Quick CVS trip

Nothing really tickled my fancy in this week's CVS ad, but I wanted to use my $7 Loreal moisturiser DQ that expired today.  The ad says that a mystery Loreal CRT would print, but it turned out to be for cosmetics, not facial care. I sure wish that CVS would send me an any Loreal moisturiser DQ, because I prefer the Revitalift over this. However, I won't say no to free moisturiser. I only had one PG insert to work with, that's why I didn't use 3 Gillette qs. Turns out I didn't need it after all. 

1 x Loreal age perfect moisturiser $19.49

2 x Loreal makeup remover wipes 11.98

2 x Venus razors 15.98

1 x Gillette razors 7.99

Less Venus Q (4.00)

Less Gillette Q (4.00)

Less $3 off Gillette razor CRT (3.00)

Less 5/20 Shave DQ (5.00)

Less Loreal DQ (7.00)

Less 5/22 facial care DQ (5.00)

Less EBs (27.44)

Tax 1.59

OOP $1.59

Earned $18 EB ($10 Loreal, $8 Gillette/Venus) and should get $3 Beauty. 

I ended up with a $6 Beauty EB from last week (not $3 as I thought). I used $27.50 EBs, but the register adjusted it by 6c, because my OOP (before tax) was $0.

OOP $1.59

Coupons used : $28.00

Rewards used : $27.50

Retail value : $65.50

I'm so excited to see that my CVS now has self checkout. I'm gonna try it next time I shop. I love self checkout, because I have complete control over my transaction. I can see which coupons have deducted (without keeping a cashier waiting) and also see if I need to add a filler item or another EB.

I'm done with shopping for this week.

WAGS fun & another big stockpile trip

I know, I know. I said that I'm only gonna spend about $20-30 per week on groceries, but after visiting the stores this weekend, I decided to do another big stock up. I started reorganizing my stockpile last week (it's still a work in progress) & have a better idea of what I still needed. I apologize for the lack of pics, but by the time I've unpacked and wiped down everything, I'm too tired to still think of pics.

When I was out on Sunday, I stopped at Meijer to get newspapers & blueberries. The store didn't have the main paper & the other paper only had the SS insert. Grrr. I did get my blueberries & 4 more strips of yeast. I noticed that they had limits on peanut butter and canned pumpkin was non-existent. 

Then I went to another Meijer and they had the main paper. Except, no PG insert. Ugh. It's a mystery as to why we never got PG inserts this week. Thankfully I got a PG insert in the mail. Same story with PB & pumpkin and their yeast was limit 1, so I grabbed one strip. No use passing it up.

On Monday I headed to Walmart for a few produce items and eggs. I decided to make a list of things to stockpile, because shortages seem to be getting worse every week. I keep seeing more items added to the shortage list - not good. I normally buy 1 or 2 cans of baked beans, but decided to be bold and just grab 4. I figured if I keep buying 1 at a time, I'm gonna end up seeing beans shortages at some stage too. We love our Busch's baked beans. 

The canned goods aisle was half empty. This was a shock to me. I've switched my shopping day from Sunday to Monday, to give them time to restock the shelves. Usually they're pretty well stocked, so I was shocked to see so little goods. I grabbed what was on my list. Their store brand chickpeas (another favorite of ours) has been OOS for almost a month, so I picked up some of their store brand organic ones. It's actually still a few cents less than the regular name brand chickpeas. So organic wins the day.

The baking aisle had no yeast and I searched high and low for pumpkin. I eventually found it on a bottom shelf at the end of the aisle. There wasn't much, but I grabbed 3 cans and also a ready made pumpkin pie mix. Just add eggs and evaporate milk. I tried making a pumpkin pie once and it was a flop (I guess it didn't bake long enough, because the filling was still loose), so I've been buying pies ever since DMIL passed away (she used to bake our pies). Now I'm a good baker, so I was disappointed when my pie flopped. I'm not taking chances this year. If Sams doesn't have pumpkin pie, then I at least have the filling all ready in a can. Easy peasy...lol

I also found store brand EVOO cooking spray. I bought 3 cans. I wasn't out, but I figured I'd get some more. I opened a 2pk Pam spray last week, so we're still in good shape

Now I'm basically stocked up on Thanksgiving food. We don't care for cranberry sauce or even turkey and stuffing (I've never liked stuffing). So we get seafood and other meat (for me) and add all the other sides. The most important part of the meal (for me) is the pumpkin pie...lol

I cashed out for another $25 Walmart gc on Ibotta. Then I headed to Sams with $75 gcs. They had lots of t/p & p/t, but no Dunkin Donuts coffee, DS's juice was out (I got the last one and the shelf space has been filled with a different brand). I bought another pack of store brand tissues. I wanted to get 2, because I want to donate one. However, there were only 4 packs on the shelf and I didn't want to deprive someone else of getting some. I can always buy another pack next time.  I also got a 2pk PB (we don't like any other brand). These jars are huge and we still have one unopened jar in the pantry.

They were once again out of my non GMO chicken breast. There were only thigh meat & tenders, so I got 2 packs of tenders. 

I stocked up on the rest of my baking supplies - baking powder, vanilla extract, raisins and I found more cooking spray. Turns out the Sams brand EVOO spray cost more than Walmart. Huh? Isn't Sams supposed to be cheaper, since we're paying for a membership? I did buy a pack, but will pick some up at Walmart again. At Walmart I paid 26c/oz and the Pam Spray at Sams costs 29c/oz. I know that most people will just buy Pam, because the bottles are bigger (12 oz vs 7 oz store brand). I always calculate the unit cost to see which is the better price. I use the spray for cooking & baking. 

I feel a whole lot better about my stockpile now. I can finally say that we're in good shape. Now I can really focus on that $20-30 per week stockpiling, because I just need to fill in the gaps. The problem I have is not knowing how long shortages will last or whether Covid will be worse or better during winter. 

So DH has started with the stockpiling crap again. He's not complaining per se, but making comments about it. Looks like he hasn't learned from the pandemic after all. He's been bragging about how Aldi's fully stocked. I told him it's because most people shop at the big grocery stores (especially since Aldi doesn't carry half the stuff that they do). Our Meijer is like a super Walmart. It has everything under the sun. Actually Meijer is better than Walmart, because it carries a much larger variety of items and brands. We have all stores right on our doorstep, so why would people go to Aldi, except to fill in the gaps. Anyhoo, after some back & forth with him, I told him to not listen to me. That we can take up this conversation again in a few months (boy is he gonna regret it...lol). Immediately after the conversation, he went into the pantry to get a bottle of his favorite juice....smdh. I told him to leave the juice alone and go buy some at Aldi....lol, since he's so anti stockpiling (hoarding he calls it. As if we don't use any of the stuff). So I've decided to teach him a lesson. I know that Aldi doesn't carry this juice. It's the only thing he'll drink, because of the low sugar. I've been picking up a few bottles at Dollar Tree every week. Well, I'm just not gonna buy anymore. He drinks at least 2 bottles per week. So when it's gone, he can go see if his beloved Aldi has it....lol (we all know he's not gonna find any...lol). Then he can do the running around to find his favorite juice (better hope things don't get worse here again, cause flu season will be here too). No, I'm not being mean. Sometimes you just have to teach them a lesson, so that they can truly appreciate what you do.

I wasn't planning on going to WAGS this week, but read about the inexpensive Scott p/t deal. 

Trans 1 (DH account)

2 x Scott p/t $10.00

3 x Robitussin 6.57

1 x Kit Kat 0.99

Less Scott DQ (2.00)

Less Scott IVC (2.50)

Less Robitussin IVC (6.57)

Less BR Points (5.00)

Tax 0.99

OOP $2.48

Earned $5 BR Points. 

DH had a earn $5 BR WYS $1 DQ. I added the candy, because I knew that my total would be 50c after using BR to pay.

The Robitussin is clearanced to $2.19 (check your stores). There's a $3 IVC. The cashier told me that I cannot use the q, because it's higher than the cost of the item. She told me that she'll try the kids one (which I knew wouldn't attach, because it's for a 2pk). I very nicely asked her to just try scanning the $3 one, so she did & voila, it deducted the full value off each item. All the while I was thinking 'girl please, I know that q works. I've got the inside scoop'....lol

To save yourself the same headache, go clip the IVC to your card. I should've done that instead, but didn't check our accounts first. The q will automatically deduct and you'll just have to pay tax on the medicine. 

Trans 2 (my account)

2 x Scott p/t $10.00

Less Scott DQ (2.00)

Less IVC (2.50)

Less BR Points (5.00)

Tax 0.60

OOP $1.10

I don't use much p/t, but am saving this in case DH ever runs out....shhhhh (I didn't tell him this...lol)

That's been my shopping week. I feel like this stockpiling has been consuming my life. I'm happy to basically be done with it. All I need to do is make a CVS run. I don't even have a game plan yet, except for the Loreal moisturizer deal.

Ibotta double dip bonus

Last week Ibotta had 2 bonus deals that overlapped. I wasn't planning on going shopping, but after reading about Sluggy's purchase I decided to take my behind to Walmart

1 x Sweet Earth Burrito $2.78
1 x Ritz chips 2.57
1 x OEP cheese 2.68
1 x Cracker barrel cheese block 3.18
1 x Butterfinger 0.88
1 x Cottage cheese 2.08
1 x Kind nut clusters 3.96
1 x Laughing cow cheese wedges 2.87
1 x Feta cheese 3.96
1 x Chobani 4pk 3.96
2 x Oui yogurts 2.68
2 x Stayfree 5.56
Tax 0.33
OOP $37.49

Earned $21.08 Ibotta (this includes the $5 Bonus & 50c July bonus)

The nut clusters and Oui were all free after rebate, so I bought the max amount of 2 Oui.

Dollar Tree

1 x Sour Patch pops $1.00
Earned 0.75 Ibotta

The above items counted towards both the $5 & $10 bonuses. However, I still needed 2 items to complete the $10 one.

WAGS

2 x Pringles $2.13 (this was my OOP at WAGS on Monday)

2 x Bic Razors $10.18
Less 2 Bic Qs (6.00)
Tax : 0.62
OOP $4.80

This was the cluster transaction, so I'm just giving you the totals as if it was a perfect transaction. I know it cost me less, but I'm not in the mood for crazy WAGS math...lol

Earned $16.30 ($6 Bic, $0.30 Pringles, $10 bonus)

Total OOP :  $45.42
Total earned : $38.13
Total cost after rewards : $7.29
Total items purchased : 19

There's lots of dairy, but we don't mind. It's our favorite.

On another note. I learned that Aldi carries Gouda cheese, so off I went to get Gouda slices and shreds, because my Sams no longer carries it. What a disappointment that cheese was. I grew up eating Gouda. It was as common as cheddar to me, so I was happy to see it finally become popular here. I'll have to check other Sams locations to see if I can find it there.

I realised that the $4 RR the cashier gave back to me, expires tomorrow. So while we were out today, I decided to stop at a WAGS. Boy I'm a real sucker for punishment....lol. I used it on DH's account, since RRs aren't account specific

2 x Tide $9.98
1 x Tide pods 4.99
5 x Oral b t/b $5.00
1 x Oral b t/b 3.99
3 x Oral b t/b B2G1F 0.00
Less Tide DQ (2.00)
Less Oral B DQ (7.00)
Less RR (4.00)
Tax 1.44
OOP $10.96

No Tide RR printed, so the manager added $5 points to DH's account. Then as I left, I saw that his Pods DQ didn't deduct. Contacted CS when I got home and they added $2 points. DH is now the proud owner of $7 points and he doesn't even know it...lol

My plan was to buy 10 of the $1 t/brushes, so the $7 could attach. However, the store only had 9, so I grabbed the $3.99 one instead.

Not too bad a trip, since that $4 RR was free and DH had zero points to begin with.

I don't know what is going on at WAGS. I've been to several different locations and only 2 of them were able to print RRs. Something strange is going on. I'm guessing it's a Catalina problem, because the machines are all turned on, but not printing anything.

I don't see anything good at WAGS next week, so I'm hoping to take a break. I'll hit up CVS and check what's good at RA.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend.

CVS & the Cluster called WAGS

Boy WAGS sure knows how to try my patience. I was so looking forward to the Tide deal, but after today's fiasco I might not go back to do another round.

Trans 1 (this was done on Monday at a store a little further from home)

2 x Tide $9.98
1 x Tide pods 4.99
2 x Pringles wavy 3.00
Less Tide Q (2.00)
Less Tide DQ (2.00)
Less Tide Pods DQ (2.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 0.90
OOP $2.13

Earned $5 RR (Tide) + 30c Pringles (Ibotta)

I added the Pringles to get my total to at least $10 and I also needed it for the Ibotta bonus deal (will post that tomorrow)

Trans 2 (today - another different store. There's lots of drugstores around here)

1 x Maybelline mascara $7.79
1 x Maybelline mascara B1G2nd 50% off  3.89
1 x Bic razor 6.79
1 x Bic razor B1G2nd 50% off 3.39
2 x Chobani yogurt 2.00
Less Bic Q (3.00)
Less Maybelline DQ (10.00)
Less RR (5.00)
Less RR (4.00)
Tax 1.86
OOP $3.17

On Monday I received a $6 WYS $30 CAT after doing the Tide deal. I also have a $5 WYS $20 DQ. I know that these will sometimes double dip, so I figured I'd try it. Besides, I had a $10 Maybelline DQ that was expiring soon too. So the cashier hands me back the $6 CAT and says I didn't reach the threshold (this was after all coupons had deducted, so I couldn't see my pre-coupon total. I especially added the Chobani so I could get my total to $30. I told her that I'd just contact CS. So I moved the Tide to do a separate transaction and see the Revlon items hidden behind the Tide (that was supposed to be part of the $30 spend transaction) . Ugh, my own stupidity. So I asked her if she could void the transaction and add the Revlon. Cashier was really nice and said yes and there was a line forming behind me. I told her to ring up the other customers first.

I also asked her if the CAT machine works, because I didn't get my $5 Tide RR. She showed me that it's turned on, but nothing printed.

So she voids the transaction then rerings everything, including the Revlon. I also added a huge Kit Kat for her, because she was super nice and patient. This was MY fault after all.


1 x Maybelline mascara $7.79
1 x Maybelline mascara B1G2nd 50% off  3.89
1 x Bic razor 6.79
1 x Bic razor B1G2nd 50% off 3.39
2 x Chobani yogurt 2.00
2 x Revlon tweezers 6.98
Less Bic Q (3.00)
Less Maybelline DQ (2.00)
Tax 0.42
OOP $4.19

So she hands me back the $4 RR & I'm thinking that it's because RRs don't apply to tax & my total before tax was $3.77. Now that I'm home and have studied my receipt, I realised that when I did the return the register automatically refunded all my previous coupons and RRs (it doesn't show on the receipt. The return and new transaction was printed on one receipt, so it's hard to figure things out). So she should just have kept the RR. Also since the register refunded my $10 Maybelline DQ, it automatically applied my other $2 Maybelline DQ. The cashier also scanned my $3 BIC Q again. Are you confused yet, cause my head is spinning from WAGS math.

My $5 Revlon CAT didn't print.

Earned $11 BR Points + $6.50 Ibotta ($6 Bic, $0.50 Chobani)

I paid $7.36 OOP for this transaction and earned back $22.50 (including Revlon)

Trans 3 (today)

2 x Tide $9.98
1 x Tide Pods 4.99
Less Tide Q (2.00)
Less Tide Pods Q (2.00)
Less BR points (10.00)
Tax 0.90
OOP $1.87

Was supposed to get $5 RR, but nothing printed.

So when I got home, I contacted CS. They told me to contact Catalina about the RRs. I said No way! It's not my fault their machines don't work in half their stores. So they issued me $10 BR Points for the missing RRs. If it wasn't for CVS working well, I would've been really pissed today (excuse the bad language).

I set up a WAGS account for DH so we could get more Tide DQs, but I'm not so sure I'll go do another deal. WAGS wore me out today.

CVS 

I hit CVS before WAGS, so I was on a high by the time I got to WAGS

2 x Head & Shoulder $12.00
2 x Pantene hair spray 10.00
1 x Pantene mist 5.00
2 x Tresemme 10.00
3 x Schick razors 17.97
Less Tresemme Q (4.00)
Less 2 Schick Qs (8.00)
Less Schick DQ (4.00)
Less H&S DQ (3.00)
Less Pantene DQ (5.00)
Less 4/18 Hair care (4.00)
Less 4/18 Hair care (4.00)
Less Tresemme CRT (2.00)
Less H&S App Q (1.50)
Less H&S App Q (0.50)
Less EBs (18.97)
Tax 2.16
OOP $2.16

Earned $7 EB ($5 Schick, $2 Tresemme)

I had $20 EBs, but the store was out of Tide Pods (my last item to complete the spend deal with Pantene & H&S), so the register reduced the amount because my total was $0 before tax

Trans 2 (different store)

Tide Pods 4.94
Less Pods DQ (2.00)
Tax 0.30
OOP $3.24

I still have a $4.50 EB from last week, but I didn't want to lose another $1.50 when it gets adjusted down, so I just paid cash

Earned $10 EB (Spend $30 get $10)

Should also get $3 Beauty EB

You'll notice that I post drugstore deals later in the week. That's because I print or add my digital coupons later. It's good for 7 days from the date it's printed or sent to card. They issue new DQs on Sunday, so you can double dip 2 week's worth of DQS/CRTs in one transaction (like I did with the hair care one)

DQ and CRT is the same thing. Well for the most part. If you don't send your digitals to your card, then it will print the next time you visit the coupon machine (CRT). If the machine doesn't work, then it will print on your store receipt (hence the name Cash Register Tape).

To recap CVS

OOP : $5.40
Earned : $20 EB (including beauty)

So here's my drugstore totals for the week.

Total OOP : $16.76
Total Rewards used : $43.97
Total Earned (rewards + cash back) : $52.80
Total Coupons used : $64.00
Retail value : $167.54
Number of items purchased : 26

Will submit all my receipts to PG. I have enough for another $5 gc.

For those of you who coupon, do you cringe when you see the actual retail price? I always get sticker shock, because I just can't believe how expensive things really are at the drugstores. DH is one of those people who would just go pay full price, because they want to be in & out of the store in no time. Silly man. He's learned to ask me first if we have an item, before just running out to pay those rip off drugstore prices.

Drugstore shopping week 7/12/20

Well, this week didn't quite go as planned, because of the Dial bar soap deal I was planning to do. Also, the All detergent that's on sale this week, is being declined by Ibotta. Also our newspapers are up to that same coupon insert crap again. The main newspaper only has the RMN insert and the other one only has the Smartsource insert. A paper costs $3 around here. Way too much for just one insert, but I needed those All qs. Despite all this, I still managed to score some good deals.

This morning I got the ads & tomorrow's SS insert in our driveway. This came from the same newspaper that only carries the RMN in their paper (insert eyeroll).

WAGS (I went to different store on different days, because the All q is a limit of one)

Trans 1

1 x Revlon kiss balm $4.99
1 x Revlon kiss balm B1G50% off 2nd 2.49
1 x Snuggle 2.99
1 x Eraser caps 0.49 (I needed a filler item to get my total to $10 so I could use points to pay)
Less Snuggle Q (1.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 0.66
OOP $0.62

Earned $4 RR (Revlon)


Trans 2

2 x All detergent $5.98
Less All q (1.00)
Less All DQ (1.00)
Less BR Points (4.00)
Tax 0.36
OOP $0.34


Trans 3

1 x Revlon kiss balm $4.99
1 x Revlon kiss balm B1G50% off 2nd 2.49
1 x Snuggle 2.99
1 x All detergent 2.99
Less Snuggle Q (1.00)
Less All Q (1.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 0.81
OOP $2.27

My $4 Revlon RR didn't print, so the manager added $5 points to my account. I don't know why she always gives me extra points, but I'm not complaining.

CVS

I wasn't planning on doing any CVS shopping, but realised I had $6 EBs expiring today. I also read about the Colgate MM deal, so off to CVS I went

2 x All detergent $5.98
1 x Dunkin Donuts 4.99
2 x Colgate t/p 6.98
1 x Veggie chips 2.99
Less All Q (1.00)
Less All DQ (1.00)
Less Whitening t/p DQ (3.00)
Less Whitening kit DQ (3.00)
Less Freebie veggie chips App Q (2.99)
Less EBs (9.00)
Tax 0.33
OOP $1.28

Earned $4.50 EB and should get 25c DD from Ibotta

The whitening qs applies to any brand toothpaste that says whitening on the package.

I noticed that I'm running low on regular DD coffee (I still have those huge decaf containers). I was gonna buy a big pack at Sams earlier this week, but didn't want to spend $18 OOP. So glad I didn't, because I got my coffee for much less. Can't beat this price!

Total OOP : $4.51
Total Rewards used : $33.00
Total Earned : $13.75
Total Coupons used : $15.99
Retail value : $87.54
Number of items purchased : 16

For those who shop at WAGS, there's a good Tide deal next week 7/19/20

Buy 3 Tide, earn $5 RR

2 x Tide liquid $9.98
1 x Tide pods 4.99
Less Tide Q (PG 7/5) (2.00)
Less Tide DQ (2.00)
Less Tide Pods Q (PG 7/5) (2.00
OOP $8.97
Earn $5 RR, which basically makes it $3.97 for 3 items

When there's a limit of ONE on a paper q, you CAN combine it with a DQ. Both qs will be applied when you purchase 2 items. However, you cannot use 2 identical paper qs in one transaction

Yeast anyone? & my big stockpiling shopping trip

This week I decided to do a big grocery stock up. After seeing the half empty stores at Meijer and DH telling me that Harbor Freight also had bare shelves, I started getting nervous. Now I understand that Harbor Freight is probably waiting on imports, but I just wanted to be sure we have everything in case of further food shortages.

I was so very happy to find yeast at both Meijer & Walmart. I haven't seen yeast in stores in 3 months, so I grabbed a jar and one strip at Meijer. I went through 12 items self checkout and had other items in my basket, so I couldn't add more. Then I went to Walmart and saw more yeast strips, so I grabbed 4. On another trip to Meijer, I grabbed 4 more strips. We are now good on yeast for a very long time. However, I can't find bread flour anywhere. No biggie, because I have lots of AP flour. The bread flour bread just tastes better than AP flour to me.

Darn, I thought the Dial Bar soap is part of this week's WAGS sale, but it turns out it's just for body wash. Thankfully Meijer has the Dial soap for Buy $12 save $3 instantly, so I got 3 x 8pks. I might go back and get more before the sale ends tomorrow.

I hit Sams after 11 am on Wednesday. I told DH I want to go before the lunch time crowd hits. Well, everyone else had the same idea. The store was packed! It looked like everyone was stocking up on food. Sams had lots of store brand t/p, so I grabbed another pack. Before I was done shopping, half the t/p was gone. Most shoppers had a pack in their carts. I guess nobody wants to be in the boat of running out of t/p again. Can't say I blame them. We now have 3 x 45ct packs. I feel so much better now.

I also grabbed a 12pk (160ct boxes) Sams brand tissues for $10.98 this was $3 less than the Kleenex brand at Sams. The Kleenex boxes were 110 ct too. No way am I paying more for less tissues. The drugstores are out of tissues & Meijer had low stock, so I figured it's best I stock up while Sams still has a good supply. P/t is much harder to find around here, but we don't use it much (DH mainly uses it for work). Even Sams was out.

I was very happy to find my non GMO chicken breast. I picked up 3 packs (15 lbs total), because they only had thighs the last time I was there and I don't care for thigh meat. When I got home, I used 5lbs to make fajita chicken (we use it for all our mexican dishes. they're best on quesadillas) and divided the rest into freezer portions for future use. I trim the fat, wash the chicken (something my mother instilled in us), then slice or dice it (depending on whether I want strips or cubes). Now I can just pull from freezer, thaw and use.

I also bought 2 x 42 ct slices Munster cheese. They haven't had Munster in over a month and it's the only cheese I use for Mexican dishes. I'll just freeze one pack.

I spent over $350 between Sams, Meijer & Walmart this week, but I'm not worried about that. We are now all set for at least 4-8 weeks, before I have to go shopping again. We'll only have to fill in the eggs, milk and produce from time to time. I might still use $20-30 per week, to stockpile whatever is on sale.

When I went to the produce market 2 weeks ago, I found 2 x $2 clearance boxes of apples (I'm talking about over 120 apples). Happy dance! We've made fresh squeezed apple juice and also sugar free applesauce in the crockpot. I still have a full box of apples left, so we'll juice some more and make apple pie and bran apple muffins. I'm always happy to find those boxes, because they last a long time.

I've also been dicing and freezing onions and peppers. Waiting on my garden to start producing tomatoes & peppers. We've been enjoying all our fresh grown cilantro. So yummy! Now I don't have to worry about running to stores (minimizing our exposure) nor worry about possible food shortages.

The good thing about this pandemic is that DH never once complained about our stockpile. I've seen him stockpile a few items too...lol.  Imagine that! It took a pandemic for him to realize that the wife ALWAYS knows what she's doing...lol

Stay safe & healthy everyone!

Old Spice & Pantene wasted

I sure as heck don't need any more Pantene, but who can resist free Pantene when CVS keeps giving me good Pantene CRTs?

Trans 1

2 x Gillette razors $15.98
1 x Venus razors 7.99
1 x 360 Cotton swabs 3.19
Less 2 Gillette qs (10.00)
Less Venus q (3.00)
Less cotton swabs q (3.19)
Less EBs $9.97
Tax 1.38
OOP $2.38

Earned $8 EB (razors)

I handed cashier a $10 EB and there was $1 (quarterly reward) on my account that applied too. So my total should have been tax only. For some strange reason the register adjusted my $10 EB to $8.97 and had me pay $1 + tax OOP. What on earth?

CVS has had a freebie on the app every day this week. The cotton swabs was Thursday's freebie. Wednesday they had 360 Apricot scrub (freebie q is valid for 2 days only), but I couldn't find it anywhere. There will be new freebies starting tomorrow again, so be sure to check the app to add your items.

Trans 2 (went to a different store, cause mine didn't have the Pantene mists

2 x Pantene Conditioning mist $10.00
3 x Pantene oil 15.00
1 x Pantene protector spray 5.00
1 x Tide Simply 2.94
2 x Physician's formula lipstick 16.98
Less 2 Pantene qs (10.00)
Less $2 Pantene CRT (2.00)
Less $2 Pantene DQ (2.00)
Less 3/12 Hair care DQ (3.00)
Less 4/18 Hair care DQ (4.00)
Less Tide Simply q (2.00)
Less Physician's formula CRT (4.00)
Less EBs (23.92) I think I gave cashier $24 CRTs, but that's okay
Tax 1.98
OOP $1.98

Earned $20 EB ($10 Pantene, $10 PF)

Also earned a $3 Beauty EB

Submitted my receipts to PG and earned another $5 GC

If you figure in all the coupons and rewards, you'll see that my Pantene alone was a MM. I don't know what the heck I was thinking buying lipsticks, cause masks are mandatory in our state. Duh! I'm gonna have to wear some pretty lipstick in the house...lol

The Tide Simply was on sale for $2.94 this week, so $0.94 if you have the q. It's weird. I bought 2 papers on Sunday and neither had the Tide qs. I also get PG & RMN inserts in the mail and that one had Tide qs. Very strange.

WAGS

4 x Old Spice b/w 27.96
Less OS DQ (5.00)
Less BR (20.00)
Tax 1.68
OOP $4.64

Earned $10 BR and $5 Ibotta

Then I read that the bigger Old Spice bottles were part of this sale too and the beauty event started on Thursday (spend $25 on beauty, earn $7 BR). I also had a 5 bonus WYS $25 DQ.

Round 2

2 x Old Spice (larger bottles) $13.98
2 x Old Spice 13.98
5 x Highlighters 1.00
Less OS DQ (3.00)
Less OS DQ (1.00)
Less RRs (9.00)
Tax 2.74
OOP $17.70

Earned $27 BR ($10 OS, $7 Beauty, $5 Booster, $5 for making 3 trips over $10) + $5 Ibotta

I also received a $6 WYS $30 CAT.

Also submitted my receipt to PGgood

Today I went to my local WAGS to do the Old Spice deal again

3 x Old Spice (large bottles) $20.97
1 x Old Spice 6.99
2 x Kleenex B1G50% off 2nd 2.98
Less 2 OS qs (2.00)
Tax 1.86
OOP $30.80

Earned 32000 BR Points ($10 Old Spice, $7 Beauty booster, $5 WYS $50 Beauty, $10 CAT)

I had a $6 WYS $30 CAT from yesterday. The CAT machine was low on ink, so the cashier had trouble scanning it today. So the manager comes over and issues me $10 BR points for the $6 CAT. Whoo-hoo!

I don't usually buy small Kleenex boxes (because they have half the amount of tissues than the regular boxes), but it was the best filler item I could find to get my total to $30. WAGS paper aisle was cleaned out. It's like someone decided to stock up on tissue and t/p.

Also submitted to Ibotta for another $5. I was surprised to see it reset so soon.

Yes, I spent quite a bit OOP at WAGS this week, but it's the only way for me to take advantage of the Beauty event. The $7 Beauty DQ can be used over & over again, until it expires on the Saturday. It's normally good Thursday - Sunday (once a month).

Here are this week's drugstore totals :

OOP : $57.50
Coupons used : $54.19
Rewards used : $62.89
Rewards earned : $92.00
Cash back & gcs earned : $20.00
Number of items purchased : 32
Retail value : $197.18

To sum it all up :

Total Spent (cash + rewards) : $120.39
Total Earned (cash back + rewards + gc): $112.00

CVS doesn't look good next week. I'll have to see what CRTs I get tomorrow to decide if I should do any shopping. I really need to get my behind to RA. I still have a $8/40 mailer q.

I'm planning on using all that BR Points to stock up on detergent and bar soap at WAGS next week. Let's hope they have enough inventory.

This week's stockpiling items.

On Wednesday I headed to Meijer to do some stockpiling shopping. I don't know if it's just my store, but half the shelves were bare. And I'm not just talking about cleaning products like Lysol & paper towels. I've seen open spaces in the food sections too. This is rare for Meijer, because they are a big grocery store. Bigger than Walmart, because they carry a larger variety of grocery items and brands. I sure hope this isn't a sign of things to come again. I'm hoping they just haven't received their trucks this week yet.

I decided to use my $12 reward to do the PG Beauty CAT deal first (spend $20 get $5 CAT). Then use the CAT to pay for my groceries

Trans 1

1 x Crest $2.99
3 x Pantene 11.07
2 x OS Spray 10.38
Less Crest Q (1.00)
Less Crest Store Q (1.00)
Less Pantene Q (5.00)
Less 2 OS Qs (4.00)
Less Mperks rewards (12.00)
Tax 0.69
OOP $2.13

Earned $5 CAT + $2.50 Ibotta (Old Spice Spray)

Trans 2 (these are just the items I stockpiled. sorry not everything is pictured)

6 x Taco Seasoning B1G50% off 2nd $3.37
2 x Lentils 2.98
2 x 5lb Flour 2.38
2 x Whole wheat spaghetti 2.38
2 x Bleach 5.98
1 x 4lb Sugar 1.59

Buy 5 Save $5 (price is after discount)

5 x Raisin Bran 8.95
2 x Frosted Flakes 3.58
1 x 24 pk Coke 5.99
Bottle deposit 2.40
7 x Salad dressing 5.53
Less $5 CAT (5.00)
OOP $40.13

Earned $3.10 Ibotta ($1.10 Frosted Flakes, $2 Raisin Bran). At least that's what I should have earned. Ibotta only credited me for 3 cereals, so I've submitted a ticket

I never knew that there was coleslaw salad dressing, so I'm excited to try that. Then again, we don't eat coleslaw much. I now have 4 packs of flour (2 still left over from the holidays, because I don't bake during summer).

I can't find whole wheat pasta at Walmart and it's the only kind of pasta we eat, so I'm stocking up at Meijer whenever I can get a good price.

I tried making my own taco seasoning before and it was horrible. I googled a recipe (I usually try ones that have best feedback on Allrecipes), mixed it together and it was way too bland for us. So back to the Hot Ortega we go. I sure miss the days we used to get this for free or pennies after coupons.

I'm not upset about the amount of money spent, because we didn't need much this week. I bought a few other things and my total was still almost half of our regular grocery budget.

Getting back to regular grocery shopping

Since the pandemic started, I've only been grocery shopping (our budget includes food, HBA & cleaning) every fortnite, to limit the amount of time spent at the stores. This has resulted in us spending far less than our usual grocery budget. I've also been able to stockpile little bits at a time.

With the huge increase in recent infections, I've decided to switch gears. I plan on using our regular weekly grocery budget and stockpiling whatever I think we might need. I want to be as well or even better stocked than we were, when this whole mess started. So I need to make a list of things that I think we'll need and check what we already have stockpiled.

I've been keeping an eye out for any Bonus & Deluxe size items. I found these Pretzels at Dollar Tree. They are $1 for 9-10 oz. A 16 oz bag costs $2.89 at Walmart. So 2 bags (18-20 oz), still cost less than a bag at Walmart or other grocery stores. You bet I'm buying these whenever I'm at DT...lol The sticks don't expire until August 2021. Occasionally they'll have Deluxe size grocery items, so be sure to check your store whenever you're there. You never know what you might find.

I've also found these bonus size Rotel cans at Walmart. I have to admit that I was not too crazy about the Walmart brand canned tomatoes. So when I saw the bonus size Rotel, I grabbed 4 cans. I should've bought more, but I'm not a shelf clearer. I'll be checking whatever grocery stores I'm at, to see if they carry these. They still cost $0.95 - $1.00 (price may vary by store).

I definitely need to replenish my baking supplies, especially yeast. I was blessed to have lots of flour & yeast left over from the holidays. I had purchased 10 x 5lb bags to do holiday baking for a party. Turns out I didn't need as much, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. So sugar, flour & yeast it is. I still have lots of oil left too. I love Meijer's holiday baking sale. However, we don't know if we'll see any of those sales this year. I need to find some airtight storage containers for the flour & rice.

I've been grabbing bleach & vinegar whenever I'm at the store. I use both for cleaning. I used to clean with a water/vinegar/dawn mix, before Rona. Now it's water/bleach/dawn mix. Sometimes the bleach is too strong and burns my eyes, so I switch to the vinegar mix. I have it in spray bottles, so it's easy to use.

Disinfectant wipes are still as scarce as chicken teeth. I did manage to grab 4 tubs at WAGS online, when someone posted about it recently. The item showed as OOS, but when you clicked on the pic, it showed stock. After receiving my first order, I tried to place another one, but now WAGS seem to be completely out. I do check every store whenever I'm out shopping. We still have a few tubs, but who knows how long the shortage will last. We only use the wipes when we go out. I keep one in my purse, because half the stores don't even have cart wipes. I don't want to touch that spray bottle (that everyone & their mother have touched) that they leave at the entrance to sanitize your cart.

I've been doing well stocking up on laundry detergent. I'm keeping an eye out for those babies at the drugstores, so I don't have to pay an arm & a leg. I can't believe those tiny bottles cost $7.49 at the drugstores! Now I know that there's folks who pay full price for it, but I'm not one of them. I pay no more than $3 per bottle (not including rewards I use to pay). It used to be $2, but I haven't seen that sale price since the pandemic started.

We have plenty t/p. I have 2 x 45ct Sams packs and a few more Scotts ones. That's enough t/p for a year. I will grab more at Sams when I see it in store. I see many of my fellow couponers go crazy stoking up at t/p at the drugstores. I've done the math & Sams paper are hands down the cheapest & the quality is of the best. So if you have a Sams/Costco/BJs membership, be sure to check their store brand t/p price.

I definitely have to stock up on Kleenex. I had a bit of a panic when I went to grab 2 boxes from the stockpile last week. Our stockpile looked low and after counting, I realised we still have 20 boxes...lol. We do keep a box in every bedroom and at each desk. Then one in each of our vehicles. So it all adds up. I'm hoping there will be a good tissue sale in the near future. I need Vicks too (another thing I can't live without). I saw that Sams has the bigger jars, so I'll buy it there.

I've read that some people can't find dishwasher tabs. It makes me thankful that I bought all those Cascade bottles years ago. We are good for at least another 7 years. So if you need to buy dishwasher tabs/liquid, be sure to grab the liquid. It lasts 3 -4 times longer than the tabs (I've tracked how long it lasts and we can use one bottle for 6 months. That's by running the dishwasher once every day).

We still have plenty HBA items. The only things I'd need to replenish are bar soap & body wash for me.

I've been using some rewards to pay for groceries the past few weeks. I cashed out $75 Walmart gcs ($50 Ibotta, $25 Swagbucks) and went shopping at Sams last week. I was very happy to see no more meat limits, but they didn't have any non GMO chicken breasts. Their Jennie O ground turkey (80 oz) were $10 (usually $13.xx), so I grabbed 2 packs. I divided that into 10 bags, so it will last for quite some time. We eat one meal at least 2-3 times. It becomes so big, when you add produce to it.

I took most of our pop cans to Meijer and got back $17.xx that I used on a few groceries. Good thing I didn't haul all the cans, because they had a $25 limit per person.

I still have a $12 MPerks reward ($10 Tide/Bounce deal and $2 for spending $100 - this tracks with every shopping trip) that I'll use this week. They have Buy 5, save $5 and the Kraft salad dressing is 79c each. So I'll get those and some blueberries with my reward.

I love not having to spend much of our own money to shop. I told DH I'm gonna be bummed when all the rewards are gone.

Is anyone else stocking up on groceries (just in case) or am I the only one crazy enough to do this?

Please feel free to share any good items/deals you've found, so the rest of us can cash in on the deals too. We need to help each other prepare, in case things get bad again.

WAGS Round 2. A much better trip

I've read on my couponing group that the $1.29 Oral b toothbrushes & $1.99 floss qualify for the $7/3 Q. So I made a list and headed to the store. It's all on sale B2G1F. The toothbrushes are $1.29 each or $2/2.

Trans 1

2 x Oral B floss $3.98
1 x Oral B floss 0.00
1 x Oral B floss 1.99
1 x Oral B t/b 1.00
1 x Oral B t/b 0.00
4 x Oral B t/b 4.00
2 x Oral B t/b 0.00
1 x Tide Pods 4.99
2 x Tide Liquid 9.98
2 x Kit Kat 2.29
Less Oral B DQ (7.00)
Less Tide IP q (2.00) P&G website
Less Man Q (2.00) I don't know what this was, but I think cashier probably added the IP twice
Less RR (8.00)
Tax 1.56
OOP $10.79

Earned $5 RR (Tide) + $5 BR (WYS $25) + $10 BR (CS)

Here we go again. None of my Tide DQs  ($4) and $3 Crest/Oral B deducted. I showed it to my cashier on my phone, but she didn't know how to fix it. I don't know why I always have to teach WAGS cashiers how to do their jobs (insert eyeroll). I told her not to worry, that I would contact CS. So I did that when I got home and in under a minute, they added $10 BR to my account.  Whoo-hoo! I'll take the extra $3....lol

Trans 2

4 x Old Spice deodorant $20.00
1 x Garnier whole blends 3.99
1 x Milky way 0.88
Less OS DQ (6.00)
Less Garnier DQ (2.00)
Less RR (5.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 1.44
OOP $3.31

Earned $4 RR (Old Spice) + $5 BR (Beauty)

I threw in the candy as filler items, so that I know my RRs wouldn't cancel my DQs. I wanted to be sure there were enough items to cover the number of Qs I used. DS is only too happy to eat the candy (he already ate a Kit Kat before I could take pics..lol).

Total OOP $14.10
Total rewards used $23.00
Total rewards earned : $29.00
Retail value : $74.26

I also submitted my receipt to PGrewards. So far only one receipt credited and it seems I'm not getting credit for all items. It doesn't show which receipt it was and I don't know how to have this fixed, nor do I have the time to waste. I'm just happy I'm getting extra gcs just for doing my regular shopping.

I should set up a separate WAGS account for DH, because that Tide is a good deal. With another account, he can get those DQs too.