Thrifty Texas Penny

CVS Scenario 5/27 - 6/2 $8.47 for $.10 OOP

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:22:00 +0000

If you're new to shopping at CVS, be sure to read my CVS tutorial.

Last week we ended with a $4 ECB from Suave or Irish Spring, a $1.87 ECB from SalonPas and a $1 ECB from using your Green Bag Tag. There aren't many deals to roll this week, and it's quite possible that you may not have the scanner Qs in date to use for them either :-(

Transaction 1
2 Milky Way Singles @ 1.50
1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush @ 2.99
2 Mitchum Deos @ 3.98
subtotal: $8.47
use $0.75 off two MILKY WAY Brand Bars
use $.75/1 Colgate Toothbrush CVS Scanner Q printing week of 5/13 - 5/19
use $2/2 Deos CVS Scanner Q printing week of 5/20 - 5/26
use (2) $1/1 Mitchum from 5/6 SS
use $1.87 ECB and $1 ECB from last week
New total: $.10, get $.75 ECB and $2 ECB

Totals: $8.47 at sale prices for $0.10 OOP. Start with 6.87 in ECBs and end with $6.75 in ECBs.

Beauty Club totals have reached $12.63.

Click here to see the list of matchups that I pulled these deals from.

Simple 5 Ingredient or Less Dishes for Summer and a Country Gourmet Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:59:00 +0000

School is over for most of the kids around here! Today is Little One's last day of daycare until the fall and I know my life is about to be turned upside down! (I'm looking forward to it though!) By using your crockpot, freezer, and these 5 ingredient recipes you should be set for a fairly easy month of cooking. Be sure to check out the Country Gourmet mixes below and enter to win a set too!

This month's giveaway is sponsored by Mama Mixes. In the spirit of recipes with 5 ingredients or less, one winner will receive a Country Gourmet Home Prize Pack that includes 5 Country Gourmet Home mixes. Each of these mixes will help you to put dinner on the table in a flash by just adding a few ingredients! Take a look at some of the yummy dinners you could win!

This giveaway ends on May 31st at 11:59 PM EST.
Click here to read the rest of this post

CVS Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/27 - 6/2

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Thanks to Didie at

for these matchups

If you're new to shopping at CVS, be sure to read my CVS tutorial.

Mars Bars Singles $.75, get $.75 ECB (limit 1)
use $0.75 off two MILKY WAY Brand Bars
Price after Q and ECB = 2 for free!

Mitchum Deo $1.99
use $1/1 from 5/6 SS
use $2/2 Deo CVS scanner Q printing week of 5/20-5/26
Price after stacked Qs = 2 for FREE

Colgate 360 or Maxwhite Toothbrush $2.99, get $2 ECB (limit 2)
use $.75/1 Colgate Toothbrush CVS Scanner Q printing week of 5/13 - 5/19 (expires 2 weeks from printing-check the date!)
Price after Q and ECB = $.24 each

To see the rest of this week's matchups, head on over to We Use Coupons.

$1 off Tazo Tea Concentrate, Latte or Filterbag

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:42:00 +0000

My husband really likes the orange tazo tea. Tazo comes in all sorts of neat flavors that he likes to try. He gets it at Target usually on sale for $3 a box. Here's a great $1.00 off one Tazo to save even more!

Guest Post DIY Debt

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:05:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Hannah of The Cheapskate Mom

My husband and I are both newlyweds and new parents. We live in a one bedroom apartment and between the two of us, we own two old cars (both in need of different degrees of repair) and $32,000 in debt. For right now, we are living on one income while I take care of our son.

Managing our new lives both as husband and wife and new parents is difficult and rewarding. Managing our debt on top of it all sometimes seems akin to climbing Mount Everest: we want to get to the top, look out, and see our debt-free lives ahead of us, and yet, the work to get there is intense and we don't have that much training in frugality... I went from living by myself on my waitress income to two people living on two incomes ( a restaurant manager and teacher) to now the three of us living on my husband's teaching salary. We are facing our debt now because of our son - we want to make his life as peaceful and comfortable as we possibly can.

Staying at home and not working while trying to get out of debt started to drive me crazy. I kept thinking - I could be making X amount of money right now. I thought - If only I had lived differently in the past...made different life choices! I was really beating myself up and feeling down about our debt. One day though , we ran out of paper towels. I did not want to spend the money on yet another 8 pack of paper towels that we would end up using and throwing away as we really didn't have six dollars to just spend willy-nilly. Throwing away paper towels became a metaphor for me : we were throwing out our money on convenience items.

I put on my thinking cap. While I have this time at home I could work to save us money. The more I thought about how much we relied upon convenience items, and how much money we were spending on them, the more motivated I became! I became completely in awe of how much my generation mistakes convenience items as staples: I could use rags instead of paper towels...I could make my own pizza dough, grate my own cheese, make my own sauce...I could make my own laundry detergent...I could even make my own baby wipes (though I must admit I have not stepped out on to the cloth diaper ledge....yet!).
This new way of thinking led me to really think about every single purchase we make. Before we spend money now, I stop and say "Wait -do we really need this?" and "Can we make it instead?"

I don't rely upon coupons to save money because I save money by not spending money. I have become much more focused on buying the raw ingredients for things and making them myself. I am acquiring the skills and mental stamina necessary to make it to the top of our mountain of debt. Making things we use myself is a liberating feeling - I don't have to worry about running out of laundry detergent because as long as I have borax and fels naptha I can make more. If I want pizza, I can just whip up a dough (I now have it down to a science). This diy thing is working for us - we really are saving money. A lot of money. Changing the way we think about spending money has changed our lives. I will never go back.

Hannah is a restaurant manager, new mother and wife. She believes in the power of bootstrapping and information to transform lives. Stay up to date with Hannah's DIY and frugal discoveries at The Cheapskate Mom: a blog magazine for surviving the recession with style.

Becoming Debt Free Step 4

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:52:00 +0000

Last week we completed the 3rd step in becoming debt free: determining how much income we have and making sure our tax witholdings are accurate. We're still holding too much out, so we'll have a little bit extra money to apply to the mortgages each month! This was also the first step in creating a budget, I just didn't want to scare my hubby off with the B word :-) Creating a budget doesn't necessarily mean micromanaging our money. We just need to know how much we have to spend, where it's been spent in the past and make a plan for where it will go in the future!

Becoming Debt Free Step 4:

Determine Your Current Spending Habits - All of Your Spending

Click here to read the rest of this post

$5 off 2 boxes of K-Cups!

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 24 May 2012 01:23:00 +0000

I know K-cups can be expensive, but I think this is still a pretty good coupon!

$5.00 off two boxes of Cafe Escapes K-Cup packs

After a quick look online, it looks like these are sold for around $11 at both Walmart and Target. Don't forget to use your redcard to get 5% off at Target!

Introducing a Monthly Amazon Code Hunt for Thrifty Texas Penny Readers

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:00 +0000

I've been wondering about what I could do to thank my awesome readers for sticking with me and encouraging me. Giveaways always come to mind, but there are always a lot of people who enter, that aren't really readers. So I've decided to do a monthly Amazon hunt on my blog. It will take place on the last Thursday of each month. I'll be hiding codes throughout the day, anywhere from $1 - $5 value. I'll hide them in posts from that particular month and will give clues on FB to help you figure out which posts I've hidden them in. My thought is that if you've been reading my posts you'll know exactly where to find the code once I give the hint.

The rules are simple:

The codes will be hidden within posts or in the comments of posts from the current month only. After posting each code, I'll give about 10 minutes for someone to claim it before posting a clue on FB.
If you find a code and are the first one to enter it into your Amazon account you'll get the message that your account has been credited for X.XX amount. Please leave a comment on that post and let us know it's been claimed and for what amount.
If you enter the code and it says it's been claimed, then you were too late.
If you enter the code and it says something went wrong, then you entered an incorrect code (I do like to be tricky from time to time and put them backwards)
I'll delete or mark through the claimed codes before posting a new one.
Please play nice! This is meant to be a fun way to reward my readers. If you don't enjoy the hunt then please don't play. :-)

The first code hunt will be tomorrow 5/24. Codes will be posted anywhere from 9 am - 11 pm CST. If you enjoy the hunt please let me know you want another one next month!

Kroger Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/23 - 5/29

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:26:00 +0000

This week's Kroger matchups are brought to you by:

Corn $.25

Popsicles $1
use $.50/1 Popsicle Printable
Price after Q = $.50 each

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce BOGO
use $1/2 from 5/20 SS
Price after Q varies (but probably around $1 each)

Toaster Strudel $2
use $.40/2 from 3/11 SS
submit for $5 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Mail in Rebate
Price after Q and MIR = $.20 each!

To see the rest of this week's matchups, visit Couponing 101.

Super 1 Foods Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/23 - 5/26

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:26:00 +0000

You can print a copy of the Super 1 coupon policy here

and the Super 1 internet printable coupon policy here.

And don't forget to carry your reusable bags for a $.05 credit per bag used!

Please note: Any information published on www.thriftytexaspenny.com is protected by copyright. Please contact me if you would like to highlight or recap information found here. Information that is copied word for word is not permitted.

5 lb. Bag Chicken Leg Quarters $.55/lb.

Cokes, Dr. Peppers, Pepsis or 7 Up 4/$11 (must buy 4)
use $.75/1 Pepsi from 3/18 SS
Price per 12 pk as low as $2.00 each WYB 4

3 lb. Bag Yellow Onions $1.50
Price per lb. = $.50

Bar S Hot Dogs 16 oz $.88

Super 1 Bread or Buns $.95

Kraft BBQ Sauce 17.5 - 18 oz $.78
use $.50/2 from 5/6 SS
Price after Q = $.53

C&H Sugar 4 lb. $2.28
use $1/2 printable
Price after Q = $1.78 each WYB 2

Jumbo Red Globe Grapes $1.48/lb.

V-8 Splash 64 oz $1.98
use $1/2 from 4/15 SS
Price after Q = $1.48 WYB 2

Food Club Canned Fruit 15 - 15.25 oz $1

Jumex Nectar 11.3 oz $.38

Catfish Nuggets IQF $1.57/lb.

Food Club Rice 2 lbs. $1.50

Brookshire's Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/23 - 5/29

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:12:00 +0000

These are my favorite deals for Brookshire's this week. Thanks to

for allowing me to bring you these highlights and for doing the coupon matchups.

Our local stores in Tyler do not double any Qs, but they do offer the $.05 credit for each reusable bag that you use.

Please note: Any information published on www.thriftytexaspenny.com is protected by copyright. Please contact me if you would like to highlight or recap information found here. If you would like to highlight the Brookshire's matchups for this week, please contact Pary Moppins directly. Information that is copied word for word is not permitted.

Yellow Corn $.30 each

Cool Whip $1
use $.50/2 from 5/6 SS
Price after Q = $.75 WYB 2

Kraft BBQ Sauce $.88
use $.50/2 from 5/6 SS
Price after Q = $.38 each WYB 2

To see the rest of this week's matchups, head on over to Pary Moppins.

Inexpensive Party Plates - Reusable and Dishwasher Safe

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Last fall I wrote about reusing as many items as possible instead of throwing things away and soon after needing to replace them. Paper plates are some of the biggest culprits that drain money from the pockets of American families. But there are inexpensive and convenient alternatives.

Traditionally I've used our everyday dishes for parties, but there were times that I didn't have enough plates clean and needed to use paper. I've almost always used paper cups. I've always intended to buy some inexpensive party plates but never got around to it (mostly because we have so many everyday dishes). A few weeks ago we were hosting a work party and I was stressed out, which is unusual for me as a hostess. To make things easier I decided to buy plasticware.

I spent just $10 to buy 16 plates, 16 bowls and 8 cups (we used some for a picnic yesterday). All are very sturdy and dishwasher safe! I love that they are compact and I'll be able to use these instead of needing to have all my dishes clean for every party. Plus parties won't leave all my regular dishes dirty and need to wash right afterwards. I am a happy hostess!

I bought these at Walmart. They came in red, blue, yellow, orange and lime for $1/ 4 pk.
By comparison, a 48 pk. of heavy duty Dixie plates is about $2.50 or 5 cents each. A 35 pk of Dixie bowls is also about $2.50 or 7 cents each. A 50 ct. Hefty 18 oz cups are about $3.50 or 7 cents each. After 5 uses of the plates I've bought and 3 uses of the bowls or cups I've bought you're saving money. If you could buy the plasticware on sale or clearance it would be even quicker to break even. Plus you're saving the environment from all that trash and yourself from needing to replace the paper products so frequently!

2 Mars Milky Way Bars As Low As FREE

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:52:00 +0000

You can use this new printable to score 2 free Milky Way bars at CVS or to get 2 bars for 23 cents each at Walgreens.

Next week, May 27 - June 2 at CVS Mars bars are $.75, get $.75 ECB (limit 1) Price after Q and ECB = 2 for FREE!

The following week, June 3 - 8 at Walgreens Mars bars are $.59 each. Price after Q = $.45 for 2.

Simple Homemaking Plan Week 21 of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:48:00 +0000

As I sit down to write the menu for the week, I'm writing out my 4 weekly "to do" lists (personal tasks, blogging tasks, cleaning chores, less common maintenance cleaning tasks). It's helping me to accomplish things that easily get pushed aside otherwise, even if I don't get them all checked off!

As I went through the laundry room / mud room cabinets last week I found lots of loose batteries. I didn't feel like messing with them then, so I boxed them all up and testing them is on my list for this week. I was having trouble finding spices so I already organized those.

This week's maintenance chores in addition to daily functioning cleaning chores:

~~Organize/Clean out the spices in the kitchen~~
Clean the table legs and chairs (a good down in the crevices cleaning)
Test batteries and recycle or recharge olds ones.
Spend 1 hour getting a toddler bed restored for Little One to use until we buy a twin bed.
15 minutes daily tidy after the kids go to bed

See? Nothing too involved, just tasks that will help me stay on top of things at home instead of letting the week slip away from me because none of those things seem pressing to be done immediately.

Frugal $5 Dinner Menu Week 21 of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:12:00 +0000

My goal is to provide dinner for my family for an average of $5 except on special occasions. We don't have to eat beans and rice to accomplish this goal! I shop the grocery sales each week. Then I plan my menu based on the foods I have already at home (at a great price). I balance more expensive meals with less expensive ones. We typically only cook a main dish 4 or 5 times a week. Each main dish cooked will serve 4-6, and the leftovers will be for easy dinners on the weekend, or to freeze for another week. This cuts down on cleaning, cooking, and meal planning- saving at us lots of time!

Be sure to link up to our Recipe Hop with your 5 ingredient dishes
and enter to win a set of Country Gourmet cooking mixes.

This week we'll be cooking (in no particular order):

Chicken Quesadillas, Fruit Cocktail, Sweet Peas

Grilled Pork Chops, Green Beans, Twice Baked Potatoes,

Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Little Caesar's Pizza, Apple Slices

Leftover Carousel

For 2012, I will no longer be showing the cost breakdown for our meals. This is very time consuming and for little purpose since I've spent the past 18 months showing that a family of 4 could eat for an average of $5 per dinner. If you'd like to see some $5 menu ideas with cost breakdowns, please browse my pages for $5 Dinner Plans.

This post is being linked up to Menu Plan Monday over at OrgJunkie.

Walgreens Scenario 5/20 - 5/26 $18.79 for $4.19 - 78% Savings

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Sun, 20 May 2012 03:39:00 +0000

CVS Scenario 5/20 - 5/26 $28.19 for $1.33 OOP

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:37:00 +0000

If you're new to shopping at CVS, be sure to read my CVS tutorial.

I didn't write a scenario last week (or bother to shop at CVS except to pick up a prescription) so we're starting with a $10 ECB from 2 weeks ago.

Transaction 1
2 Irish Spring Deos @ 7
4 Suave Body Lotions @ 12
subtotal:19
use $2/2 any 2 deos from scanner week of 5/13
use (2) BOGO Suave from 5/20 RP (takes off $6)
use $10 ECB from 2 weeks ago
new total: $1, get $4 ECB and $4 ECB (save)

Transaction 2
1 SalonPas Capsicum Patch @ 1.87
2 Diet Pepsi 2-liters @ 1.98
6 Hershey's Bars @ 5.34 (2 must be Air Delight)
subtotal: $9.19
use (2) $.55/1 Diet Pepsi from 3/18 SS
use (2) BOGO Hershey's AirDelight (takes off $.1.88)
B2G1 Hershey's takes off $1.88
use $4 ECB from T1
new total: $.33, get $1.87 ECB and probably a $1 ECB from using your Green Bag Tag.

Totals: $28.19 at sale prices for $1.33 OOP. Start with $10 in ECBs and end with $6.87 in ECBs.

Beauty Club totals have reached $12.63.

Click here to see the list of matchups that I pulled these deals from.

Walgreens Scenario 5/20 - 5/26 - Half Foods 80% Savings!

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:05:00 +0000

Walgreens Rules in a Nutshell:
You may only do each deal once per transaction.
You cannot use the RR from one deal to pay for the same deal if you want to get another RR.
You may not use more manu Qs (including RRs) than the number of items in your transaction.
A RR cannot pay tax and it's value will not be reduced.
For a more in depth explanation of these rules, you can read my post "How to Roll With Walgreens"

Our scenario last week ended with (2) $1 RRs from the Starbucks refreshers.

This scenario is a bit different from my normal extremely low OOP scenarios. Even though most of these items aren't free I still felt they were a great bargain to include in the scenario.

*Adjusted to reflect the higher price of $4.99 for the Sheets*
Transaction 1
1 Kotex @ 3.99
1 Sheets @ 4.99
1 Nestle Bar @ .49
subtotal: $9.47
use $1/1 Kotex from 5/20 SS
use both $1 RRs from last week
new total: $6.47, get $3 RR and $5 RR

Transaction 2
Oasis Mouthwash @ 5.99
2 Oscar Mayer HotDogs @ 6.58
1 Nice! Prunes (or other dried fruit) @ .79
subtotal: $13.36
use (2) $1/1 Oscar Mayer printable
BOGO Oscar Mayer takes off $3.29
use $3 RR and $5 RR from T1
new total: $.07, get $5 RR

Transaction 3
1 Haribo Gummy @1.29
1 Sheets @ 4.99
3 Nestle bars @ 1.47
subtotal: $7.75
use $0.30 off 4 oz. or larger HARIBO
use in ad Q for Haribo (takes off $.50)
use $1/3 Nestle from 4/29 SS
use $5 RR from T2
new total: $0.95, get $4 RR

Transaction 4
1 Kotex @ 3.99
2 Skinny Cow @ 5.98
1 Nestle bar @ .49
subtotal: $10.46
use $1/1 Kotex from 5/20 SS
use (2) $1/1 Skinny Cow from 4/29 SS
use $2/2 Skinny Cow from May Wags IVC booklet
use $5 RR from T3
new total: $0.46, get $3 RR

Totals: $41.04 at sale prices for $7.95 OOP - 80% savings!

You can my original list of Walgreens matchups for 5/20 - 5/26 here.

Walgreens Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/20 - 5/26

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:11:00 +0000

Walgreens Rules in a Nutshell:
You may only do each deal once per transaction.
You cannot use the RR from one deal to pay for the same deal if you want to get another RR.
You may not use more manu Qs (including RRs) than the number of items in your transaction.
A RR cannot pay tax and it's value will not be reduced.
For a more in depth explanation of these rules, you can read my post "How to Roll With Walgreens"

Thanks to:

for sharing her matchups with us!
My favorite deals this week are:

U by Kotex Sleek Tampons 18 pk $3.99, get $3 RR
use $1/1 from 5/20 SS
Price after Q and RR = FREE

Oasis Age Essential Mouthwash 16 oz $5.99, get $5 RR
Price after Q and RR = $.99

Oscar Mayer Wieners 16 oz BOGO
use $1/2 from 4/15 SS or 5/6 SS
use $.75/2 from 4/15 SS
use $1/1 Oscar Mayer printable
Price after BOGO and Qs = as low as $.65 each WYB 2

Nice Dried Fruit $.79

Haribo Gummies $.79 with in ad Q
use $0.30 off 4 oz. or larger HARIBO (won't last long)
Price after stacked Qs = $.49

Russell Stover 4.1 - 5.5 oz or Skinny Cow 6 pk $2.99
use $1/1 or $1.50/2 Skinny Cow from 4/29 SS
and use $2/2 Skinny Cow from May Walgreens IVC booklet
Price after stacked Qs = as low as $.99 each WYB 2

Brut Deo 2/$4 with in ad Q
use $1/1 from 5/13 SS
Price after stacked Qs = $1 each

Ajax Cleaner 14 oz BOGO with in ad Q
use $1/2 from 2/26 SS
Price after stacked Qs = $.49 each WYB 2

Huggies Jumbo Packs $8.99
best Qs:
$3/2 Diapers Wags Q from 5/6 SS
$2/1 Pull ups Wags Q in May IVC booklet
$2/1 Pull Ups printable
$2/1 GOODNITES
$3/2 Diapers from 5/6 SS
$2/1 Pullups from 5/20 SS
Price after stacked Qs = as low as $4.99 for Pullups or $5.99 for Diapers

Huggies Wipes 184-216 pk $5.99
use $3/2 from 5/6 SS
use $3/2Wags Q from 5/6 SS
use $.50/1 from 5/20 SS
Price after stacked Qs = as low as $3 each WYB 2

Nestle Candy Bar .77 - 2.1 oz $.49
use $1/3 or $.60/3 from 4/29 SS
Price after Q = as low as $.13 each WYB 3

Renuzit Adjustables 7.5 oz $.79 with in ad Q

Sheets Sleep Strips $4.99, get $5 RR (my hubby says the Sheets Energy Strips work really well)
Price after Q = FREE

Gallon Milk $2.99 (prices regional)

Harvest Pride Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns $.99

Good Fillers
Nestle Candy Bars .77 - 2.1 oz $.49 (if you aren't using the manu Q)
Nice! Dried Fruit $.79
Harvest Pride Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns $.99

To see the rest of this week's deals head on over to Wild for Wags

Haribo Gummies for $.49 again! Hurry and Print!

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:02:00 +0000

You guys know these Qs don't ever stick around long, so print it while you can!

Starting this Sunday 5/20 and running through Saturday 5/26:

Haribo Gummies $.79 with in ad Q

use $0.30 off 4 oz. or larger HARIBO (won't last long)

Price after stacked Qs = $.49

5 Ingredient of Less Dishes Recipe Hop and Country Gourmet Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

School is ending soon and life is getting hectic with end of the year programs and games. By using your crockpot, freezer, and these 5 ingredient recipes you should be set for a fairly easy month of cooking. Plus if you win the prize pack from Mama Mixes you'll be set for the rest of the summer!

This giveaway ends on May 31st at 11:59 PM EST. We'll be adding new 5 ingredient or less recipes each week, so be sure to keep up with us throughout the month and to linkup your own recipes as well!
Click here to read the rest of this post

CVS Deals and Coupon Matchups 5/20 - 5/26

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:48:00 +0000

Thanks to Didie at

for these matchups

If you're new to shopping at CVS, be sure to read my CVS tutorial.

12 pk Pepsi 3/$10, get $2 ECB (limit 1)
Price after ECB = $2.67 each WYB 3

Salonpas Hot Capsicum Patch 1 ct. $1.87, get $1.87 ECB (limit 1)
Price after ECB = FREE

Pepsi 2 liters $.99

Irish Spring Deo, Body Wash 15 oz or Bar Soap 6 pk 2/$7, get $4 ECB (limit 1)
use $1/1 Body Wash or Bar Soap from CVS Reinventing Beauty Magazine
Price after Qs and ECBs = $.50 each WYB 2

Select Suave Products get $4 ECB WYB $12
Buy 4 Body Lotion @ $12
use BOGO from 5/20 RP
Price after Qs and ECBs = $.50 each WYB 4
Price after Qs, ECBs and Beauty Club = $.20 each WYB 4

To see the rest of this week's matchups, head on over to We Use Coupons.

Guest Post - Consumer Debt Free in Less Than a Year - Twice!

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:51:00 +0000

This guest post is from reader Natalie.

Our story is kindof a two part story. This is a second marriage for my husband and I. Our first marriages had LOTS of money fights/money problems and TONS of debt. When we were dating, he was trying to "rebuild" his credit from his ex but I had already done all of that. I had a couple credit cards that I could easily afford and everyone has a car payment, right? For the first few years of marriage, we still used credit cards but the "big" ones (Lowe's which is his favorite store and a high limit Visa) were in my name and I was the "gatekeeper" of them. We'd make repairs on our house - 0% interest on the Lowe's card - or use the Visa to pay for vacation (and repay it over the course of a few months). But, while we weren't overwhelmed by any stretch, we also didn't have a lot of money left over at the end of the month.

Then, I started downloading the Dave Ramsey podcasts just to have something to listen to at work. I consistently felt bad for the people overwhelmed with debt - but that was about as far as it got. Sure, I'd like to be debt free, but I didn't expect my husband to get on board, so I just left it at that. During one of his business trips, he came across the Dave Ramsey "Total Money Makeover" and read it on the trip and was fired up to get out of debt. So, while he will gladly spend all kinds of money on stuff (mainly stuff for me), he's also Mr. Spreadsheet. We started a budget and started paying off our debt. When we started, we had about $30,000 total (between vehicles and credit cards). We started chunking money at the credit cards and had them paid off in about 7 months (lots of overtime and staying at home for entertainment). After we paid off the credit cards, I left the high limit Visa open because we didn't have an emergency fund but closed everything else. We still had one vehicle payment but decided it was time to have kids. So, when we found out I was pregnant, we "had" to trade in his truck for a family friendly vehicle. So, debt sky-rocketed back to $30,000 due to the one vehicle. When we were finished having kids, we got intense about paying off the new vehicle and had it paid off in 1 year (the biggest chunk was the tax refund with all the dependents - but now our withholding has been corrected).

We've been consumer debt free for almost 3 years and the Visa has long-since been closed. We have 6 months cash in our emergency fund, we have 401k's and Roth IRA (that we couldn't have afforded if we still had credit card/vehicle payments), kids' college funds started and we budget a certain amount for all of the things we "might" need credit for. So, when husband was tired of driving a 10 year old car, we wrote a check to buy him a much newer truck. Next year's vacations already have monthly amounts we allocate to them, a newer vehicle fund is in process, and now we're working on paying off our house.

Thank you Natalie for sharing your debt journey with us. Natalie is a working mother who hopes to be able to stay at home with her children once their mortgage is completely paid off.

Bagnetic and Tupperware Giveaway Winners

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

A winner has been selected for the Bagnetic Reusable Bag Giveaway.
Sheryl H. has won a family pack of the neatest reusable bags around!

The winner of the Tupperware giveaway is Jessica M.
Jessica has won an 8 pc. CrystalWave set.

Both winners have been contacted and responded. The sponsors will be shipping their prizes soon.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

If you're looking for more giveaways be sure to enter to win a set of Country Gourmet mixes.

Becoming Debt Free Steps 2 and 3

noreply@blogger.com (cricketscts) — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Last week I shared with you that we're starting to aggressively eliminate 100% of our debt. Admittedly by we, I mean I. My husband is not exactly a numbers guy, but he understands that by hanging onto our debt in favor of "living in the now" we're costing ourselves much more money in the long run - about 3 times as much!

We know how much debt we have- nearly $165,000 between the two houses. Our first house is over half paid off, but our current home barely has a dent put in it. If we don't pay extra on it, we'll be 60 by the time it's paid off and have any significant extra money to spend! Nope, not gonna happen, it's gotta go sooner.

Up until now, we've been lackadaisical about putting extra money onto the principals. We've put an extra $10 a month to the first house for years (cuts off a payment every other year) and occasionally will put an extra few hundred on it. But for the most part we wait to see what extra money we have after the bills are paid. We should be setting a goal and making sure we meet it- no matter what "living in the now" we have to give up.

So our next step in becoming 100% debt free is to

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