Seasonal Clearance

  • CVS: Spent $0.32 and Got $1 ECB’s Back

    CVS Clearance Deals

     

    I have taken a few weeks off from shopping at CVS.  Our family stockpile of items from the CVS deals over the last few months was enough for our family so I thought it would be to take a good break.  Plus the break allowed me to spend a little extra time with my family prior to the girls going back to school.  I did drop into CVS over the weekend since I had some ECBs about ready to expire and found some great clearance items at 90% off.   I was able to get the items for $0.32 including tax and received $1.00 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.  Here is what I purchased this week.

    • 2 – Hot Pink Shoes
    • 3 – Women’s Flip Flops
    • 2 – Kid’s Flip Flops
    • 1 – package Rocket Balloons
    • 1 – package FREE Carefree Pads
    • 1 – FREE Dove Candy Bar

    Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Used $3.00 CVS Kiosk Coupon
    • Used $4.00 CVS ECB’s

    I received $1.00 ECB’s back today:

    • $1.00 ECB’s for Carefree Products

    Today I was able to save $47.22 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.

  • Fresh & Healthy: Deep Freezer Goodies – Summer Squash, Onions, and Tomatoes

    Earlier this Summer we started stocking up our freezer with Fresh Produce - Summer Squash, Onions, and Tomatoes!

    One of the joys of having a garden and finding fresh produce on sale is being able to freeze the in season items so you can utilize them throughout the winter.  This summer I have been able to stock up on several great vegetables through growing our own family garden, participating in a local Community Supported Agriculture program and shopping the seasonal clearance items at our local grocery stores.  We now have a section of our deep freezer full of fresh veggies to eat through out the Fall, Winter, and Spring.

    What works for me is freezing the vegetables in quart (or snack size baggies for the onions) size bags and putting four individual bags into one gallon bag.  I pull the gallon bag out of the deep freezer put it up into the refrigerator / freezer upstairs and pull out one bag as I need to use it.  When I have used all four bags I pull another gallon bag of the vegetables I need out of the freezer.  I have been toying with the idea of getting the fresh seal bags but since I get the bags on sale usually for a great price and they work, I am not yet convinced it is worth the cost for our family.  I am already looking forward to enjoying these over the next several months!  What vegetables to you always try to freeze a little bit extra of for the winter months?

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    We had a blast with all our guests and are now back to a more normal routine.  This is the last week the before the girls go back to school so we are trying to make it a fun week for them.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Ingles and BiLo

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $11.40 at Ingles for 3 containers of Organic Strawberries, 1 bag of sliced Apples, 1 head of Broccoflower, 1 bag of Bananas, 2 containers of Seafood Dip, and 1 bottle Lemon Juice (all the items were marked down on clearance or on sale except for the Lemon Juice which I was restocking)

    BiLo Groceries:

    • $5.00 at BiLo for 2 gallons of Milk  (They had a Bonus Card Coupon for milk where you could by 2 gallons for $5.00 making them $2.50 each, which is a great deal around our area.  I had to watch the prices because my Bonus Card Coupons didn’t work so make sure to stay on top of those coupons until they work out the kinks.   I brought a reusable bag but they didn’t take it off so I was unable to get a 5 cent discount at BiLo).

    There were several items (Curry, Naan, and a variety of other things) that I or my husband picked up while we had guests staying with us that I did not have a chance to get a picture of over the weekend.  Based on the cash remaining in the grocery budget I believe it totaled just over $21 so I am adding that amount to total this week even though it is not itemized or part of a picture (sorry, with house guests and entertaining several days we have to make exceptions in some areas).

    This week I spent $37.40 on groceries.  Even though I was only a little under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to fed between 9 to 15 people 3 meals a day for several days.    I was thrilled to have my parents, grandparents, brother staying with us and a number of additional family and friends visiting throughout the week.  I hope that next week is an even better week and we can come under budget for the week.

    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.

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas.  Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day until Christmas.  The cost was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, however, you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    Here is what our 12 Days of Christmas includes:

    • Day 1:   A Labrador Puppy Christmas Ornament for each (purchased with rewards last year after Christmas on clearance).
    • Day 2: A CD with Songs and Stories – 1 on Traveling and 1 on Classical Stories and Songs (purchased with rewards in $1 section)
    • Day 3: Travel Game for 2 – Connect 4 (found on clearance at Bi-Lo for 49 cents)
    • Day 4: 4 Plastic Christmas Cups – Red with Snowmen (purchased with rewards on clearance last year)
    • Day 5: Books – 1 on “Helping Others” and 1 on “Forgiving” (purchased at Dollar Tree)
    • Day 6: Christmas Craft with Stickers (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 7: 2 Mini Mouse Candy Canes filled with Christmas Tree Candy (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8: 2 Snowman Coloring Books and 1 Princess & 1 Cars Coloring Craft Ornaments (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 9: 2 Snowman Headbands (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 10: Rub on Color Pattern Craft (received free with a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Deal)
    • Day 11: A pair of Fuzzy Slippers for each – 1 Pink Set and 1 Purple Set. (Picked Up on Black Friday)
    • Day 12: PJs for each to wear Christmas Eve – 1 with Owls and 1 with Rockets (Picked Up on Sale and used a Coupon)

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance last year with rewards.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it may have been under $10 out of pocket for the entire set of 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.  We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example the craft with one being princess and the other being cars).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.  Now they are counting down the days to Monday, December 13th to start the 12 Days of Christmas celebration.

  • Seasonal Clearance: Garden Items

    One of the best times to stock up of items for the next year is to buy them on clearance.  My favorite deals happen when they are 90% or more clearance.   The good news is you don’t even have to use a coupon to get a great deal.

    Here are my recent garden treasures from Dollar General at 90% off:

    • 2 – Topsy Turvy’s
    • 2 – Cultivators
    • 2 – Transplant Shovels
    • 2 – 2 pound bags of Organic Fertilizer
    • 4 –  packages of Jobes Plant Fertilizer Spikes (200 Spikes)
    • 2 – Bonide Mosquito Repellent
    • 1 – Fongonil Plant Spray
    • 1 – Luster Leaf Water Level (measures the moisture of the dirt & lets you know when it needs water)

    The total amount before savings was $59.89 and I paid $5.99 out of pocket (including tax) giving me a savings of $53.90 (over 90% in savings).  The best part is all the money was saved without using coupons and I will be able to use them in my home and garden.  Check out the local stores in your area for clearance gardening items if you plan to do one next season.  Now is a good time to get some garden supplies!