Freebies

  • CVS: Spent $0.26 and Got $7 ECB’s Back!

     

    CVS Deals

    CVS has a few good deals this week, however, I didn’t get to go to the store until the end of the week.  I was happy to stock up on some items including toothpaste and diapers this week while utilizing a few of my coupons.   I was able to get a couple of good clearance items this week too.  For the items I was not able to pick up because they were out of stock I got rain checks.  Today I was able to get the items for $0.25 plus tax ($0.01) making my out of pocket cost $0.26 and received $7 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Here is what I purchased this week.

    • 1 –  Wet & Wild Craze Purple Glitter Nail Polish for $0.99 (on clearance)
    • 1 – Huggies Supreme Jumbo Pack of Diapers for $8.99
    • 2 – Colgate Max Fresh Toothpastes for $2.79 each (total $5.58
    • 1 – Clear Plastic Wrap 100 SF for $1.00
    • 1 – Premium Jordan Almonds for $0.74
    • 1 –  CVS Chest Congestion Medicine for $1.95

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $3.00 Huggies Manufacturer Coupon
    • Used $3.00 CVS Kiosk Coupon
    • Used $13.00 ECB coupons from prior purchases

    I received $7.00 ECB’s back today:

    • $1.00 ECB’s for Green Tag Reward (every 4th visit you use your Green Tag you get a $1 ECB)
    • $4.00 ECB’s for Colgate Products ($2 Each)
    • $2.00 ECB’s for Huggies Products

    This week I was able to save over $32 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.

    When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club).  As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS.  Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase.  You can pick and chose what is best for your family.

    I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!  For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.

  • Summer Activities: The Girls First Greenville Drive’s Baseball Game

    Greenville Drive Stadium - Fluor Field

    We were able to get tickets to a Greenville Drive Baseball through a work contact so we decided to take the girls to their first Greenville Drive’s Baseball Game.  The Greenville Drive is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox’s Team.   Like with any outdoor event such as baseball you are subject to the weather conditions. The girls were super excited but after the game got delayed followed by wind, rain, hail, and thunder they had to cancel the game for the night. Although it was a fascinating experience watching the workers drag the huge tarp out onto the field the game being cancelled was a disappointment. The girls handled it fairly well and we were managed to squeeze in a few minutes of another special activity. We were able to get another set of Drive tickets for a double header so their first Drive game was postponed temporarily.

     

    Having fun on the playground at the Greenville Drive Stadium!

     

    Saying "HI" to Reedy the Greenville Drive mascot before the game!

     

    You guessed it! The girls first Greenville Drive baseball game and was pouring rain and hail. The giant tarp was not coming off the field that night!

     

    Brina had a moment of sadness because it rained and the baseball game was cancelled.

     

    Daddy trying to cheer up Karlie despite her obvious disappointment that the game was rained out!

     

    Since the game was cancelled we managed to squeeze in ice cream sundaes and a little bit of play time at McDonald's indoor play area! Can you find them? (Hint - look at the ceiling)

     

    WAY up high!

     

    They like to be up in the high towers, can you tell!

  • Fun Activities on the Last Few Days at School

    I was able to go spend a morning volunteering at the girls school recently. Thankful that I have had a number opportunities throughout the year to participate in their classroom. One of the benefits to having twins in the same classroom is you don’t have to split your time between several different rooms. The girls LOVE it when Mommy hangs out with them at school and Mommy is excited they still want to have me be a part of their school group. The last several days of school are always busy with extra activities. One of the days I was able to help out with was their annual Field Day which is a full day outside competing in a variety of kid games.

    Karlie working at a picture for one of her friends!
    Brina thrilled that Mommy is taking a moment to watch her draw while helping with their class!
    Karlie and Brina resting in between games on Field Day!
    Brina's turn to carry the bean bag in the relay for her team on Field Day!
    Karlie was one of the few kids that made it all the way hopping down and back without losing the ball between her knees. I was pretty impressed, probably couldn't do that myself!
    Brina doing the sack race, she was a trooper for her team!
    Almost to the finish line! Go KARLIE Go!!!

    It is hard to believe the school is done and they are out for the summer.  We have many fun activities already planned for the summer and I know we’ll come up with even more stuff to do.  They have already listed several things that we did last summer tat they want to do again (guess that’s good because last summers memories were positive)!  Glad they enjoy hanging out with Mom because I love these months at home with the kids!

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Another week of doing Groceries $40 for 4. I was able to stock up on some items for our pantry so we should be good for awhile now. Most of the items I stocked up were non-perishable products this week.  A lot of the items we picked up will be great for the upcoming road trips we have this summer!  Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!

    Walgreens Grocery Deals!

    Groceries from Walgreens:

    • $2.71 at Walgreens for 2 Pure Bottle Water Packages (24 count each), 4 Sugar Free Strawberry Jello, 1 Sugar Free Orange Jello, 1 Walgreens Cashew Halves, 1 Celsius Ice Tea, 1 Arizona Tea with Blueberry, 1 Arizona Tea with Pomegranate, 1 Arizona Tea with Raspberry, 1 Arizona Tea with Lemon, and 1 Illy Cappucino Coffee Drink.   With upcoming road trips and hot months these will come in handy.  I spent $2.71 but received $5 in Register Rewards back to use on future purchases.

    Walmart, Dollar Tree, and Save A Lot | Riteaid Groceries

    Groceries from Walmart:

    • $0.90 at Walmart for French Bread on Clearance

    Groceries from Dollar Tree:

    • $1.01 at Dollar Tree for 1 loaf of Nature’s Own Whole Wheat Bread

    Groceries from Save A Lot | Riteaid:

    • $21.64 at Save A Lot | Riteaid for 1 Whole Chicken on clearance, 5 packs of Hotdogs ($0.69 each), 1 bag of Carrots, 1 package String Cheese, 1 block of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 can Pringles, 1 package of fresh Mushrooms (on clearance), 2 Ham Lunchables, 1 bag Red Delicious Apples, 1 bag Granny Smith Apples

    I am excited to be doing our Groceries $40 for 4 budget.  This week I spent $26.26 on groceries.  Even though I was under budget I was still able to stock up on a couple items.  Thankfully I was able to keep the amount within reason and I was able to have a extra left over for those weeks when I find a really good deal or go a little over.  I am grateful for the coupons and Register Rewards I was able to use this week on the few items I purchased.

    It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

    Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.

  • Free Audio Book: “A Place of Healing” by Joni Eareckson Tada

    FREE Audio Book Download

    For the month of June Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book “A Place of Healing” by Joni Eareckson Tada.  This audio book is about “wrestling with the mysteries of suffering, pain, and God’s sovereignty”.   If you want to read the book then this is a great opportunity to listen to the book for free when you download it from Christian Audio in June.   Make sure to submit your order by June 30, 2011  to get your free audio book.  Thanks Christian Audio!

  • Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – A Variety of Fresh Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Snow Peas, Pepper, Spinach, Zucchini, & More…Oh My!

    We are loving the fresh vegetables from our garden!

    Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:

    Our very first picks of Fresh Snow Peas, Cherry Tomato, Summer Squash and Banana Pepper! Even though it is only a handful of items (including our first tomato of the summer, ha) hopefully we'll have some more coming soon and throughout the rest of summer.

     

    Fresh Garden Vegetables - at least 5 Varieties of Leafy Lettuce, Summer Squash, Zucchini, another Cherry Tomato, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sweet Basil (bagged), and Dill (bagged)!

    What are you eating out of your garden this week?

  • Bass Pro Shops: Free Family Summer Camp Events (Activities / Workshops / Crafts & More!)

    Starting June 4th through July 10, 2011 Bass Pro Shops will be having Free Family Summer Camp Events.

    There are plenty of fun activities, games, crafts, and workshops to participate in at Bass Pro Shops.  Some variations may occur at the individual stores participating in the Free Family Summer Camp Events.

    Free Activities (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 12 PM to 4 PM):

    • Free Shooting Gallery
    • Free Shooting Range
    • Free Casting Targets
    • Free Photo (on Saturdays & Sundays)
    • Free S’Mores Cookout (Saturdays – 7 to 8 PM)

    Free Workshops (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 2 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 12 PM to 4 PM):

    • Archery
    • Bird Watching
    • Shooting Basics
    • Camping Basics
    • Plants & Insects
    • Animal Identification
    • Hiking Basics
    • Outdoor Pets
    • Fishing Basics

    Free Crafts (Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4 PM to 6 PM and Saturdays & Sundays from 2 PM to 5 PM):

    • Camp Scene Doorknob Hanger – June 4 & June 5
    • Camping Photo Frame – June 7, June 9, June 11, June 12
    • Leather Keychain – June 14, June 16, June 17, June 18
    • Paint a Wiggle Fish – June 21, June 23, June 25, June 26
    • Design Your Own Birdhouse – June 28, June 30, July 2, July 3
    • Stamping Fun Animal Tracks – July 5, July 7, July 9, July 10

    To learn more information go to Bass Pro or to find a location near you!