CVS Deal

I've got the fever! I've been surfing all the blogs boasting of great deals at CVS and I couldn't resist. I've been shopping the Extra Care Bucks for a few weeks now but this week was the first one that resulted in them owing me money. I had to add a pack of gumballs to my order to bring it out of the negatives (the boys loved that). Here's what I got...

• Colgate toothpaste $1.88 - 75c coupon ($1 ECB)


• Fusion Phenom razor $9.99 - $4.oo coupon ($6 ECB)


• 2 Kleenex tissues $2.19 - B1G1 free

I used my $10 ECB from last week's purchases and got a -.45 total! I added a pack of gum balls to bring it to 23c out of pocket AND I have $7 in ECB to use next week.

Plant Rescue

I've got a black thumb. I'm notoriously bad at keeping plants alive. I've killed more than I'd like to admit before I finally gave up on plants. But a couple years ago, my mother-in-law, who also has a black thumb, gave me a couple potted plants. I guess she figured I could kill them just as quickly as she could and she wouldn't have the rotting remains in her house! So why am I offering advice on saving your plants for my very first WFMW?

Because the joke is on MIL this time. While one of the plants did die, the other one is living happily and healthily (is that word?) on top of my refrigerator. It's all about location, baby! That plant is still alive and prospering b/c it sits atop my freezer. Whenever I reach into the freezer to get ice, I just throw an extra cube or two in the plant! There's no need to add plant watering to my "to do" list. It requires absolutely no thought or effort... right up my alley!

What is that you're saying? You don't have a plant with which to practice your new found knowledge? Never fear... Lowe's will give you $10 off the purchase of any house plant if you take in this printable coupon. If you pick something that's less than $10, it's free!

Feeding ice cubes to the plant works for me... and my plant! For more Works for Me Wednesday, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Freebie Friday

Here's a couple of the best freebies I've run across this week. Just click the link to request them for yourself. It's easier to fill out the forms if you use your Windows Auto Fill feature!

Free full size Bottle of Clorox Clean-Up (coupon by mail)

Free full size Bottle of Coffee-Mate (coupon by mail)

Free sample of Quaker Simple Harvest

Free Can of Mighty Dog (short survey required)

Free sample of Aveeno Positively Ageless Lotion (short survey required)

Free Sample of Garnier Fructis 2+1 Shampoo/Conditioner (very short survey)

Wife of the Year

I must be the most wonderful wife in the world. I just copied all of dh's cds onto the computer so he can put them on his mp3 player. Although, I guess if I was really a wonderful wife, I'd buy him some cds from this millenium. LOL Now, if I could only figure out how to get his records saved on the computer... really.

Christmas Decorating on a Budget

We're having two Christmas trees this year. One is a 9ft family tree and the other is my brand new 6.5 ft., pre-lit, white tree, just for me to showcase our collection of White House ornaments. It doesn't sound very frugal, does it? Well, the brand new tree isn't exactly brand new. It's been in my attic for almost a year. I bought it for $7 after Christmas last year! I also bought the red and blue balls last year for 20c per box and the tree topper for 50c. The White House ornaments are an annual gift from Jeff's brother who lives in D.C. and the garland I bought years ago for the big tree but there's not enough. So, for about $8, I have a brand new completely decorated Christmas tree in my living room this year.

We also have brand new stockings, new Christmas cds, and two pair of Christmas socks. I'd forgotten about the socks so that was a happy surprise for me. I love funky socks. Start planning next year's Christmas decorations now, and you can save up to 90% by buying in January!

Don't forget to buy something fun to stick in with the Christmas stuff. You're going to want a happy surprise after dragging all that stuff out of the attic! :)

I don't know how Wednesday night church surprises me every week, but it just seems to sneak up on me. This evening was no exception so we were rushing around trying to get everyone clean before we left. That led to me putting Ryan in my shower while the littles took their baths in the boys' bathroom.


I was in the other bathroom when I heard Ryan moaning and whining in pain, "Owwwww, ohhhhh, this soap hurts." I assumed he'd gotten shampoo in his eyes and I rushed in there to help him rinse it out. That's when I saw the "soap" he was rubbing directly onto his body.

I've told him and told him to use a washcloth!!

Kroger

I do not care how cheap the chicken is at Kroger. I am not going back in there until they do away with those cars screwed on to the front of the shopping carts!! It seems ingenious at first! I really liked the idea. But, like a lot of good ideas, it doesn't actually work in real life.

As soon as we walk in the store, Matthew makes a bee-line for that car. "Oh great," I think, "That'll keep him happy while I stock up on chicken and buy some ridiculously overpriced dog treats." Evan squeezes in the car with Matthew. That's your first clue that this is not going to be a fun trip! LOL

First off, if you've never driven a car/shopping cart, you should know that they're HARD to steer. They're long and the wheels don't turn right. You can NOT make a 90 turn and trying to go around an end cap from one aisle to the next usually results in some display being toppled.

So, while I'm fighting this massive cart, Matthew is fighting with his brother. Evan is crammed in the car like a sardine and Matthew is hitting him. I'm not sure why. I never saw Evan do anything to him but Matthew is not the type of kid to hit without provocation.

I quickly loaded up 20 lbs of boneless chicken tenderloins and rushed to the register. The register aisles are just wide enough to get the car through them. It doesn't work unless you're going straight into the aisle. You can't be angled even a slight little bit. Did I mention that the car carts are long, hard to steer, and not aligned very well?

I'm glad my freezer is full of chicken b/c I'm not going back to Kroger... at least until we run out of chicken and they have another good sale!