Using Time Wisely

Organized to save money, energy, and time

You are here: Home / Archives for Stretching Your Dollars

CVS: 3 Transactions + 6 Products = $1.68

by

Photograph Credit: CVS

Last Saturday, I made a shopping trip to my CVS only to discover a company policy change regarding uploading the next week’s sales.

Prior to last week, my CVS activated the new week’s sales at noon on Saturdays. Now the new sales are loaded into the system, but the computer does not activate those sales until 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

It was a little setback as I arrived at 3:30 p.m. and had gathered my items in about 10 minutes. Never fear, I used my time wisely to exchange one of our propane tanks at Bi-lo, which is next door. When I returned to CVS, it was after 4:00 p.m.

Do you want to see what I purchased and how I stretched my dollars? I thought you might, so I took a picture. Here are the items I purchased:

To keep my out-of-pocket (OOP) total to a minimum, I purchased these 6 items in 3 transactions.

Transaction #1

1 Zyrtec – 5 count for $5.99

1 Irish Spring Deodorant – $3.99

Scanned my green bag tag to earn a $1 Extra Buck after 4 visits – $0

Subtotal: $9.98

Used $2.50 coupon for Zyrtec

Used $1 coupon for Irish Spring Deodorant (printable)

Used $5 Extra Bucks due to expire from a previous visit

New Subtotal: $1.48

Tax: $0.09

Total: $1.57 – paid using the gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $5.99 (Zyrtec) and $2 (Irish Spring)

Transaction #2

1 Revlon nail polish – $4.99

1 Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates – $5.99

Subtotal: $10.98

Used $1 coupon for Revlon

Used $1 coupon for Hershey’s

Used $5.99 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

Used $2 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1

New Subtotal: $0.99

Tax: $0.03

Total: $1.02 – paid with gift card received from filling a prescription

OOP: $0 and received Extra Bucks: $3 (Revlon) and $6 (Hershey’s) – on Saturday the Hershey’s Extra Bucks ($5.99) did not print, so the employee manually issued the Extra Bucks for $6.

Transaction #3

2 Jumbo packages of Huggies diapers – $8.99 each

Subtotal: $17.98

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $3 coupon for Huggies

Used $6 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

Used $3 Extra Bucks from Transaction2

New Subtotal: $2.98

Tax: $0.18

Total: $3.16 – paid $1.48 from remaining balance on gift card

OOP: $1.68 (cash) and received Extra Bucks: $2 ($1 for each package of Huggies)

By purchasing items in multiple transactions, I am able to stretch our dollars to keep the out-of-pocket expense low. I willingly spent the $2 on diapers, nail polish, and chocolate. The Zyrtec and deodorant were a bonus money-maker and freebie. I purchased $43.56 worth of product for $1.68 which is a savings of $41.88 or 96%.

These are the results of my shopping trip. What great deals have you seized to stretch your dollars? Remember to start slow. You will get to great savings as you learn from each shopping trip. Keep up the great savings!

CVS: Using Extra Bucks

by

Photograph Credit: CVS

Since I have been a stranger to most stores in the last month, I am getting back on track. Having gone grocery shopping this week, my family now has food to eat. Yea!

By spending the time getting my coupons cut and matched up with the store sales, I was able to spend less than $100 to re-stock my kitchen and freezer. Though I still need to complete my menu plan and make an Aldi run, I have used my time wisely to get back on track.

After spending the day at the pool with my kids, I have another shopping list to make. My CVS Extra Bucks expire on Saturday, and I am not about to lose the savings I have worked hard to obtain. The Extra Bucks are store credit to help stretch my dollars. I will definitely be making a stop by CVS today.

The best time to shop at my CVS is after noon on Saturdays. My CVS activates the next week’s sales on Saturday morning which allows me to shop the current week’s sales and next week’s sales in one shopping trip.

Instead of making a trip today for this week’s sales and returning on Monday morning for next week’s sales, I can use my time wisely and shop both sale weeks at my CVS on Saturday afternoon.

I found this neat tip by asking the CVS supervisor when the new sales were activated at my store. By befriending and communicating with the store employees, I have learned a few extra tips and tricks to saving money, energy, and time.

My day is set with a free family activity at Home Depot and a shopping trip to CVS using my Extra Bucks. How are you planning to use your time wisely and stretch your hard-earned dollars?

Tip: Combining Sales with Promotional Codes

by

Though I may not be grocery shopping, I have been stretching our dollars through promotional codes, sales, and cash back rewards. When I shop on-line, I always search my favorite search engine, Swagbuck.com, for a promotional code for that business. For example, if purchasing through J. C. Penney, I will

  1. Go to www.swagbucks.com.
  2. Type in “promotional code for J C Penney.”
  3. Scan the hits for a valid code to save money on my purchase.

Some promotional codes are for percentages off, free shipping, or dollars off a specified amount. Taking this extra step to find promotional codes uses time, but time wisely spent.

Restaurant.com Deal

When taking advantage of the sale and promotional code for the restaurant.com deal, I was able to purchase 22 gift certificates valuing $455 for $39. These gift certificates make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas. By using my time wisely, I was able to maximize my savings to the tune of $416. If you would like to get in on this deal, check out Becentsable.com’s detailed instructions. This offer is valid through June 13.

J.C. Penney Deal

Another great sale and promotional code combination can be had through J. C. Penney. As one of the official suppliers of school uniforms for my son’s school, J. C. Penney notifications have been added to my e-mail list. When I find a sale with a promotional code, I do the happy dance.

With this current sale, valid through today, June 11, I was able to purchase 3 IZOD pique polo shirts for a total of $26.46. These shirts are regularly priced at $19.99 each. Adding to the sale and promotional code, I was able to lower my out-of-pocket amount by using the “2 or more price” for the shirts which saved me another $3-6. Instead of paying $66.46 (regular price), by using my time wisely and waiting for the sale, I only paid $26.46.

You too can save $40 by stretching your dollars. To snag this deal, check out MoneySavingMom.com’s post for the promotional code, but go through Shop at Home from Becentsable’s post to earn the cash back rewards for your purchase.

In stretching our dollars, I was able to spend a total of $65.46 while saving $495. How are you stretching your dollars?

Lowering my Electric Bill

by

Photograph Credit: MorgueFile (Earl53)

Our power company continues to increase pricing on the electricity. With the upward trend of gas prices and the increase in the electricity, our family is making choices to keep our out-of-pocket expenses as low as possible. To get low gas prices, we use fuelperks!, gasbuddy.com, and coupons. Since we do not have any programs, other competitors, or coupons for our electric bill, the only way we know to keep our power bill low is to use less electricity.

We accomplished this by keeping our ceiling fans running, spending time at the pool, and leaving the air conditioner turned off for the entire month of May. Some days were nice and breezy, but other days were extremely warm. Now that June has arrived, our air conditioner has been activated. The thermostat is set to 80 degrees with the fans still running. Hopefully, we will be able to stretch our dollars and keep our electricity bills reasonable for the summer.

What about you? How are you using your time wisely to stretch your hard earned dollars during the summer with hot temperatures, high gas prices, and increasing electricity bills? I welcome your input.

CVS: Prescription Gift Card Coupons

by

Photography Credit: CVS

At my son’s soccer games, my oldest daughter loves to go play with the other kids. She traipses through bushes, climbs over rocks, and slides down the hill. Having a great time comes with consequences. In this case, she acquired a nasty bug bite. Paul and I kept an eye on it. Two days later it was bright red, warm, and had blisters on top. When I took her to the pediatrician, our doctor put her on an antibiotic for the infection.

When I got the prescription, I checked to see if this was one of the free medications offered through Publix. It was not. The next option for savings was looking in my CVS envelope where I carry my coupons. In the envelope, I found a K-mart coupon for a $10 gift card when you fill a new or transferred prescription. This was very exciting. Here is why I get prescriptions filled at CVS:

  1. Our insurance carrier will process prescription claims according to our contract terms when I use a CVS pharmacy.
  2. CVS will honor competitor prescription coupons. Since K-mart is a local competitor, CVS will honor the K-mart coupon.
  3. When I use my Extra Care Card, I will earn an additional $1 Extra Buck for every two prescriptions purchased.
  4. When I use my CVS Green Bag Tag, I will earn $1 Extra Buck for every 4th visit. You can only use your Green Bag Tag once a day.
  5. I love to shop at CVS and will use the $10 gift card.
  6. CVS has a drive-thru. Yeah!

Since I pass about 3-4 CVS Pharmacies on the route to and from school, I dropped off the prescription through the drive-thru before afternoon pickup. On my way home, I drove through the drive-thru and handed the cashier my Extra Care Card, my reusable bag with Green Bag Tag attached, the K-mart coupon, and my flexible spending credit card. During my transaction, I purchased the antibiotic medicine for $9, got my fourth scan of my Green Bag Tag, and obtained a $10 CVS gift card. The results of this transaction were my daughter’s medicine, a $10 CVS gift card, $1 Extra Buck printed on the bottom of my receipt for using a reusable bag, and 1 credit toward earning $1 in Extra Bucks for every 2 prescriptions you have filled.

If I purchase another prescription before the quarter ends, then I will earn $1 in Extra Bucks. Those Extra Bucks will not print at the bottom of my receipt the day I fill the second prescription. I will get that $1 Extra Buck at the end of the quarter. Once every 3 months my Extra Bucks will print at the Coupon Center (big red machine at the front of the CVS store) or at the end of my receipt. Included with my “$1 for every prescription filled” bonus, I also earn 2% on most of the items purchased with my Extra Care Card in those 3 months.

Though I did not plan to visit the doctor’s office, I was prepared and used the resources at hand to stretch my dollars. All in all, I spent $9 pre-taxed and received $1 in Extra Bucks, a $10 CVS gift card, and 1 prescription credit. Not too shabby for an unexpected expense. Please leave a comment sharing ways you save money when filling a prescription.