Money-Saving Monday

I don't typically post my savings success on here but thought I did pretty good today and it's a way of changing things up from my typical posts about the joys of boys so if it bores you, hit the little 'x' in your top right-hand corner. If you are interested and want to know more, email me. This has become my lunchtime entertainment to see how much I can save in comparison to what I take home. It's nice because a) I save $$ on products we would have to buy anyway and b) I'm usually too busy to think about how much I want the chips and guacamole from Monterrey and, thus, I usually end up eating Lean Cuisine, again saving money.

So, today I made 3 trips (although one of those trips was unsuccessful and I'll vent about that in a moment). First trip was to Rite-Aid:

Purchased:

*1 pkg Little Swimmers
*1 pkg Huggies, size 5 (yes, size 5 - I've said he's a chunker and I have the size 5 diapers to prove it.)
*2 bottles St. Ives Apricot facial scrub
*1 pkg Always feminine items

Total Spent OOP (out of pocket): $10.57
Rebates Earned: $3.00

So that essentially means I 'spent' $7.57 because in a month, I will get $3.00 back from Rite-Aid. Anyone that buys diapers knows that you can't buy a package of Huggies for under $9 (before coupons) so my totals are after coupons. If I had paid regular price for everything, I would have spend around $25.00. Not bad, huh?

Then I went to Walgreens. Oh, me and Walgreens have a love-hate relationship that is quickly turning hate-hate. And it's typically with one cashier in particular. Unfortunately, she wasn't accepting my coupon for a bottle of nail polish (although it was totally legit) but I am proud to say that I didn't get upset (in public) because this is not the first time it has happened. I was trying to use my last RR (Register Reward - Walgreen's 'play money') and planned to never return because their management is clueless to their corporate policies (that I have reviewed thoroughly online) and they won't stand behind them. But I couldn't even do that. Big SIGH. I will try another Walgreens this evening on the way to bible study only because my RR expire today and then I am D-O-N-E.

OK, I'm over it. My next trip was to CVS. And I can say with confidence that I am done at Walgreens because going to CVS to bargain shop is like choosing Macy's over K-Mart, Chipotle over Taco Bell (Chipotle, mmmmm, doesn't that sound great?). The employees are always so helpful and friendly as opposed to the Bitter Betty's I encounter at Walgreens. And this is my success here:

*1 pkg Pampers Cruisers
*1 bottle Crest Pro-Health moutwash
*1 tube of Colgate Whitening toothpaste

Total Spent OOP: $10.54
Extra Care Bucks Earned: $9.00

You do the math - kinda like I spent $1.54 for all that. Sweet, huh? And I can't take credit for the ideas. Check out southernsavers.com for details. I <3 Jenny over at SS. She's awesome!

I'm always interested in hearing great savings stories so feel free to share. And beware of a certain cashier at the Spartanburg Walgreens store. I imagine she had security print a picture of my face from the cameras and is likely throwing a dart at the picture right now. We're not fans of each other. At least I can say that one of us remained calm. And that person is calmly blogging about it right now.