3/22 CVS trip: 83% savings, FREE Always liners!!!

This week's worth of stuff I bought is: $72.63
Total oop: $12.47
Savings of: 83%!!!
Got back 7.50 in ecb, that's like paying $4.97, or savings of 93%!!!

Too tired today to do the transactions. But I did two. First one was just the Cobroxin stuff, used my 10ecb from last week, and I used the 18.99 ecb to help pay for the rest of the stuff. I found Kotex and Always products on clearance. Used $1.50/2 Kotex printable (not available anymore), and $1/1 any Always (P&G home mailer) The lite liners were $0.99, so $1/1 makes it FREE!!! I spent a whopping $0.80 for 4 packages of liners and pads!!! $0.20 each!
I had to get a rain check for the Allegra 5ct box...hopefully I'll get that before my Q expires!
I'll be gone for the next to Sundays as I'm leaving for Florida. So no CVS trips for me....I'm still debating either I should bring my coupons on our vacation! haha...no really...should I?

3/13 CVS trip: savings of 84%! And FREE Clairol Nice 'n' Easy!!!

I was really happy with my CVS trip this week! The only bummer was that the CVS here didn't sell the Irish Spring deodorant, or the trial size of Theraflu. But no worries, didn't mess up my trip by any bit! :) I think I'm a sucker for hair dye though. About every 4-6 months I like to switch it up, but I'm set with hair dye for 2-3 years now! If anyone wants to come dye their hair with me, I've got plenty!

Lincoln helping me out in showing you what I got!

Total worth: $95.41
Total oop: $15.52!!!
Savings of 84%
Plus I got 10ECB back. So it's like I paid $5.52, that's savings of 94%!!!!

Transaction #1
3 Clairol Nice 'n' Easy @ $1.99ea. (clearance) used (3) $2/1 (FREE hair color!!!)
*Buy 1 Crest @ $3.49, receive 2.49ecb* (limit 2)
1 Crest toothpaste @ $3.49 used $1/1
1 Crest Glide floss @ $3.49 used $1/1
Used $4.00ecb from last week
Total after coupons and ecb: $1.76
Received 4.98 in ecb for next transaction

Transaction #2
1 Clairol Nice 'n' Easy @ $1.99 used $2/1
*Buy Tena Ultra pads @ $9.99, receive 9.99ecb*
1 Tena Ultra thin pads @ $9.99 used $2.50/1 printable (donate item)
Used $7.98 in ecb (Should have put a Clairol in this transaction as I was over $0.50 in allowance of ecb's. So I lost that $0.50...guess I wasn't being a smart shopper)
Total after coupons and ecb: $0.72
Received 9.99 in ecb for next transaction

Transaction #3
Buy $25 on P&G products, get 10ecb
2 Puffs tissues @ $1.50ea used (2) $0.50/1
1 Charmin Big Rolls @ $10.00 used $1/1
1 Charmin Freshmates flushable wipes @ $2.50
1 Duracell AA 20 pack @ $10.00 used $1/1
Used 9.99 in ecb
Total after coupons and ecb: $13.04
Received $10.00ecb for next weeks trip!

Thanks TheKrazyCouponLady and SouthernSavers for all your hard work! Couldn't have done it without you!

Wal-mart trip. Saved 74%!

Sorry Facebook friends if you're getting tired of my grocery blogging....hey, I'm a mom, this is my thing....I'll show you how to have a good time......at the grocery store!
I'm always worried my friends might think I'm weird for posting photos of groceries. "She has no life..." Then I see the savings, free stuff, and products I love to use and I got them cheaper than generic, I'm not too worried anymore.... :)
So I made Joe take us to Wal-mart last night after dinner. I don't shop at Wal-mart that much, but with this new coupon policy, and so many free items were popping up on blogs that I read, I thought it'd probably be worth my time to get some things! This week has been a lot of little shopping and no big grocery shopping. I've been proud of myself as last week I was able to stretch our groceries for almost two weeks now! :) (pat myself on the back every time I think of that!) anyways....
Some items I bought weren't as cheap as most blogs were reporting them, but with the overage from other items, and high value coupons, still good deals!


The best thing I found, was the Secret deodorants with the bonus clinical pack. They were marked down to $2.50 from $4.22! I even saw some marked down to $2!!! But those were already taken. So I had (2) $1/1 any Secret product to make it $1.50 for two deodorants! That's $0.75ea!!! The Shout, Tide, and other Secret Clinical deodorants were all free plus overage after coupons.
I LOVED the Febreeze with Gain, never tried it, so I used a $1/1. It made it only $0.97 for that little thing, which isn't that good of a deal....considering I got all the other travel stuff free, but I loved the smell, just had to get at least one! :)
Total worth: $24.92
Total oop: $6.42
Saved: $18.50
Savings of: 74%
So, now I'm looking forward to doing laundry when we go to Florida for a week at the end of the month!!! (and having nice smelling armpits too!! hehe!) :)

Potty training update

The past two days I've stepped up the game plan and decided that both Lincoln and I weren't going to be lazy anymore with the potty business. Yesterday he spent most of the day butt naked. There weren't too many accidents as I pretty much ignored everything else in the house, and was glued to his behind! :) He did well, and even walked into the bathroom willingly telling me he had to go potty. Each time he goes #1 or #2, I give him tiny pieces of candy canes left over from Christmas. (thanks mom and dad V. for the huge stocking full!) He really enjoys that.
Today was kinda an off day as Joe spent most of the day home. I wasn't able to keep an always watching eye on Lincoln, so we tried wearing shorts with nothing under neath. (Lincoln did...he wore shorts with nothing....) : | We had some accidents, but Lincoln was nice enough to help me clean the mess! After nap time, I didn't get a chance to get to the diaper in time, so he did take the opportunity to put it to good use by filling it...
He was a little more reluctant to go potty today, but when we were out at a restaurant tonight, he announced that he had to go potty! (Diaper on at the time) Daddy took the kiddo to the restroom, the kiddo was dry, and he even went potty in the public restroom! We even hung out at Wal-mart for awhile and when we got home he was still dry!!!! I was so proud of my lil man!

Quick run into Bi-Lo, saved 71%!

I've been waiting a LONG time for Bi-Lo to restock their Gain dryer sheets! Ever since the $3/1 coupon came out, the shelves have been empty it seems.... NOT TODAY!!! :) I had a rain check for two. :) I wish they made an air freshener with Gain. LOVE IT!!!!
So the dryer sheets were free, dish detergent were free, $0.75 a box for the popcorn, and $0.88 ea for the John Frieda shampoo! The pizza was on sale, but no coupon was used. So I still paid $2.88 ea. Didn't think that was too bad seeing that pizza is ridiculously expensive here.
So, my total oop: $9.28
Total saved: $23.22
Total worth: $ 32.50
Percentage in savings: 71%!
I wanted to hit up some of the free stuff at Wal-mart, but Lincoln was just falling asleep when we were walking into Bi-lo....oh well.....

3/6 CVS trip. Saved 88%!

Today we spent a sick day home from church. Lincoln woke up as the green booger monster and has had a little cough the last couple days. He's been WAY too active this morning, getting into EVERYTHING!!! I decided to take my weekly CVS trip alone. Too bad it's not a good week at CVS. I would have loved a little extra quiet time as daddy stayed home with the booger monster.
I thought I'd do my CVS buys on my blog now, since my facebook friends can see as well. I've been posting pictures on facebook other past weeks, but Joe says I should start blogging again. So here goes! :)
I don't keep track of what inserts my coupons are from. I just clip them and file. But I do know that all the coupons that I used today were from recent inserts, and maybe one from a magazine. I only (usually) buy products that will give back ECB (Extra Care Bucks) to make that item cheap - free! I roll my ECB every week to make more ECB to make the amount even less. I usually do two transactions so that by the time I use coupons and ECB, I'm only paying $1-2 oop (out of pocket).
Here's my first transaction:
*Glad and Pledge products - 2/$6 Get $4ECB when you purchase $12*
bought:
1 Glade air freshener - $3.00 used $1/1 (coupon from magazine, but in recent insert as well)
2 Glade Fabric and Air - $6.00 used 2 $1/1 (coupon insert)
1 Pledge - $3.00 used $1/1 (coupon insert)
*Revlon Nail, Buy 1 get $3ECB*
1 Revlon Nail - $3.99 (I tried using the $1/1 Revlon coupon, but the computer at the register beeped because it was for color eye stuff, even though the coupon had a picture of nail polish....)
Total: $15.99
after coupons and $10ECB from last week: $2.95
and received $7.00ECB

Transaction 2:
*Revitalens, Buy 1 get $4.00ECB*
1 Revitalens - $7.89 used $3.00/1 (today's coupon insert)
Total:$7.89
after coupons and $4.00ECB from last transaction: $1.36
and received $4.00ECB

Total spent oop: $4.31
Total worth: $35.01
Saved: $30.70
Savings of: 88%!!!
ECB for next trip: $7.00

Thanks for visiting! Please share or give me a link of good deals you found this week! Did anyone see the Aldi produce?! I bought strawberries for $0.99/carton and apples $1.99 a bag! I wanted to get the oranges as well, but I was running around without a cart with my hands already full with milk, eggs, bread, cheese, strawberries, apples...all because I didn't have a quarter and I thought I was just going in for bread, eggs, and cheese! :)

Potty Training....on hold....

My son seems to have put potty training on hold. He figured out what the main use for the diaper is, and has put it to good use. Even down to telling me to change his wet one, so that he can poop in a dry one. When he tells me he's pooping, or I see signs, I strip him down and place him on the toilet. But for some odd reason since we moved here, he WILL NOT sit on the toilet. It's like something's clicked in his mind and the toilet is not fun anymore, he tells me he can't, and acts scared. But if by some chance poop does go into the toilet, he's excited to flush it, and I reward him with a treat.
How do I make potty time for a 28mo old more enjoyable. We did start kinda early last summer just because he seemed interested. If some of you remember my Facebook status from way back then, I got really good advice from friends, and potty time was going pretty smoothly. (For a 20mo old) I was impressed with the interest he had in the potty business. Even when I was babysitting and he had an older (slightly) friend to look up too, things were coming along.
But ever since we moved into our new home. Everything's stopped. I know there were a couple weeks in there with Christmas, New Years, packing and moving, where I slowed things down. So I know that's a factor.
Plus moving to new surroundings might play into the mess. But is it still too early? Is he a little young to start potty training? Should I go back to full force potty training, or wait till he's more comfortable?
I've heard and read some good techniques, and have implemented some. But what do you, or did you do to make the potty training more enjoyable for you and your child?