Sense to Save

CVS deals for January

When I was in CVS yesterday (burning all my extra care bucks!), I asked the store manager if the January extra care booklet was out yet. It was, but the prices aren’t valid yet (gotta wait until Jan. 1).

He gave me a booklet, and I’m going to list a few of the better-looking monthly deals:

-CVS toothbrush with tongue cleaner — pay $2.99, get $2.99 in ECB back. Limit 2.

I don’t know how long this sale is going on (either three days, or all week? anyone know?) but CVS-brand products are buy one, get the second half off. So, perhaps you could buy two toothbrushes, spend about $4.49 out of pocket, and get $5.98 in ECB back. Let me know if this works, anyone!

-Assorted Reach toothbrushes will earn $1 ECB, limit 2.

-Dial complete foaming hand soap 3-pack $6.99, get $2 ECB (I tried to find some online printable coupon for these, but had no luck). I like the foaming soaps because when they run low, you can add water to them and really extend the life of them. At about $2.33 each, it’s not bad, but not a good deal if you don’t need soap. Limit 5 (though who in the world needs 15 foaming soaps?)

-Johnson’s “softlotion” with “softwash” (so, 11-14 oz of lotion, 12 oz. of softwash. It looks like a bundled package) $5.97, get $2 ECB. $1 off printable coupon here. Limit 5.

If you need toothbrushes, lotion and bodywash, you could get the two CVS toothbrushes (for either $5.99 or $4.48 total, not sure); and the Johnson’s softlotion for $4.97 with your printable coupon.

That puts your total at $10.95 or $9.45, depending on how the toothbrush deal will go.

If the toothbrushes make your total $9.45, you’ll need an extra .55 purchase so you can use $2 off $10 purchase coupon. Grab a candy bar or something.

Out of pocket, you’ll spend about $8. You’ll get $7.98 in extra care bucks back, good on your next purchase. Don’t forget to give the cashier your extra care card before or during the transaction! You won’t get these deals without it.

Remember, it’s only a good deal if you actually need these products!

What other deals at CVS have you discovered for the month?

Update: I just saw that Angie has posted a quick primer on how to do CVS. It’s concise and tells you everything you need to know! She regularly showcases some great deals, so you’ll want to subscribe to her blog for sure.

The frugal lifestyle: It’s so hot right now

The latest issue of Redbook arrived in my mailbox last week (it’s one of my favorites, and I get it on a super-discounted subscription, woo hoo!).

One of the cover stories is called “Live well on le$$” (the title of the article within the mag is “Spend less have more” by Christine Larson).

Is it just me, or is living a frugal lifestyle totally trendy right now? Maybe I haven’t noticed in the past, but I seem to be reading more articles in magazines and newspapers about ways to save money and live frugally. This is awesome! More people need to be exposed to the importance of frugal life.

One woman interviewed in the story lives in New York City and is now debt-free, after paying down $100,000 in debt. She says, “People are embarrassed to be frugal. We’ve been trained that it’s not cool to be cheap. Buy why should you pay full price if you don’t have to?”

Exactly. This woman, Kathy, now runs a great web site, thebudgetfashionista.com.

The magazine article features ideas you all know and probably use (find discount coupon codes before buying something online, places you can expect to haggle on prices, how much money you’ll save if you cut X habit from your budget, using The Grocery Game, etc.)

I was glad to see the article, because I’m hoping that someday soon, frugal living will be even more of a goal for people. To me, it’s a great alternative to living above and beyond your means, ya know?

The Better Budget 2008 Challenge!

When I look at my bank account and at my buying habits, I think I was reasonably frugal for 25 percent of 2007.

That 25 percent–yeah, definitely happened toward the end of the year. I’d like this year to be much more frugal than the last.

I’m still new to frugality, and I want to become even better at it in 2008.

To hold myself more accountable and to encourage others, I’ve decided to create a challenge: The Better Budget 2008 Challenge! Woo hoo!

Here’s how I’m envisioning it (subject to change):

I’ll focus on an overall theme to tackle each month. Each theme will relate to areas of the budget we can improve.

In January, we’ll work on establishing an overall budget, for example. Other months, we’ll focus on grocery, entertainment, clothing, etc.

On Mondays (starting Jan. 7, once people start to get back in the swing of things), I’ll issue a challenge for the week. Some weeks will be easier than others, but all will be for improving our frugality and evaluating new frugal ideas.

If you’d like to participate, blog about the challenge in the “before” sense (I’ll post questions and ideas to guide you). You’ll have all week to give it a try.

Then, on Fridays, we’ll blog about how it went, including reactions on how well it worked for you, if you’ll continue with the particular frugal habit in the future, ideas for improving it, etc.

I’ll use a “Mister Linky” so we can see how everyone is doing and offer support and ideas.

I know my overall description for this challenge is vague. I hope by the end of the first week, it will make more sense.

What do you think? Do you think you might want to participate here and there? Ideas for improving it?

I’m looking forward to a frugal 2008, and I hope you’ll join me!

Start thinking about your current budgets now! We’ll be revamping them/setting them up in the coming weeks.