My First REALLY Successful CVS Shop

I finally got to go shopping yesterday. I usually enjoy shopping, except when I have to take the kids, and except that I have to spend money. But I get really excited when I can save a lot of money, and pay under a $1 for things, or better yet, get them for free.

I started using coupons about a year ago, and it's taken me a while to get my flow. I always read on these sites about these women who never paid for toothbrushes or soap, and only paid mere cents for diaper wipes. I thought "Man, I want to be one of those people!" I've made plenty of "coupon mistakes" and spent way more than I wanted to sometimes. But I was really excited when I was able to do a shop at Bigg's one day when they were having a triple/double coupons extravaganza and I paid $125 for over $250 worth of groceries. I knew at that point that I was hooked!

Then I started trying to figure out the CVS and Walgreens games. To be honest, they really confused me at first, and I made lots of "mistakes" while learning to shop at CVS and Walgreens, but last night I felt like I might just have this thing. Now some people may look at this and say, man I would have saved more of those Extra Bucks for something else, but this was really cool to me!

(Coupon abbreviations used below are: MFC-manufacturers coupon, ECB-Extra Care Bucks, OOP-out of pocket)

 So this is my CVS trip. My first purchase was:
2 Puffs Plus with Lotion 2/$3 used 1 $1 MFC and 1 $.50 MFC making them 2/$1.50 or $.75 each
1 U by Kotex liners $4.99 used 1 $1 MFC and received $1 ECB making them $2.99
1 Colgate Proclinical $3.99 and received $1 ECB
1 Prevacid 28 count $18.99 used $4 MFC and received $4 ECB making it $10.99
2 Oral B Advantage toothbrushes used B1G1 coupon and received $2 ECB (got these 2/$.99 after ECB)
1 Palmolive dish soap $.88 used $.75 MFC making it $.13
So I paid $29.86 OOP and received $9 ECB which made it like paying $20.86.

For my next purchase I got a pack of Pampers Cruisers. (We REALLY needed diapers!) CVS had them for $8.49. I used a $2 MFC, a $2 ECB and a $4 ECB leaving $1 to paid OOP. But I received $1 ECB for buying the Pampers, which made them FREE! Yea!!!! I got FREE diapers!!!!

Then I bought another pack at $8.49. I used another $2 MFC, 2 $1 ECB and a $2 ECB and paid $3.00 OOP. But I received another $1 ECB so I got the second pack of diapers for $2!!! So in the end I paid $2 for 2 packs of Pampers Cruisers! I was soooo excited! I feel like I finally might have this coupon thing down!  And I have $1 in ECB to start me off next week at CVS! Yea!!!

I also had a very successful run to Kroger. I'm lucky that our Kroger stores double every coupon under $1 all the time. We don't have to wait for a special double coupon sale. That's just how it is. I believe our Remke's (an independent grocer) and Meijer stores do to. I understand that's not the case around the whole country so I feel very lucky! Kroger had some great sales this week and a lot of my deals I got without even needing a coupon, just my Kroger Plus Card.

My Kroger trip: 2 Dawn Hand Renewal soap $1.49 each used 2 $.50 MFC doubled so I got these for $.49 each. (YEA!!!!)
Craisins $1
2 Betty Crocker cake mix $1each
2 Betty Crocker icing $1.49 each used 2 $.25 MFC doubled so I got these for $.99 each.
2 blackberries $1 each
Huggies Diaper Wipes $1.59 used $.50 MFC doubled so I got these for $.59 (YEA!!!!)
Frosted Mini Wheats $2.50 used $.75 MFC doubled so I got this for $1.50 (YEA!!!!)
Not pictured- the two free boxes of Ritz crackers for buying 3 Coke products.

I bought a lot of other things too but these were the deals I was most excited about! I hope I'll be able to share more deals with you soon since I'm on fire!!!!