Marathon Shopping Trips

I'm sure that we've all had those days when the routine shopping trip just seems to drag on and on.  : )  Shop till you drop . . . well my kid have dropped (all three are sound asleep) and I may be soon to follow!

We got out the door around 8:15 this morning (That's a good start.) and headed first to the gas station (car was on empty - kept waiting for it to start sputtering . . . but we made it!) and then to CVS. I had that $5 off any purchase of $15 to use by Sunday (tomorrow!). I also had $4/1 Huggies Jeans diapers (CVS coupon) and this week they were $8.99; next week they'll be $9.99. Anyway I figured I'd better head over there today.

The picture to the right is my first purchase. It's not very large, yet it took me over an hour to do my CVS shopping. Now in all fairness, I got a couple of rainchecks - Blink tears, Crest toothpaste, and Glide floss - and I did walk around the store and snap little pictures with my phone camera, so that when I got home I would be able to remember what items I saw that were "Bonus Day" deals (I should be updating the List soon.). Still . . . shopping just takes longer - soooo much longer - with kids! They had a great time. No they weren't begging me for stuff, it's just that we had to stop and hold a lengthy discussion on everything. We had to discuss why Isaiah could not ride in the cart - no room - and why Mommy therefore couldn't push two carts . . . (this is before we even got in the doors of the store). Inside wrapping paper, the isle numbers, diapers, and cat food all had to be "discussed" - just to name a few. The worst is when you start to hear your child say (in a not so quiet voice), "Mommy that lady in line in front of us needs to . . . " I think I successfully stopped that one in the nick of time! And then there is the touching. . . . When Isaiah was younger (and we didn't have two other little kids) he'd sit in the back of the cart - quietly. The grocery items all around him would remain mostly untouched. But somehow now that he has the freedom to walk (one of those forced freedoms since there is absolutely no room in the cart) he can't remember  - or purposefully doesn't - to keep his hands off!

So . . . while my kids had fun and I will have to do it again sometime (for their sakes - they love to get out with Mommy), at the moment I'm looking forward to not having to take them with me . . . for at least another week . . . 

My Day:

1. Gas Station

2. 1st Purchase at CVS

1. 
   
   1 Pilot pens 2 pk. $1/1 - $1/1 MFC = FREE
2. 
   
   1 Purex 3-in-1 $5.99/1 - $3/1 MFC = $2.99/1
3. 
   
   1 Huggies Jeans Diapers $8.99/1 - $4/1 CVS coupon - $2.50 MFC = $2.49/1
4. 
   
   4 SoBe drinks B1G1 ($1.69/1) - 2 B1G1 MFC = FREE
5. 
   
   Total $5.48 - $5/$15 CVS coupon = $0.48 + $0.05 tax = $0.53
6. 
   
   (Wish this was $0, but it was all I could do after that long with kids - used my gift card.)
7. 
   
   Earned $2 ECB from Purex

3. Toys R Us - We almost never go here. But since it was just the boys and me, why not. We went over the drill before we entered. "This is a toy store. What kind of store is this? You are not allowed to touch anything unless Mommy tells you that you may. What are you allowed to touch? Nothing, good. Unless Mommy tells you, right. Do not ask for anything! Can you ask for anything? No. We are not going to buy anything. Are we going to be buying anything? No, nothing." And so on. (My eldest - the 4 year old, he turned 4 this week - needs to be WELL prepared if he is going to succeed at this.) Guess I prepared them well. They were terriffic! My two older kids sat in the back of the cart (this one was big enough). I was able to walk down the isles at my leasure and when I saw something that I thought that they'd enjoy looking at a little closer, I'd offer to let them touch/hold it. This was met with exclamations of "Oh, thank you Mommy!" And they even did well when I told them we had to put it back on the shelf and move on. "Oh, yes Mommy!" So well in fact that I broke down and bought something . . . I spurged on Matchbox cars. $0.99 apiece - one for each of the two older boys. But I did use a gift card, so still no money OOP. (I know, I am SO cheap.)

4. Pet Store ? (I'd honestly never EVER been in any store like this one. It looked like someone had moved their junk into the building . . . In fact, I'm not sure that they sold anything. They did do dog or cat grooming - there was a cat there . . . think it lived there. I'm not sure how they break even, much less make a profit.) to redeem a coupon for a FREE bag of pet food - store stopped selling that brand (or any brand of pet food) about a year ago. Anyway - a learning experience.  : )  I learned that there is no reason to ever go back there.

5. Garage Sale (on the way home)

I spotted a sign for a garage sale that said "Gymboree clothes" and I thought that might be worth checking out. It was supposed to be right on the main road I take home - never found it. I did see another garage sale, stopped, and picked up the teapot pictured for $1.50. This is York (or something like that). It's what my mother got for her wedding. Growing up, I remember getting out the plate sets for company. (The teapot is bigger than it looks in that picture.)

4. 11:30 Home - I forgot to take baby bottles with me.

5. Rite Aid - 1st Transaction

1. 
   
   1 lg. box Pampers Diapers $19.99 - $4 (20% discount) = $15.99/1 - $3/1 RA coupon - $1.50/1 MFC = $11.49/1
2. 
   
   1 pk. Pampers wipes 72 ct. $3.69 - $0.74 (20% discount) = $2.95/1 - B1 Pampers diapers G1 Wipes 72 ct. free = FREE
3. 
   
   1 CoverGirl eye pencils (clearance) $1.44/1  - $1.44/1 RA coupon - $1/1 MFC = MAKE $1
4. 
   
   2 large Post It B1G1 50% off ($2.49/1) = $3.73/2 - 2 $1/1 MFC = $1.73/2 - $1/3 Post Its RA VV coupon (see more Post Its below) = $0.73/2
5. 
   
   2 small Post It B1G1 50% off ($1.49/1) = $2.23/2 - 2 $1/1 MFC = $0.23/2
6. 
   
   Total $11.45 - $5/$25 RA coupon = $6.45
7. 
   
   Earned $1 +UP Reward from Post It
8. 
   
   Earned $2 +UP Reward from Pampers

6. Rite Aid - 2nd Transaction

1. 
   
   2 Pantene stylers $7/2 - $2 RA coupon - 2 $1 MFC = $3/2
2. 
   
   1 AMO Complete $7.99/1 - $1/1 MFC = $6.99/1
3. 
   
   1 Purex 3-in-1 (it's in the wrong picture - see above) $5.99/1 - $3/1 MFC = $2.99/1
4. 
   
   1 Booth's Shea Butter Cream $6.29 - $1.26 (20% discount) = $5.03/1 - $6 RA coupon = MAKE $0.97
5. 
   
   1 Booth's Apricot Body Lotion $7.29 - $1.46 (20% discount) = $5.83 - $6 RA coupon = MAKE $0.17
6. 
   
   Total $11.84 - $5/$25 RA coupon = $6.84 - $3 +UP Rewards (from above) = $3.84 - $7.99 SCR #51 from AMO Complete - $2 SCR #76 from C. Booth - $2 SCR #77 from C. Booth = MAKE $8.15
7. 
   
   Earn $3 + UP Reward from Pantene
8. 
   
   Earn $1 + UP Reward from Purex

7. Dollar Store - Bought 3 Pittsburgh Post Gazettes = $3

8. Back to CVS - Picked up 4 more SoBe drinks (B1G1) using 2 B1G1 coupons = FREE

9. Made it home for the afternoon - and lunch - and the boys naps around 1:30.

10. I actually make it back to Rite Aid for one more trip on Saturday. I don't have time to detail it all out tonight - I'd be glad to do that tomorrow if someone wants to know . . .

But let's just say - I didn't have to use any +UP Rewards on this transaction and my total OOP was $0.11!

And, I earned $1 +UP Reward from Windex.

So total OOP for the day (Gift Cards don't count - 'cause those I earned -ie. FREE) $14.90. I earned $11.99 in SCRs which Rite Aid will send me at the end of the month in the form of a check I can cash at my bank. And I earned $2 in ECBs (CVS) and $5 in +UP Rewards (Rite Aid) that I can roll into deals next week.

My monthly drugstore budget (when all is said and done) is $0. I met that this week because $14.90 - $11.99 = $2.91 The newspapers come out of my monthly grocery budget. I bought 3 newspapers at $1/1. I also bought a teapot at the garage sale. So technically, the money I made at RA will pay for my new teapot and will cover a portion of this week's newspapers. (I do plan on picking up 2 more tomorrow.)