Contact Information
If you have any questions or comments, or if you just want to share a great deal you've found, contact David or MaryEllen at:
We appreciate your interest in our site, and we sincerely hope that it is beneficial to you!
Saturday, December 30, 2000
Saturday, October 7, 2000
Monday, August 28, 2000
Homeland
Current Deals are posted by:
Christi's (2) Cents
Homeland coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Friday, August 11, 2000
Friday, August 4, 2000
Dollar General
Frugal Racing Fan Mommy
Dollar General coupon policy:
- do not accept internet coupons
- will combine/stack a Dollar General coupon and manufacturer
Shop Rite
Current Deals are posted by:
Sisterly Savings
Shop Rite coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Sisterly Savings
Shop Rite coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Tuesday, August 1, 2000
CVS Tutorial
Would you like to learn how to shop at CVS and get the things your family needs (like toothpaste, shampoo, razors) for FREE and even get extras to share with others?
Well, you have come to right place! I will attempt to explain the best I can how to use the CVS ExtraCare Bucks program to literally earn your family money by saving a ton of money!
First of all you need to pick up a CVS ExtraCare card at your local CVS store. It is a store loyalty card that tracks your purchases and also gets you cheaper prices than someone buying the same item not using an ExtraCare card.
It looks like this:
The main way you can save money at CVS is by using ExtraCare Rewards or bucks. ExtraCare bucks, or ECB's for short, are like CVS cash. They can be used to buy almost anything in the store (excluding stamps, alcohol, RX, gift cards). Your ECB's will print on the bottom of your receipt when you scan your CVS ExtraCare card and purchase a qualifying product.
Each week CVS puts out a weekly ad. You can find this ad in your Sunday newspaper, online here, or in your local CVS store. In this ad you will find all the things that are on sale that week as well as items that CVS is offering ECB's on that week.
For example this was in this week's ad:
So if you went into the store and bought the Revlon foundation you would pay the $9.99 out of pocket (plus tax), but you would get a coupon or ECB printed on the bottom of your receipt for $9.99 that you can use toward a future purchase. Sort of like an instant rebate check.
BUT if you already had ECB's that you earned from a previous purchase you would use whatever ECB's you had (let's say $10.00) to pay for the foundation, pay the tax of a few cents, and you would still get the $9.99 ECB's back on the bottom of your receipt. So now you have really gotten the item for FREE (plus tax) since you used your previous ECB's to pay for it.
Now in the scenario above you paid $10.00 for a $9.99 item. CVS will not give you change back for an ECB, you just lose it (they adjust the amount of the ECB down to the total of your order). So you would in essence lose a penny if you paid $10.00 when it only cost $9.99. But that is ok sometimes. In my opinion if I had a $8.00 ECB and a $10.00 ECB, I would rather pay with the $10.00 ECB and lose a penny then pay with the $8.00 ECB and then have to PAY $2.00+ tax out of pocket.
You can use any number of ECB's to pay for an order. If in the scenario above you had a $2.00 ECB, $3.00 ECB and $5.00 ECB you can use them all to pay. Like I said, ECB's are more like cash than coupons - you could use (10) $1.00 bills to pay so you could use (10) $1.00 ECB's to pay too! So treat them like cash - I guard my CVS coupon binder that contains my ECB's as much as I guard my wallet!
So the foundation that we talked about above was a FREE after ECB product and CVS usually has 1 - 2 FREE items each week. But they have many other items that produce ECB's each week that can turn out to be FREE or nearly free after you use a coupon on them.
Here's how:
The Softsoap bodywash pictured is on sale for $4.99 and will give you $4.00 back in ECB's. So if you paid with previous ECB's you would still pay $0.99 + tax for it. BUT there was a coupon for $1.00 off Softsoap bodywash in a recent newspaper insert.
So here is how your transaction would look:
Softsoap $4.99
- $1.00 manufacturer coupon
Total $4.00 + tax (pay cash or ECB's)
Get back a $4.00 ECB - so once again the item is FREE!
But it gets even better. Sometimes you can even earn more ECB's than you spend by combining a coupon and ECB deal (called moneymakers).
Here's how:
These Blink tears were already a "FREE after ECB item (FAECB)." But to make it even better there was a $3.00 coupon in a recent insert.
So your transaction would look like this:
Blink tear eye drops $7.99
- $3.00 manuf. newspaper coupon
Total $4.99+tax (pay in cash or ECB's)
Get back a $7.99 ECB!
So you would be earning $3.00 more in ECB's than you spent and get the item for FREE!
(Photos courtesy of iheartcvs.com)
Here are some tips to help you even more with your CVS shopping:
- Ask for rainchecks. If CVS is out of any item, even a ECB item, ask for a raincheck. On the raincheck they should write the event code(a small # code printed in the CVS ad next to the ECB item) on the raincheck so that when you buy the item later you will not only get the item at the sale price, but they will able to print the ECB for you as well.
- Watch the limits on ECB deals. The limit will be printed in the ad and on the shelf tag. If the item has a limit of more than 1 don't buy all the items in the same transaction. If you do, the ECB's for ALL of the items will print in one lump sum ECB. For example: if an item gives a $5.00 ECB and has a limit of 5 and you buy all 5 in a transaction you will get (1) $25 ECB! This is rather hard to use later if CVS has a slow week and you don't have a $25 total after coupons.
- "Buy $ worth get xx ECB deals". For deals like "Buy $20 worth get $xx ECB" you don't have to buy all the items in one transaction. Just make sure to go back and finish doing the deal! The bottom of your receipt will keep track of all your purchases for the week. So if you bought $8.00 worth it will say "amount toward reward - $8.00, amount needed to reach reward - $12.00." This is the same for "buy 2 get xx ECB". You don't have to buy both items in one transaction - just don't forget to buy the 2nd one later!
- Watch the bottom of your receipt. Not only will it keep track of your purchases like I stated above, it will also keep track of the limits. It will say how many items you have bought and if you have reached your limit yet.
- Scan your card at the Coupon Printer every time you visit CVS! If your store has a price checker/coupon printer, scan your card there to get valuable CVS store coupons! Especially on your first visit that week, you can usually scan your card multiple times until it says "No more coupons available." Also watch for CVS coupons to print on the bottom of your receipt.
- Stack your coupons if possible. CVS will accept 1 manufacturer coupon AND 1 CVS coupon on each item. So if you had a CVS store coupon for $1.00 of any deodorant and you had a manuf. coupon for $1.00 of Sure deodorant you could use both coupons and get $2.00 total off 1 Sure deodorant.
- Watch the expiration dates on your ECB's!! If they expire most stores will not let you use them and you are in a sense throwing money away! There have been times that I have had ECB's expiring and no good ECB deals to do. So I would just buy milk, or TP or something my family needed instead of letting that "money" go to waste! I try to keep my ECB's filed (in my small coupon binder) with the ECB expiring the soonest first so I know when I have to use it.
- Register your card at CVS.com. They will sometimes send you coupons like "$4 off a $20 purchase" and more in your email.
- Hand your coupons to the cashier in a certain order. If you have any kind of $ off coupon like $5/$25, etc. hand the cashier that coupon first. Then hand all your manuf. coupons and CVS coupons. I always then ask the cashier what the total is before tax (since my ECB's will not pay the tax) and I then combine and grab any ECB's that I have that can get me closest to the total without going over (unless it is only a few pennies over).
- Be nice to your store employees and cashiers!! I have 2 main CVS stores that I visit in my area and I know most of the employee's names and greet them by name as I come in the store. And they either know my name or know who I am (one store has a CVS hall of fame with pictures of great CVS shoppers and their coupon testimony posted and they call me "Hall of famer"!) I have to say, I have some wonderful CVS cashiers! I have shared diaper coupons and tips on how to do a really great deal or a hidden deal that week with them on multiple occasions. So, no groans as I come up to the cash register with my stack of coupons and sometimes even multiple transactions - they laugh and chat with me and try to guess how much I will pay for everything. It makes shopping at CVS so much more enjoyable and it also helps me uphold my Christian testimony!
I hope this has helped answer your questions about shopping at CVS and you are ready to give it a try!
If you have a question that I haven't answered, please either leave a comment or send me a email at centsiblesavings (@) yahoo (.) com.
Friday, July 28, 2000
Ingles
Current deals are posted by:
Centsible Savings
Ingles coupon policy:
1. They will double coupons up to $.50.
2. You may double 3 coupons with every $10.00 order.
3. They accept internet coupons except for free product coupons.
4. Only 2 like internet coupons may be used.
Centsible Savings
Ingles coupon policy:
1. They will double coupons up to $.50.
2. You may double 3 coupons with every $10.00 order.
3. They accept internet coupons except for free product coupons.
4. Only 2 like internet coupons may be used.
Harris Teeter
Current deals are posted by:
The Deal Scoop
Harris Teeter coupon policy:
1. They will double coupons up to $.99.
2. They accept internet coupons except for free product coupons.
3. They will not double internet coupons.
Harris Teeter coupon policy:
1. They will double coupons up to $.99.
2. They accept internet coupons except for free product coupons.
3. They will not double internet coupons.
Wednesday, July 26, 2000
Winn-Dixie
Current deals are posted by:
Homeschooling Four
Winn-Dixie coupon policy:
1. Some stores accept competitor's coupons. Check with your local store.
2. They do not double coupons.
3. Acceptance of internet coupons varies from store to store.
4. You may use one manufacturer's coupon and one store coupon per item.
Homeschooling Four
Winn-Dixie coupon policy:
1. Some stores accept competitor's coupons. Check with your local store.
2. They do not double coupons.
3. Acceptance of internet coupons varies from store to store.
4. You may use one manufacturer's coupon and one store coupon per item.
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
Safeway
Current deals are posted by:
Mommy Making Money
Safeway coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Mommy Making Money
Safeway coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Publix
Fiddledeedee! (Sarah has several Publix posts, so I've sent you to her homepage. Make sure you look at all of them!)
Homeschooling Four
Proverbs Wife
Publix coupon policy:
1. They accept internet coupons, except for coupons offering a free item.
2. You may use one store coupon and one manufacturer's coupon per item.
3. Some stores accept competitor's coupons. Check with your local store.
4. You may use two coupons on a BOGO sale.
Publix coupon policy:
1. They accept internet coupons, except for coupons offering a free item.
2. You may use one store coupon and one manufacturer's coupon per item.
3. Some stores accept competitor's coupons. Check with your local store.
4. You may use two coupons on a BOGO sale.
Marsh
Current deals are posted by:
Bargain Briana
Marsh coupon policy:
They will accept internet coupons, except for free product coupons or coupons valued at more than $5.00.
Bargain Briana
Marsh coupon policy:
They will accept internet coupons, except for free product coupons or coupons valued at more than $5.00.
Kroger
Faithful Provisions
Kroger coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Kroger coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Hy-Vee
Current deals are posted by:
The Grocery Weekly
Hy-Vee coupon policy:
Check with your local store, as the policy varies from store to store.
The Grocery Weekly
Hy-Vee coupon policy:
Check with your local store, as the policy varies from store to store.
Giant PA
Current deals are posted by:
Giant PA Coupon policy:
1. They will double coupons up to $.99 when you use your store card.
2. They do not allow overage.
3. You may only double one like coupon per day.
4. They accept internet coupons.
5. They do not accept internet coupons for free products or with a value of more than $5.00.
Giant Eagle
Current deals are posted by:
Giant Eagle coupon policy:
1. Most stores double coupons up to $.99.
2. They will accept 2 coupons on a BOGO sale.
3. It depends on your store whether they accept internet coupons.
Genuardi's
Current deals are posted by:
Moms Need to Know
Genuardi's coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Moms Need to Know
Genuardi's coupon policy:
Check with your local store as it varies from store to store.
Food Lion
Full coupon matchups posted at ClipperGirl's Savings Spot
Food Lion coupon policy:
1. They accept manufacturer's coupons
2. They accept internet coupons if they scan.
3. They do not accept internet coupons for free products
4. They accept their own store printable coupons, but these may not be combined with manufacturer's coupons.
5. They do not double coupons.
6. You may only use one Food Lion printable coupon per like item per transaction.
7. They do not accept competitor's coupons.
8. They do not give overage.
Food Lion coupon policy:
1. They accept manufacturer's coupons
2. They accept internet coupons if they scan.
3. They do not accept internet coupons for free products
4. They accept their own store printable coupons, but these may not be combined with manufacturer's coupons.
5. They do not double coupons.
6. You may only use one Food Lion printable coupon per like item per transaction.
7. They do not accept competitor's coupons.
8. They do not give overage.
Dillons
Current deals are posted by:
The Grocery Weekly
Dillon's coupon policy:
1. They double unlimited coupons up to $.50.
2. Any coupon over $.50 will "double" up to $1.00
3. They accept internet coupons.
4. They have coupons on their website that you can load onto your card. You may combine these coupons with manufacturer's coupons.
5. They will accept expired coupons up to 2 weeks after the expiration date.
6. They will only accept one coupon for both items on BOGO sales.
7. You must use your store card in order for coupons to double.
The Grocery Weekly
Dillon's coupon policy:
1. They double unlimited coupons up to $.50.
2. Any coupon over $.50 will "double" up to $1.00
3. They accept internet coupons.
4. They have coupons on their website that you can load onto your card. You may combine these coupons with manufacturer's coupons.
5. They will accept expired coupons up to 2 weeks after the expiration date.
6. They will only accept one coupon for both items on BOGO sales.
7. You must use your store card in order for coupons to double.
Acme
Acme coupon policy:
1. Double coupons up to $.99; no limit on number that will double.
2. They do accept Internet printed coupons as long as they have a scannable barcode.
Current Deals
Find the current deals for your local stores right here!
Whether your store is already listed or not, your input is valuable! If you publish the deals for your local store on a weekly basis, please email me at centsiblesavings (at) yahoo (dot) com, and I will add you to the list!
Grocery Stores
Acme
Albertson's (DFW)
Dillons
Food Lion
Genuardi's
Giant Eagle
Giant PA
Harvey's
Homeland
Hy-Vee
Ingles
Kroger
Marsh
Meijer
Pathmark
Publix
Safeway
Safeway NW
Shopper's Food and Pharmacy
Winn-Dixie
Drug Stores
CVS
Whether your store is already listed or not, your input is valuable! If you publish the deals for your local store on a weekly basis, please email me at centsiblesavings (at) yahoo (dot) com, and I will add you to the list!
Grocery Stores
Acme
Albertson's (DFW)
Dillons
Food Lion
Genuardi's
Giant Eagle
Giant PA
Harvey's
Homeland
Hy-Vee
Ingles
Kroger
Marsh
Meijer
Pathmark
Publix
Safeway
Safeway NW
Shopper's Food and Pharmacy
Winn-Dixie
Drug Stores
CVS
National Chain Stores
Dollar GeneralTuesday, July 18, 2000
Contact Me
Please contact me with any questions or comments, great deals you've found, or advertising inquiries. My email address is centsiblesavings @ yahoo . com (remove spaces). I look forward to hearing from you!
Wednesday, July 5, 2000
Hi, I am Christina! I love all things frugal - coupons, buying things secondhand, decorating my house on a budget, and frugal meals! I started writing this blog in April of 2009 because I wanted to be able to share with others how they can save money and live better!
I grew up in a very frugal home with a stay at home mom, who home schooled myself and my brother and sister, shopped at thrift stores for our clothes, and stretched our food budget by making many yummy homemade meals using eggs from our chickens! So being frugal was in my blood. :)
After getting married in 2003 to my wonderful husband, David, I tried to learn how to to manage our home and cook good meals while sticking to our grocery budget. I always used a few coupons at the store, but had no idea how much more I could actually be saving! In January of 2007, a friend challenged me to try out "The Grocery Game." I still remember my first shopping trip to Publix with my huge stack of coupons in hand. I think I skipped out of the store with my 7-8 bags of groceries that I had gotten for less $20!! I was immediately hooked and took on couponing and stockpiling with a vengeance. If my poor husband only knew what was about to happen – our pantry quickly became full, I found and purchased a second freezer that was filled in a matter of weeks, and our linen closet became a small drugstore! By that summer I had reduced our grocery budget of $80-100 a week (spent at Wal-mart) down to less than $50 a week (spent at Kroger and Publix) and I was getting more food and brand name foods for less money!
Along with getting great deals at the grocery store, I learned how to play the "drugstore game" at CVS. I literally get all the items that my family needs (shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, toothpaste, hair supplies, razors, and much more) for FREE at CVS.
As I shared with others my savings, they were anxious to learn how to coupon as well. I considered starting my own blog. But then Mary Ellen decided to step down from writing Centsible Savings, and it worked out perfectly for me to take over writing here! I really do enjoy blogging and love hearing from you, my readers!
In December of 2009, I was introduced to the world of Do-it-Yourself, Frugal Home Decorating blogs and I was seriously in LOVE! I am a homemaker at heart who loves to cook, bake cakes, entertain, and make our house into a home. BUT, I never knew the amazing things you could do with spraypaint, simple household items like coffee filters, and how you could make Goodwill/yardsale furniture look beautiful! This is when I started sharing my Décor on a Dime projects and it became an instant hit!
When I am not deal shopping or blogging, you can find me catching up my favorite décor blogs, taking trips/spending time with my husband, working on a DIY project around the house, baking/decorating a cake, reading, or serving at my local church.
I hope you enjoy reading! Want to keep up with the latest deals? You can subscribe by email, add Centsible Savings to your reader, or join me on facebook or twitter.
Have a question for me? Email me here.
Have a question for me? Email me here.
Wednesday, February 2, 2000
Couponing Basics
If you are new to "couponing" or just wanting to brush up on your skills, check out these tutorials on how to effectively use coupons to maximize your savings!
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