home. Noah and Jordan adored him from day one and it was so easy to adjust.
Now he is an explosion of energy and spunkiness. He is also a little too smart for his (and my) own good. He is writing and trying to spell on his own, can count to 30 in English and 10 in Spanish. He draws adorable pictures. And best of all he is a great friend and awesome little brother.
Happy Birthday little Monkey!

I am looking pretty pathetic these days

really?? it looks like I am balding

hot stuff huh?


I have always been a person who takes great care of my hair, but being a SAHM to three boys and a part time student has stolen any time I would have spent on beautifying myself (not to mention I am limping around on one good leg these days). As I type my $150 flat iron collects dust and I have black hair with blonde/gray roots that is so frizzy things keep getting caught in it. Which is why I am so excited about this giveaway! ModernMami has teamed up with Adore de Salon to giveaway a $300 salon makeover for Mother's Day! Winning this would totally make my Mother's Day!

Grocery Deal Match Ups

Because of my messed up knee I am sad to admit we have been living on convience foods. Daddy's been cookin! I can (sort of) get around on my crutches again, so armed with with coupons I plan to hit Publix and Albertsons.

First stop will be Albertsons. The front of their weekly flyer from the paper was covered in AWESOME store coupons:
.99 oj, cheese, and bacon
.79 bread
1.99 purex
.29 yogurt
are just a few things I plan on getting...

Then off to Publix.
The best deals of the week for me is
Starkist SeaSations Fish Fillets on sale for $5.99 bogo
use 2 $3/1 qs making them free!!
*on a side note these are really yummy!
Red Potatoes sale $1.97 bag
Target ip $1/1
Also
Teddy Grahams $2.99 bogo
2 Target ip $1/1
Scrubbing Bubbles sale $2.99 bogo
2 $1/1qs
Rice a Roni $1.75 bogo
$1/4q
Poptarts $2.39 bogo
$1/2q
Gogurt $2.79 bogo
$1/2 q
I believe there is a great deal in the Glade candle bogo $3.49 but I already used my coupons!
Happy shopping and please pray I dont fall off my crutches.

Wordless Wednesday:Noah

Down for the Count

I type this slight buzzed and more than a little woozy. I hurt my knee...bad. Cant really walk, and I am horrible on crutches. I will have to send dh grocery shopping, no deal hunting this week!

Gone Purple for Maddie.

Blog look a little different? I have gone purple in memory of Maddie (see post below) I will stay purple until her service on Tuesday. Check out these other blogs going purple.

Sometimes Life Just Doesn't Make Sense

I was up at 1 am the other night grumbling and rocking my crying and sick three year old, grouchily wondering if he was EVER going sleep. During this grouchfest, I was one handed checking twitter. Then the world stopped, someone posted a link to another blog with the warning that she was now sobbing. On the blog? The story of a little girl born 11 weeks to soon, to a mommy who fought valiantly to carry her, despite the doctors warnings that she wouldn't make it. This little girl then beat the odds after nearly dying in the NICU, coming home and growing into a little girl full of sunshine and bubbling personality.

Then an unfathomable thing was posted, this little ray of sunshine was gone. Madeline Alice Spohr(link to memorial video) passed away at 17 months from complications of a virus, that her little body couldn't handle.

No parent should ever have to know the agony of losing a child. My thoughts and prayers are with the Sphors.

After sobbing into my (finally) sleeping 3 year olds fluffy hair, I couldn't put him down. There are just no words...

In lieu of flowers they have asked that people make donations in Maddie's memory to the March of Dimes. The amazing generosity of the online/Twitter community has been mind blowing, raising over $18,000 in just one day.

Ack I Actually Spent $$ at CVS

Being the super organized mom that I am :cough cough: I forgot my 3 year olds Easter Party until the night before. I also forgot my oldest needed sleep pullups. So after a brutal history test, I stopped in a CVS and did some shopping until I realized I LEFT MY COUPONS AND ECBs HOME! I left my cart with the cashier and ran home and then ran back AGAIN!
I got some great deals even though I spent $23 oop!

1 PAAS egg dye Kit sale $1.99
earned $1.99 ECBS (I need another on now, Noah hid under his bed and crushed the color tabs, sigh.)
1 Ponds cold cream sale $6.99 and 1 Ponds cleansing cloths sale $3.99
used $1/1 q and $1.50/1 q
Earned 5 ECBS
1 Glade Lasting Impressions sale $5.99
used $1/1 crt and $4/1 q
earned 1 ECB *making it FREE but watch out these things are STRONG smelling
2 Scrubbing Bubbles Action Starter Kits sale $2.99
used 2 $2.75 Internet printables *will try to have link soon
1 Revlon Nail Polish $4.39
used $1/1q and $2/1 crt
non coupon items
CVS Brand sleep pants $9.99
Easter Basket $1.99
Filled Easter Eggs $3.49 *note I am a slacker mom
and My awesome steal!! 5 piece pan set on 75% off $3.75!!!
used a $10/50 q and 3 ECBS
total opp was $23 not great but I needed a lot of it anyway.
Earned 8 ecbs.