Bitty and the Boy

Here are a couple of cute videos of my boys singing from Summer 2008. We were on our way home from Huntsville Int'l Airport's Airshow. We are actually watching the Blue Angels perform as we are driving out of the airport. The boys thought we needed music to go with the planes. I love how they try to harmonize.

(In these videos, Bitty is just over 2 years old. The Boy is just a tad over 5 years old.)

Enjoy.



PS. If you are not related to them, these might not be as good. :) But I am, and I crack up every time I watch them.

Posted by Gina at 7:04 AM | 1 comments    
Labels: Bitty, The Boy

(Sorry for the spacing issues. I am having trouble getting Blogger to do what I command.)

Have you joined mycokerewards.com yet?

You can collect points on different Coke products. A 20 oz bottle of Diet Coke is worth 3 points. A 12 pack of Sprite is worth 10 points. You get the drift.

Well, we have been collecting points for awhile. This week, I cashed in most of our points on two purchases. I never had to leave my house! Both will be delivered to my door in a week or less.

Here are the deals:

1) Free 8X11 Photobooks with leather cover from Snapfish.

Photobook Credit = 285 pts

4 Photobook Credits = 1140 pts

Snapfish was having a free shipping sale during the week of Labor Day. I began working on my photobooks. I did not finish even one by the end of the original sale. Luckily, Snapfish extended the offer for three days. I was able to complete two photobooks. My credits were for 20-page books. My books were 30-pages each. Here are the totals.

2 20-page photobooks	$49.98
2 Extra 10-pages	$19.90
Shipping/Handling	$ 9.98
Free Shipping	-$ 9.98
Photobook Credits	-$49.98
Total	$20.70 ($10.35/each)

I will keep the other two credits in my account for the next free shipping offer. Although, I think I will go ahead and make the other two photobooks now, so all I have to do is order them when the next free shipping code is released. I predict one will be released before Thanksgiving in preparation for Holiday shopping.

2) Nike Gift Codes

$50 Gift Code = 2000 pts

$25 Gift Code = 1000 pts

Totaling:

$75 Gift Codes = 3000 pts

I love my Nikes. I needed new running shoes. This seemed like a no-brainer for me.

Nine bucks. For a great pair of Nike running shoes and socks! (Note: The shoes were $1.15, but I decided I saved enough on the shoes that I could afford to splurge on my favorite socks.)

*As with many other sites, you can register with Nike.com to have them remember your information or you can complete guest checkout. I registered mainly because I wanted my shopping cart saved just in case something prevented me from completing the process. Afterwards, I was thanked for my registering by an offer of free shipping on my next purchase.

Posted by Gina at 7:42 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: Super Deals

This afternoon I decided to do a quick trip to CVS because one of my coupons was expiring on Monday and I wanted to take advantage of the deal before it expired. Also, I should point out that I have a CVS card and so does my husband. We got two cards accidentally, but I have consulted several respectable bloggers and they say that the rule is one per person. So, I shop on both cards. The ECBs that print are specific to the card that earned them. Meaning...if my card earns an ECB, my card has to be the one to redeem the ECB.

Here are the Deals:
* Buy Renu Multipurpose Contact Solution Get $3 ECB. (Or you can buy a twin pack of the rewetting drops.)
* Buy Clairol Loving Care Hair Color Get $2 ECB Limit 1
* Buy Glade Fragrance Collection candles or reed diffusers Get $6.99 ECB (These are free after ECB) Limit 1

Here are the Transactions:

1 Clairol Loving Care Natural Instincts hair color $4.99
1 Renu Multipurpose Contact Solution $7.99
1 Glade Fragrance Collection reed diffuser $6.99

Total: 19.97

Coupons:
- $4.00 off Clairol Natural Instincts hair color (found in the P&G newspaper insert on 8/2 EXPIRES 8/31)
-$2.00 Glade Fragrance Collection candles or reed diffusers
Total After Coupons: 13.97
- $10 ECB from Aveeno Deal I did on Friday
-$4 ECB (The cashier adjusted the ECB down to $3.97 because I forgot to put a filler item in my cart to make up the difference. Some cashiers do this and some do not.)

Total OOP: $0.00 plus tax. (I put the $1.28 in tax on the gift card that I have from transferring a prescription.)
Got $11.99 ECB ($6.99 ECB, $3 ECB, $2 ECB)

1 Clairol Loving Care Natural Instincts hair color $4.99
1 Glade Fragrance Collection soy candle (10 oz) $6.99
1 Warhead Sour Spray candy $1.19 (The Boy has been begging to try this spray candy.)
Total: $13.17
Coupons:
-$4 Clairol Natural Instincts coupon from above
-$2 Glade Fragrance Collection coupon from above
Total After coupons: $7.17
-$6.99 ECB
Total OOP: $0.18 plus tax ( I put the $1.23 on the gift card. I still have $7.54 left on the gift card and I have had it since the beginning of the summer.)
Got $8.99 ECB ($6.99 ECB, $2 ECB)

Grand Totals for the Trip:

OOP: $2.51 on a gift card
ECB Spent: $20.99
ECB Received: $20.98

Lost a penny in ECBs. I don't think I am going to cry over it.

Posted by Gina at 1:42 PM | 0 comments    
Labels: Drug Stores

Do you shop at CVS? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Or does it just make your head hurt to think about?

Posted by Gina at 2:00 AM | 0 comments    
Labels: Drug Stores

Posted by Gina at 8:06 AM | 0 comments    
Labels: Kroger

Now for the totals.

Total Before Sales and Coupons: $98.70

Total After Sales and Coupons: $26.12

Total Savings: 72.58 (74%)

I spent less than $30 (including tax) and am well set with my cereal and yogurt needs for the foreseeable future. Plus, every item that I bought carries at least one Box Tops for Education on it. I counted my box tops and from just this one shopping trip my son's school will earn over $5.00 from the Box Tops program.

How did I do it? I used coupons for the items on the Mega Event sale. I did not buy a single item that did not have a coupon for it. I also did not buy anything that was not on the Mega Event. I bought 40 items, so $20 was taken off of my total at the end of the transaction. Kroger allows you to use paper coupons, internet printable coupons, and e-coupons. My Kroger also doubles all coupons $.50 and less. (Some areas double up to $.99. So check your local store!)

Posted by Gina at 2:22 PM | 1 comments    
Labels: Kroger

Last November, I started couponing. I saved our family about $40 - 50/month with just coupons. I thought I was something. :) Then I found many sites and blogs that helped me and that frankly made me nervous. Could I ever reach the point where I was paying nearly nothing for items my family needed? Beginning in January, I decided to really focus on figuring out how to manage all the different stores programs and reward systems. I started with CVS. After a few months, I realized...it is true, I may never pay for shampoo again.

Right now, I regularly shop at CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and at times Target. I love shopping for the best deal. It takes time and space (to put everything until you need it), but it has saved us so much money.

I am going to post the best of my deals here so you can see how they work and how you too can never have to pay for shampoo again.

Posted by Gina at 7:46 AM | 1 comments