why are deals always a battle? why?

So I decided to go to CVS tonight because I have $16 in ECBS that will expire next week. Looking forward to next weeks sales and Septembers deals I'm just not that hyped up. I have enough shampoo (as you read) body wash, soap, wipes, cereal, tampons, pads, feminine products, deoderant, cleaning products, band aids, excederin, gas-x, alavert, I can go on and on but basically enough to last a good year if I wanted it too. (okay maybe not the alavert but I have 2 boxes of the stuff) and I don't wear make-up so I've been buying some just to try different stuff because what I do have is so old I probably shouldn't be using it anyway. I also really love the $2 skincare coupon that ends tomorrow so I wanted to get in a few extra freebies.
So I had this whole plan. I got help from hot coupon world posting what I had too much of, that I had a $10 ECB and a $6 ECB and I try to leave with the same amount of ECBS I spent or more if possible. If they couldn't figure out any deal to get me the same/more than as close as possible. So together we came up with these two deals.

first transaction
okay I've got one.. my sister uses OB exclusively so I could give her these for Christmas.. I swore this weeks ad said limit one.. but oh well. (I saw later it's been changed to 2 and then I saw in the August ECBS that OB was limit 5)

ob tampons $2/9 give $5 ECB
$2/$10 coupon
$2 skin care (buy some skincare item around $2
use two $1.50 coupons I have
$1.49 kotex with $1 coupon gives $1.49 ECB
$6 ECB
not sure about OOP but I'll get back $6.49 ECB

I think my total OOP would be $5.49 without tax (and my stores insist I pay tax) I have a few $1 off CVS pantyliners so I could throw in at least one of those to get above.

Okay so this is how my first transaction ACTUALLY went. I get there and of course they have not one single kotex 16ct left (like the other stores) so I spend the entire time I'm there walking in circles around the store looking for one deal that would only cost a couple dollars and give me at least $1 ECB back.

So folks.. what do you think I wind up with? Well I'll tell you TAMPONS and of course I already have so many pads/tampons in my original 2 deals I wanted to do I wanted to puke. But this deal was $4.99 for a 40 count variety box so I could use my $2/10 and my $2 skincare coupon pay 99cents and get back $2 ECB. Sweet... so here is my deal.. oh yeah you gotta load the pictures on the computer before I can upload them to my blog.. duh!



2 ob tampons 2/$9 used two $1.50 coupons
1 CVS multiple pack $4.99 (did not come with the free pantyliners which I needed so bad wahhh just kidding!) used $2/10 and $2 skin care
1 CVS panty liner 99 cents used $1 off CVS pantyliner from scanner I got last week because the scanner wasn't working today DOUBLE BOO!!
$6 ECB total OOP $1.34 plus got back $5 ECB from OB and $2 ECB from CVS tampons

not bad, but I was (and still am) mad at myself because I had found another deal with red eyes I think the product was $4.99 and I had a $4 coupon at home that I looked at just minutes before I left for CVS did not put it in my coupons, so I didn't have it for this deal once I realized I could have used it.. and now I can't find it!! ughh that was a super long run on sentence (breath)

transaction 2
I had not done the Zipfizz deal yet so it was suggested I use that with a stayfree. I was worried that the stayfree would not work considering I had done it once this week already, but then I saw it had been raised to 2 per CVS account. but then I was worried it wouldn't work because of the first OB transaction.. ughh so I just had to wing it.

2 Stay free 2/$9 used a BOGO coupon
2 Zip fizz $5.99 each
2 CVS hand santizers 5 ct 99 cent each used $2 skin care
$2/$10, $10 ECB, $6 ECB total OOP $1.73 earned $11.98 zip fizz.. DID NOT GET MY $5 STAYFREE ONE!

I had looked at the receipt after doing the OB deal and of course it says This Week's ECB offers Feminine care buy 2 get 5 EB *offer limite reached* with a 4 next to it. So I ask the cashier if my next deal will work and she makes some weird comment like "save your receipt" umm what? not sure. So I see other people coming up to check out so I duck over by a manager who was stocking and show him. He make a comment "this offer was only offered ONCE and you have 4 of course your offer limit is reached" so I calmly show him the August ECB book and *THIS* weeks ad and say I wanted to do the OB deal as my first transaction and the stayfree as the 2nd. So he says for me to call CVS if I don't get the ECBS because there is no way for him to look up my monthly ECBS and figure out what is what. okay.. whatever.

So of course I think they will be open late tonight and tomorrow.. yeah they close at 8pm I got home at 7pm then walked my dog and started making a pasta salad for a bbq tomorrow.. by the time I got upstairs to locate thier phone number.. they were closed.. saying "monday thru saturday 8am-8pm" great.. I gotta wait until Tuesday for that too.. more cell minutes burned up trying to fight for my deals! ughh I think I'm going to be doing the same thing with WAGS because my camera deal didn't go through.. ughh it did for other people not sure why not for me.

So while I was driving to Jewel I started thinking .... I used $19 in ECBS and got back $19 in ECBS but I should have gotten back $24 to make it a money maker. If I don't get the extra $5 in ECBS will I won't be out anything but the $3.07 I spent OOP but I do have all those products to give as gifts.. every girl is getting pantyliners, pads, and tampons for Christmas.. I don't care if you are 6 or 60! lol!

Okay so my next stop was Jewel. I needed a few extra items so I could make this Island style macaroni salad. I already had the pasta, eggs, pickles (to make my own relish), and some mayo but I needed more.



I found some really great deals at Jewel (plus everything else I needed). Here they are!
(sorry the picture is sorta fuzzy huh?)
a little fluffy purse on clearance for $2.50, comes with some make up and hair accessories and a car charger for my phone for $1, I decided to buy 2 considering my sister has the same phone as I do CHRISTMAS GIFTS! WOOT!

Okay so here is the process of me making the salad. I can't find the exact recipe on line so basically here it is.

1 16oz package of elbow macaroni cooked, drained, cooled
4 eggs hard boiled, grated
8oz crab meat
pickle relish
3/4 cup peas
2 green onions
2 stalks celery
salt/pepper to taste
3 cups mayo (I never use that much)

here is the finished product!


now it says to make at least 24 hours before and I know why.. the pasta literally soaks up all the mayo. It's amazing. I did not use 3 cups, I might have used a cup and half but tomorrow I'll probably put in another 1/2 cup just to bring out the creaminess before I serve it at the bbq wer are going to.