Low On Sales This Week

...but at least I only spent $0.28 at CVS :)



I spent $0.28
And saved $22.99
And earned $5.98 in ECB's

Would've been more but they were out of all the good free stuff:

CVS 1 Subject Notebook - on sale for $0.99 and earn $0.99 ECB back
Paper Mate Grip Pens - on sale for $0.99 and earn $0.99 ECB back
Small Scissors - on sale for $2.99 and earn $2.99 ECB back
CVS School Glue - on sale for $0.99 and earn $0.99 ECB back
CVS Plastic or Wooden Ruler - on sale for $0.99 and earn $0.99 ECB back

- I only got 2 of the notebooks

Gilette Fusion Power Razor - on sale for $7.99 - $4.00 off coupon PG 6/7 and earn $4.00 ECB's back - FREE

Since I had to use $9 in ECB's I went ahead and picked up the Electrasol Tabs free though they were on sale for $1.49 and then pens were $1.50

- for more deals check out The Grocery Game

Then on to Harris Teeter:



(not pictured 4 gallons of milk)

I spent: $57.28
And saved: $52.28

Certainly not my greatest week - usually I save well over 50% but this week I didn't have many coupons and there weren't a whole lot of sales. Aagh! No good cereal at all :( We don't eat Raisin Bran. But that was okay because we have plenty stocked away for the week.

Once again we have no real meal plan this week because we are camping Wednesday through Friday (camping is a loose term - we'll be at a house with some friends) but we are only responsible for one dinner and one breakfast. Since I have a TON of frozen chicken thanks to a great sale at Giant previously we will be having grilled chicken :)

Be sure to print off a new Giant coupon HERE. The coupon is good for $5 off a $15 meat purchase from July 6th to the 16th.

Time Again For Ebay

I had every intention of getting to CVS today but then Saturday rolled around and it's been a really long week and I was just tired :)

So instead I figured I'd begin again with Ebay. It's that time of year to begin selling Fall clothes.

I know it seems crazy but July is the time to pull out all those fall clothes and begin selling them. Soon we will all begin buying school clothes for our kids and those clothes generally fall into the cooler weather category. That means that fall clothes are what's selling on Ebay. Use retailers as your guide - when they put fall clothes out so should you.

How do I decide what to sell first?

- I tend to list what's most popular last year - some of what I bought sold out faster then others.

For instance, my plan is to list these boots:





I have 3 pairs - one for each girl. They sold out very quickly at Gap last year so I know they will sell well this year on Ebay. I've also already checked listings currently on Ebay to see how they are selling now:

Baby Gap 2008 Brown Butterfly Boots

Currently they are selling for around $20 even before bidding has ended which means I can hope to get around that - for used boots that's not so bad!

- I like to start with my favorite stuff so I'm more excited about selling it - fortunately what's popular is usually what ended up being my favorite. Mostly because when I see what I like sell well I am more enthused about selling more stuff. Plus, I start out with more money which is what I want to buy my own new clothes :)

- If possible I look back to last year and see when it sold or when I bought it - chances are the best time to sell is in the same month. It's slightly harder with Gap but Gymboree is very easy if you check last year's lines at Gymbohaven. She lists all of last years lists and when they came out. She also gives you the lines which again makes listing your own items easier as people tend to search for things by line name.

So, get out all of last years lines, begin sorting, cleaning and taking pictures. It's time to make some money on Ebay :)

For more Ebay tips check out: Ebay Selling Coach

Sunday's HT Trip

(Not pictured - 5 gallons of milk and 2 1/2 dozen eggs)

I didn't post this on Sunday since I spent so much time on CVS but figured I'd share today what I picked up at Harris Teeter.

This week I spent more then usual. I had a larger needs list which is frustrating. Nothing I could do - I had to pick some things up.

I spent: $91.44 (aaagh!)
But saved: $114 (I forgot how much change)

Because I started cooking dinner this week (we ate at VBS last week) I needed a few things.

Monday - a pie crust $2.35 (not on sale but generic)
Tuesday - ricotta cheese $2.99 (on sale a little bit but no coupon)
Wednesday - black beans $0.67
Thursday - carrots, cucumber and ramen noodles

You get the idea - I had all the other ingredients so in a way my Monday meal only cost the $2.35. Of course that's not bad but you buy a little bit for every day and it adds up. This is why buying what's on sale and NOT what's on your needs list is the better way to shop.

I should've stored up some pie crusts when they were on sale and I didn't. The rest I probably couldn't do anything about and while I should plan my meals around what's on sale my tastes just don't go that way.

Fortunately, I have a monthly budget as well as a weekly budget that can accomodate the overage. I did also pick up a large number of cleaning items and cups and plates which were all on great sales but everything adds up.

Again, a great lesson for life - a little savings adds up to a lot - a little spending adds up to a lot so yes, your pennies do count.

Looking to shop at Harris Teeter before Sunday's list comes out?

Go HERE.

Since the HT sales run from Wednesday to Wednesday I do often find it hard to wait until Sunday when the Grocery Game list comes out. But even if I go early I will check the list on Sunday for all the sales I've missed.

*** CVS sidenote - I did go back and they gave me no problem giving me my $6 back that I didn't spend so I did one more Febreze deal spending $2.50 so for the week I spent $26 at CVS and earned back $19 in ECB's for next week - future goals are always to spend less but I'm still a newbie! ***

Menu Plan Monday - July 6

This week it's my turn. Mostly because I haven't cooked in a while and I figure I better schedule some meals for the week and get myself back on track!

Monday
Classic Chicken Pot Pie
Cheese, Crackers and Raisins (pretty much what the girls ate)

Tuesday
Baked Ziti
Garlic Bread Dip 'n Sticks

Wednesday
Layered Enchilada Bake
Rice

Thursday
Asian Chicken Thighs
Peanut Ramen Noodle Salad

Friday
Ham and Broccoli Quiche (I'm using chicken - hopefully it will work!)

Saturday
Leftovers

Sunday
Pancakes for lunch
Leftovers or sandwiches for dinner

****Menu items in bold are links to the recipes****

Focusing on CVS

I didn't get to CVS yesterday because of the holiday but in the future I will be shopping at CVS on Saturday because my CVS allows you to earn ECB's for both weeks on Saturday. The sales coming up that start on Sunday can also be purchased on Saturday. Nice deal right?!

I will also begin posting the best CVS deals that I find on Saturday so if you want to shop at Sunday then you can get out there and do it :) I won't post a complete list - the Grocery Game can do that for you. The ones I head out to get are the ones that are very cheap.

After going twice this is what I got:



I spent: $29.55 (on the high end for me)
And saved: $78.14
And earned: $19 in ECB's (in total I earned $31 in ECB's but used $12 on my 2nd trip)

The deals!

Febreze Products: spend $10 get $5 extra care bucks - limit 5 so you can spend $50 and get $25 back in ECB's

- Febreze candle or Noticeable starter kit: $6.50
- Febreze fabric refresher: $5.00
- Febreze air effects: $3.00

But of course there are coupons and boy are they good!

Get out your newspaper from today (7/5) and inside you will find a P&G insert (get more then 1 copy - you will want it)

- use $4.00 off Febreeze Noticeable starter kit
- use Buy Febreze fabric refresher and get Febreze air effects free ($3.00 off)

Ultimately I spent $43.50 on Febreze products to earn $20 back in ECB's BUT I used a total of $21 in coupons so I actually just spend $2.50 :)

I bought 3 of everything for $2.50!! I told you you'd want more then 1 copy :)

Olay Body Wash 23.6 oz or plus ribbons 18 oz.

- Both are 2/$12.00 and you will get $5.00 ECB back for 2

- Use 2 $2.00 off coupons from 7/5 P&G

- Your cost will be $4.00 each - $8.00 total

- You will earn $5 back making your final total $3.00 for 2!!

Just so you know the original price of those are between $7.49 and $8.99 depending on the size for just 1!! And you will get 2 for $3.00.

Head & Shoulders Shampoo - even if you don't need this find someone who does - it's too good a deal to pass up!

- Price is $4.99 for 1 and you will get $2.00 ECB's back

- Use a buy 1 get 1 free from 7/5 P&G

- Total price will be $4.99 for 2 but you will get $4.00 ECB's so final price will be $0.99!! Not even a dollar for 2 shampoo and conditioner.

Dawn Dish Liquid on sale 2/$2.00 and you will get $1.00 ECB back

- Use 2 $0.20 off coupons from 7/5 P&G which means you will get 2 for $1.60 and earn $1.00 back so $0.30 each.

Other good deals that I didn't pick up (they were out of the tape):

CVS tape is $1.49 and you will get $1.49 ECB back

CVS pantiliners are $0.89 and you will get $0.89 back

For other deals check out www.thegrocerygame.com

***** side note - as I wrote all my deals down I could NOT figure out why in the world I had to pay $11.00 when I total all my deals my total spent should have been around $8.00 - she charged me for an extra Olay lotion and I will go back tomorrow to try and get my $6.00 back! *****

Happy 4th of July!

No post today - just a note to wish you all a safe and Happy 4th! And a reminder - no credit cards.

Be truly free!

Photo by magikalfolk

Getting Free From Debt

It seems appropriate as we are about to celebrate the 4th of July that we talk about getting freedom for ourselves. I am an avid reader of the blog:


And I like the thought of getting free from the burden of debt.

But how do you do it?

Like anything else in life there's no easy answer. There's no quick fix short of a windfall of money (though without actual change that may not really fix anything). It takes work and effort and change on your part.

I have read a lot on the subject and worked on things in my own life. The only thing all plans have in common is to STOP using credit cards immediately.

You're panicking.

That's okay - I panicked too. How will I do it? What if I see something I want and don't have the money in the bank or don't want to spend the money in the bank?

Too bad.

Like when you're dieting and want that cookie and you realize that cookie is not really your friend at all. Instead that cookie wants to add to your thighs or your middle and make it worse. Of course it tastes good at the time. Cookies taste better then a lot of vegetables but they aren't better for you.

I once thought credit cards were my friends allowing me to get what I want when I wanted it.

Now I know they have only ever caused me pain. When I look at the money I could have every month that I don't have because I'm paying down debt it's painful. Very painful.

The only way to end the cycle is to stop cold turkey.

It's hard and after 6 months it hasn't been a lot easier. There have been so many times I want to whip that card out and just charge it instead of finding the cash. Right now I want a new couch but a new couch isn't in the budget. I'd love to finance it but all that will do is bring me more debt that I have to continue to pay off.

This is the only way - NO more credit. If you don't stop now you may never do it and then you'll only have more debt to show for it. So instead of wracking up the bills why not begin to pay them down. Like losing those 10 pounds makes you feel great about your body - losing those thousands of dollars in debt makes you feel great about your life. Every step away from debt is a step in the right direction no matter how small.

On every other topic in getting out of debt there are different opinions and thoughts. Some say to take everything you have and throw it at your debt while others say to build savings first then pay off debt while others say to take your time as long as you aren't charging any longer.

I will go into detail at a later date of specific plans but for now put the credit card down and cut it up!

Freeze it if you must (though I haven't tried that). Pretend it isn't there. It's amazing what will happen. You'll realize you can do this and you will realize you don't need that new top as bad as you thought you did.

Join me please! Misery loves company :)

No, I'm kidding but it does help to know I'm not doing it alone.

And have a very happy, safe and FREE 4th of July in every sense of the word!