Another Visit to CVS This Week

This afternoon I decided to take another stroll through CVS. Some of the items that were out of stock yesterday have been replenished. Some...but not all. Here is what I got this time around:

Transaction 1

(1)CVS 15 pack erasers $0.99 get $0.99 in ECB

-$1.00 in ECB from yesterday

=$0.07 OOP (tax only)

Transaction 2

(1) CVS index card holder $0.99 get $0.99 in ECB

-$0.99 in ECB from transaction 1

=$0.07 OOP (tax only)

Transaction 3

(1) 100ct CVS push pins $0.99 get $0.99 in ECB

-$0.99 in ECB from transaction 2

=$0.07 OOP (tax only)

Transaction 4

(1) CVS index card holder $0.99 get $0.99 in ECB

-$0.99 in ECB from transaction 3

=$0.07 OOP (tax only)

Overall I only spent $0.28

...which was tax only!

My CVS Trip: How I saved 94%

This morning I hit up my local CVS to take part in the 3 day sale. I didn't really make out as well as I should have...many of the 3 day sale items were already sold out so I just got what I could and worked around it. I still did pretty good though. Here is what I got in 6 transactions:

Transaction 1:
(1) CVS Tampons (10 ct) $1.89 + get $1.89 in ECB
-$1.00 ECB from previous CVS trip
=$0.95 OOP (including tax)

Transaction 2:
(1) 4 oz. Colgate Advanced toothpaste $2.88 + get $2.00 in ECB
-$1.00 Manufactures Coupon
-$1.89 ECB from Transaction 1
=$0.07 OOP paid tax ONLY

Transaction 3
(2) CVS Compostion Books (100 sheets) $0.99 x2= $1.98 + get 99 cents in ECB for each!
-$2.oo ECB from transaction 2
=$0.12 OOP paid tax ONLY

Transaction 4
(3) Kashi food products 3/$10.00 + get $5.00 in ECB
-$1.50 (x3) manufactures coupons
(1) CVS cough drops (10ct) $0.50
-$1.98 ECB from Transaction 3
-$4.00 ECB from a previous CVS trip
=$0.08 OOP paid Tax ONLY

Transaction 5
(1) Twix Candy Bar $0.67 (used FREE coupon)
(1) Snack Pack Snickers bars $1.00
(1) Hawaiin Punch Singles 8 ct $0.49
(2) Aussie Hair Care Products (Shampoo + Conditioner $2.99 each + get $1.00 ECB
-$2.00 Manufacturers coupon
-$5.00 ECB from transaction 4
=$0.35 OOP (inlcuding tax)

Transaction 6
(1) 12pk Lipton Iced Tea 16.9oz bottles $5.99 + Get $1.00 ECB
-$1.00 ECB from Transaction 5
-$5.00 ECB from previous CVS trip
=$0.42 OOP (including tax)

In total I spent only $1.99 (including tax)

All in all, I would have spent about $31.40 all together If I used sales only (no ECB or coupons).
So I saved $29.41 OR about 94%

And, I still have $1.00 ECB to save for next week!

Giveaway Winner: Plum Island Soap Co.

Thank you to all of you who entered my Plum Island Soap Co. Giveaway! I used Random.org to select the winning comment number. Please be aware that comments are verified before a name is announced.

And the winner is.... Comment # 11...amanda said...

I entered your Sascha sews giveaway
oheeyore at hotmail dot com

July 20, 2009 12:55 PM

Congratulations Amanda! I will be contacting you via email shortly, you will have 48 hours to claim this giveaway or another winner will be selected!

If you didn't win this time, don't worry! I have plenty more coming!

Also, there is still time to enter Giveaway #1 HERE!

Get Your Free Samples Here!

BeingGirl Sample kit
SoftSheen-Carson Roots of Nature Deep Treatment Sample

Don't forget! My Plum Island Soap Co. Giveaway is ending in less than 3 hours!

SashaSews Coffee Cozie WINNER!

I used Random.org to select the winner for the Coffee Cozies generously offered by SashaSews!

The winner of the (2) coffee cozies is... Comment # 10...

"Minishoes1 follows sasha's blog entry 2"

Congratulations Minishoes1! I will be emailing you shortly, you have 48 hours to claim this giveaway or a new winner will be selected.

Just a reminder, my Plum Island Soap Co. giveaway ends tomorrow (Sunday, July 26th)!

Ashley's Allowance Makeover Madness

I am looking to revamp Living on Ashley's Allowance! I am looking to create a more user friendly, more organized blog. I am not all to computer savvy, so I am turning to you for help! For instance, I would love to create a relevant banner for Living on Ashley's Allowance (to include my button). I would also love to have tabs at the top or side of my page to redirect traffic, questions, and information in a more organized manner. I feel like a lot of valuable space is being wasted with the template I have now.

Can you, or someone you know- help me out? Any little bit of information would be ever so greatly appreciated! In fact, in return I would be happy to advertise, promote, or feature you (your blog or company) here on Living on Ashley's Allowance. In some circumstances, it would also be my pleasure to advertise you (your blog or company) on my blog with a LIFETIME advertisement!

I would also consider paying the right person for there time and efforts.

Interested in the slightest?

Please leave me a comment here or email me at ashleysallowance@gmail.com and I will get in touch with you as soon as possible! Thanks!

Extra Giveaway Entries!

I will scratch your back, if you can scratch mine!

Here is my proposal:

I have entered my little pup, Lyla, into the DoggieVogue July Photo Contest! All you have to do to vote for my Chihuahua, Lyla, is scroll through the list on DoggieVogue to find my name (Lyla will be in the parenthesis by my name). You may vote once per day. Each day you vote for Lyla come back to this post and leave me a comment saying you did so. For each time you vote and comment, you will receive an extra entry to Giveaway #1 (ends 7/31)! If the winner selected was a voter/commenter in Lyla's Photo Contest you will receive a special gift along with Giveaway #1!!

Thank you for your support!

Wild Wednesday: Weekly Stop & Shop Grocery Shop

This morning we went grocery shopping at Stop & Shop like usual. We kept our grocery bill rather low this week since we had stocked up on meat the week prior. We only used (4) coupons including:

• Cheerios: $0.55 off (1) box (on sale for $2.22 before coupon) Doubled*
• Eddys Ice Cream: $0.75 off (1) half gallon (on sale for $2.50 before coupon)
• BC Suddenly Salad: $1.00 of (2) boxes (on sale for 2/$3 before coupon)
• E.L. Fudge cookies: $1.00 of (2) packages (on sale for $2.99 ea. before coupon)

Coupon Total: $3.30 off total purchase

Our Total Before Savings: $60.06

Our Total Savings (including coupons): $19.62 or 34%

Total After Savings: $40.83

Online Shopping With CouponChief.com

Why bother wasting gas by going to the mall when you can find savings and better deals shopping online?! When I was house-bound with my broken foot for 3 months I began to dabble into the world of online shopping. I found that a lot of retail stores now have online shops where you can find online specials and sales that are not available in-store. Many of my favorite stores such as: Victoria Secret, American Eagle, The Body Shop, Walmart, and Target are all available online now! When you are at the checkout at many of these online shops (including all those I have listed) allow you to submit a promotional code/coupon code for additional savings. These codes can be for anything from free products- to 20% off- to a specific dollar amount off your purchase- to FREE shipping! Some of the online shops will allow you to use more than one coupon code and/or in conjunction with other in hand coupons that you can enter in online to boost your savings even more!

Where do you find these promotional coupon codes you ask?

Give CouponChief.com a try!

CouponChief's website is user friendly, has just about any store you can think of, and is loaded with user contributed coupons. CouponChief.com is FREE to join and offers the opportunity for you to make some money as well!

CouponChief has a Pays-2-Share program. Once you sign up for Pays-2-Share, you can upload coupons and make money when someone uses your code! CouponChief will give you 2% of those sales via check or Paypal, you decide!

Still not sure how it works? CouponChief has a Video Tutorial that will teach you everything you need to know!

Calling All Feature Friday Featurees!

I have received several comments about being featured on my blog for Feature Friday. I thank you all for your support! I have contacted those of you with visible email addresses. If you have not yet heard back from me and would like to be featured please email me at: AshleysAllowance@gmail.com OR leave me a comment on this post including your email address. If possible, please let me know what it is you would like to be featured in regards to. I will answer and post Features in the order I receive them.

Thank you so much!

Money Monday: CircutCity's $1000 a Day For 100 Days

(1) Winner EACH day will win a $1000 shopping spree at CircutCity.com!
This sweepstakes began on June 15th, 2009 and will close on September 21st, 2009.
You may enter once a day, every day!
Please visit the CircutCity.com website for official rules.
Here is a list of the winners as of today!
Good Luck!!

Plum Island Soap Company Giveaway!

I am a huge fan of the Plum Island Soap Company!

Plum Island Soap Co. has quite the selection of all natural body butters, hand butter, lip balm, baby products, body oils, shower gels, soaps, and more!

Here is a little snippet about Plum Island (as directly quoted) from the Plum Island Soap Company's Website:

"The Plum Island Soap Co. offers a full line of naturally scented soaps and more than 20 different skin care products for bath, beauty & baby. It's products are made from only vegetable-based ingredients, herbs, pure essential oils & minerals."

***GIVEAWAY!!!***

For (1) of my lucky readers I have for you:

• (1) bottle of Plum Island Soap Co. Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel (ARV $11.00)
• (1) jar of Plum Island Soap Co. Pink Grapefruit Body Butter (ARV $17.00)

This Plum Island Soap Co. giveaway has a total ARV of $28.00!

How to Enter (be sure to leave a comment for each entry you qualify for that includes your email address):

There are at least 7 different ways to win! Each bullet is worth ONE entry.

• Follow Ashley's Allowance Blog
• Follow AshsAllowance on Twitter
• Tweet about this giveaway (This may be done once a day for additional entries. please leave a comment for each and please include the link for it to count)
• Fan Ashleys Allowance on Facebook
• Blog about this giveaway (please leave the link in your comment)
• Grab the Ashley's Allowance button
• Enter one of my other giveaways (please include giveaway name in comment)

This giveaway will close on Sunday, July 26th at 11:59pm EST and a winner will be selected and announced sometime on Monday July 27th.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Good luck!!!

Please Note: This giveaway is not being hosted by Plum Island Soap Co. This giveaway is brought to you by my own pocket. I love their products & wanted to share them with you!

Feature Friday Failure

I once again missed posting a Feature Friday this week. My work schedule has been flipped around a bit and I just simply ran out of time. I promise to have a post up for next Friday! I do have a few people lined up, I am just slacking at pulling together the final product.

If you (or someone you know) is interested in appearing on Feature Friday, please let me know!

PhotoAmato Giveaway Winner!

I used Random.org to randomly select the winning entry to the PhotoAmato Photo Giveaway! And the winner is...

#1. Amanda from Amanda's Amusings who said:
"I like the Japanese Tea Garden!"

Congratulations Amanda! I will be emailing you shortly, please respond with your contact information within 48 hours (which I will pass on to PhotoAmato) or a new winner will be chosen.

And a special thanks to PhotoAmato for offering my readers a chance at this giveaway!

Giveaway Ending Today!

Just a reminder that the PhotoAmato Giveaway that I am hosting is ending TODAY (Friday) at 11:59pm EST.

If you have not entered yet, what are you waiting for?! ENTER HERE! It is quick and easy!!

I am new to Swagbucks. I have heard so many good things about it that I finally decided to give it a go! On Swagbucks you can earn by searching, shopping, trade-ins, inviting friends, and promoting! You can easily add a Swagbucks toolbar for easy searching and earning! Swagbucks works with google, so instead of going to google to search...go to swagbucks!

Also, you can earn swagbucks by paying close attention to the swagbucks blog and twitter feed for codes and/or contests!

The Swagbucks homepage is really helpful, it's pretty self explanatory...so check it out! Signing up is easy and FREE!

Wild Wednesday: Weekly Stop & Shop Grocery Shop

This afternoon when I got out of work we went grocery shopping. I feel like we didn't do as well as we could have. Although, I only had 5 coupons to use (all printable coupons actually). My coupons were:

• (2) $0.50 off 1 Nature Valley Dark Chocolate & Nut granola bars
• (2) $0.40 off 1 box Nature Valley Any Variety granola bars
• $1.00 off 1 bag New England Coffee

So, my coupons only saved me $2.80, but thats better than nothing I suppose. Stop & Shop had a promo for the Nature Valley bars (buy 4, save $4.00). That is why I chose to stock up on those, we won't have to buy more of them for a while. Some of the other items we purchased were not typical weekly items such as garbage bags and sugar. Therefore, these kinds of items brought our food bill up a little this week.

Total Before Savings: $108.40

Our Total Savings: $30.37

Total After Savings: $78.03

A Couple Coupons For You!

Before I forget, I want to share these coupons I found the other day!

• This is for a coupon for a FREE Venom Energy Drink

• Here is a link to receive coupons for your next purchase of Minute Maid Frozen Novelties

Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder-
The giveaway sponsored by PhotoAmato will be coming to a close THIS Friday, July 17th.

Also, the giveaway hosted by SashaSews ends on next Friday, July 24th.

And finally, my own Giveaway #1 wraps up on the following Friday, July 31st! (Be sure to look throughout my blog, I have offered extra entries through other posts as well!)

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Good Luck!

Sample Saturday: Viva Paper Towels

I apologize for not posting yesterday. Between work and household chores and errands, I just did not have the time to post a thing. It was supposed to be Feature Friday...and eeek! I did have someone lined up...I will need to contact them and see if I can still put up my post!

But today I am here and I have for you a FREE sample of Viva Paper Towels.

Feature Friday: Etsy Seller SashaSews & Giveaway!

Today I am pleased to feature Etsy Seller SashaSews!

SashaSews shop currently has many beautifully creative aprons, bags, purses, coffee cozies, and business card pouches.

I personally find SashaSews products to be of high quality and to be priced very reasonably.

Here is a snippit of background on Sasha from SashaSews:

• Sasha is a WAHM who has 2 sweet children, one is 2 years old and the other is 3 months old.
• Sasha admits to having a fabric addiction and loves to mix and match colors, patterns, and textures, etc.
  

If you want any bag (or cozy coffee collar), in any particular color or theme Sasha will do her best to find fabrics that are what you want!

Here are just a few of the photos of some of SashaSews work:



Finally, if anyone purchases from SashaSews store, having come through from Ashley's Allowance blog, Sasha will offer a 10% discount on purchase prices (excluding shipping). This offer will be open for 2 weeks from the date of this post, and you will have to mention Ashley's Allowance in the notes to seller - Sasha will then refund 10% of your purchase, through Paypal!

SashaSews is now on Twitter
and
SashaSews is also now on Facebook!

GIVEAWAY: Sasha over at SashaSews has generously offered a giveaway of 2 cozy coffee collars (in any colors) to one of my very lucky readers! The rules to enter are as follows:

Mandatory to enter:(1 entry)

• Go to SashaSews Etsy Shop and leave a comment here (on my blog) stating your favorite item at her shop!

Extra Entries (will only count AFTER Mandatory Entry is submitted.):

• Follow Ashley's Allowance blog and comment saying you do so (1 entry)
• Follow Sasha's Blog and comment here saying you do so (3 entries)
• Fan SashaSews on Facebook and comment saying you do so (1 entry)
• Follow SashaSews on Twitter and comment saying you do so (1 entry)

For each entry to count please leave seperate comments for each entry and please leave your email address so I may contact you if you are the winner! SashaSews Giveaway is open until July 24th at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen and contacted sometime on Saturday July 18th. Winners must reply within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected.

Wild Wednesday: Stop & Shop + CVS

Wild Wednesday it is!

Today while on my lunch break I scooted over to CVS to partake in a few sales I had my eye on:

At CVS I bought:

Chex Mix on sale for 2/3$ -1.00/2 coupon= $2.00
Lays Potato Chips BOGO - 1$ off 2 coupon= $2.99

Total BEFORE sales, coupons, or ECBs: $13.96
My Total (after coupons and sales) : $4.99
ECB: - $2.00
Total OOP: $2.99
Total Savings (with ECB included): $10.97 or 78% (I think?)

This afternoon we went grocery shopping at Stop & Shop when I got home from work. (We typically go food shopping on Wednesdays... so you will probably be reading about my food savings most Wednesdays.)

Stop & Shop

Total BEFORE Savings: $106.75
Total Savings: $40.44 or 38% (I think? correct me if I'm wrong!!)
Total AFTER Savings: $66.31 (Total OOP)

If you haven't already, enter my Giveaway #1 HERE!

Also, enter my PhotoAmato giveaway HERE!

Now on Twitter

I have finally created a Twitter account specifically for Ashley's Allowance! I wasn't going to...but then I figured it couldn't really hurt, right?! My Twitter name is AshsAllowance...simply because I couldn't fit AshleysAllowance...

You will see my "Follow Me on Twitter" button/link on the right sidebar underneath my trusty followers and my "Grab My Button".

Okay...So how about this...follow me on Twitter, and I will give you an extra entry in Giveaway #1! (Just make sure you come back to this post and leave a comment saying you did so!)

Again, just click on the "Follow Me on Twitter" button on the right sidebar of my blog!

I am excited! I won!

While this may not really fall under my Money Monday theme....but I feel I MUST share this with you!

I just won my first giveaway, ever!

I am so excited! The Kernel Season's giveaway I won was hosted by Nicole's Nickels! This giveaway includes: a bag of stovetop popping corn, three (3) bags of microwave popcorn, popcorn spritzer, and six (6) different seasoning flavors.

Nicole is always hosting fantastic giveaways at her blog, so definitely check it out!


If you haven't already, enter Giveaway #1 HERE!

Also, enter PhotoAmato's Giveaway HERE!

Savings Sunday: All You Grocery Challenge

I was not able to get out to grab a Sunday paper today, therefore unable to get my P&G coupons. While right now it is okay (because I am not in need for any of the products atm), but I will not have them to add to my coupon stockpile. Oh well.

A few days ago I did pick up a copy of All You magazine. I remember reading about it in a blog, but in this month's issue, they introduced a grocery challenge. The challenge is to spend $25.00 per person a week, for example a family of 4 would have a $100 weekly grocery budget. Only food items are included in the $25 budget (therefore it is okay if you spend more due to toiletries and household products). You can sign up until July 12 and the challenge starts on July 13, lasting 4 weeks! I am excited about it! My boyfriend and I would then have a weekly budget of $50 for food shopping which I think is doable as our last grocery bill was $77 and that included household products (paper towel, deodorant, and toilet paper). For us, I think it is totally possible and I am interested in how I will make out! If you are interested you can sign up at All You online. You could win a $1000 grocery card and a year's supply of Knorr side dishes!

If you haven't already, enter my Giveaway #1 HERE.

Also, enter PhotoAmato's giveaway HERE.

Sample Saturday: Hugo Boss Orange Cologne

Happy 4th of July!

Here is your free sample for Sample Saturday!

Hugo Boss Orange Cologne

If you haven't already, enter Giveaway #1 HERE!

Also, enter PhotoAmato's Giveaway HERE!

Feature Friday: Etsy Seller PhotoAmato

Welcome to my very first Feature Friday! I am pleased to feature Etsy Seller PhotoAmato:

Photographer and fellow Etsy shop owner PhotoAmato is celebrating her first year on Etsy. Lisa is the owner of PhotoAmato and shares this about herself;

“I was born and spent my early years in Niagara Falls, New York. I moved to Northern California as a teen and found that, even at that young age, I was in awe of the vast and diverse scenery. Now, along with my husband, two sons and Bella, my beautiful dog, we enjoy hiking, going to the beach, and anything that involves the great outdoors.

Living in the Bay Area, I am witness to this area's ability to traverse both the minute wonder of a ladybug resting on a sunflower petal to the overwhelming expanse of a Pacific sunset. Everywhere I go, an opportunity to capture a truly breathtaking moment presents itself; whether it be the rugged peaks of the Sierras, the almost surreal Northern California shore, or the opulent colors of the wine country.

It was the limitless beauty of the natural world that first inspired me to pick up a camera and, thus, began what came to be not just a casual hobby, but a passion for capturing the world around me through my camera's lens.

I am privileged to share my view of the world through my images. From abstract & architectural to vast landscapes & intricate close-ups, my hope is to inspire everyone who views my work to look for beauty in everything that surrounds us.

I am a self-taught photographer who has learned through trial and error, taking untold numbers of shots to find that one that is just right.”

Lisa’s favorite quote is; "A photograph is a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art." (Ambrose Bierce)

Besides a vast variety of art photography, Lisa also creates glass tile pendants and note cards with her photographs.

Here is a small selection of what she has in her Etsy shop:



I find that PhotoAmatos shop has a great variety to chose from and everything is very reasonably priced! I highly recommend you go take a look around at her STORE!

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!! Lisa at PhotoAmato has kindly offered a 5 x 7 print ($10 value) of 1 (very lucky) winner's choice! This giveaway will conclude on Friday July 17th, 2009 at 11:59 EST and a winner will be announced sometime on Saturday July 18th, 2009. To enter the rules are as follows:

**Each Bullet is worth 1 entry**

• Visit PhotoAmato's Shop and leave me a comment on this post specifying what print you would chose if you were the winner. (This is required to enter and must be done before submitting further entries).
  
• Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link in a separate comment on this post.
• Follow my blog. Leave me a comment letting me know you do so.
  

**For an entry to qualify you MUST leave me a comment for each one, separately.**
Please sign each comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Tasty Thursday: Simple Sangria

A few weeks ago I found a recipe for homemade sangria in a Real Simple Magazine (which I love!) It sounds delicious and I hope to try it out this weekend:

Hands-on time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Serves: 8

In a large pitcher combine:

• 1 bottle medium bodied red wine (Rioja)
• 3 cups aplle juice
• 2 thinly sliced oranges

Serve over ice.

Wild Wednesday: Aeries A-List Free Gift (July)

Aerie A-List members, don't forget to stop by and pick up your FREE 4 oz Shimmer Mist on any Thursday in the month of July! As you have probably noticed quantities are limited and the free gifts seem to run out within the first 2 Thursdays (or at least in my area)! Tomorrow is the first Thursday of the month so get it while it lasts!

If you are not yet an A-List member, what are you waiting for?! It is free and makes you eligible for special savings and of course a FREE monthly gift, every month throughout the year! Stop at a nearby Aerie store to sign up!


If you haven't already, sign up for Giveaway #1 HERE!

Update: Themes

I have changed my mind once again. I will not be doing Thrifty Thursday (that was only a tentative list to begin with). In its place will be Tasty Thursday. Tasty Thursday will include posts about recipes- inexpensive meals or treats and drinks too!

If you have a cost effective recipe you would like to share, please leave it in the comments on Tasty Tuesdays!


If you haven't already, enter Giveaway #1 HERE!

Wild Wednesday: Grocery Shopping

Today we finally got around to our weekly grocery shop. We went to Stop & Shop like usual and I feel like our list wasn't all too big this week. We still had a lot of meat in the freezer, so we only bought sausage (2.99 on sale) and Ball Park hot dogs (BOGO or 2/3.99).

Along with our receipt came a $2.00 off any ONE Morningstar Farms Burgers!

• Our total price before savings $115.74
• Our total savings: $39.28
• Tax paid: $0.92
• Our total AFTER savings (and tax): $77.38.

Therefore, overall we saved about 34% this week.
Which is not so hot, but definitely better than nothing.
What is the most you have saved on a weekly grocery shop?

If you haven't already, sign up for Giveaway #1 HERE!