Roller Coaster Halloween with CVS & Walgreen's

Wow! What a roller coaster day! Please be praying for the Brashear family as they lost their 8-year old daughter, Anna, to complications of leukemia today. She was diagnosed less than two weeks ago. Her mom told me today that her passing was God's way of keeping her from suffering. She also said to give your kids extra hugs every day.

We've also had a lot of fun today. It was Rangers Day at church so we all wore our Rangers t-shirts. Then the kids put their costumes on for their cousin's birthday party, our church's carnival and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this I stopped by CVS and Walgreen's. I had an $8 Register Reward to Walgreen's that expired today so I had to use it. Here's what I did there:

Transaction #1
Zarbee's Cough Syrup - $5.99
Cotton Balls - $1.59
     Wags Cpn - $.60 off
Nail Polish Remover - $1.79
     Wags Cpn - $.80 off
M&Ms - $.59
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.46
     Register Reward - $8
     Total OOP - $.46
     Register Rewards Earned - $6

Transaction #2
Febreeze Flameless Candle - $11.99 (25% off)
     Febreeze Cpn - PG mailer - $4.00
Febreeze Flameless Refills - $5.49
     Febreeze Cpn - Buy Candle, Get Refills Free - PG 10/31 - $5.49
M&Ms - .59 (needed one more item to use my RR)
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.68
     Register Reward - $6
     Total OOP - $2.68

It was a little more than I expected, but still great. Online the candle was only $11.25 and I didn't think about needing a third item so I spent $1.23 more than I planned. Oh well!! Here's what I did at CVS:

Transaction #1
Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush - $4.99
     Oral B Cpn - PG 10/31 - $3 off
Total: $1.99
     ECBs - $2 (changed down to $1.99)
     Total OOP - $0.00
     ECBs earned - $2

Transaction #2
Bounce Dryer Bar 2 pack - $3.99
     Bounce Cpn - Vocalpoint mailer - $2.50 off
Rice Krispies Treat - $.99 (the shelf said $.69, but I didn't check it and was charged $.99)
Total: $2.50
     ECBs - $2
     Total OOP - $.50

I hope you all have a great week!

Top Ten Halloween Candies

Here's a list of ten of the most popular Halloween candies. We've added the amount of candy that will equal 100 calories. How much will you eat??

10. Tootsie Rolls - 2 small rolls

9.  Dum Dums - 4 suckers

8.  Popcorn Balls - 1 ball

7.  Smarties - 4 rolls

6.  Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins - 1/2 pumpkin

5.  Dots - 9 dots

4.  Fun Dip - 2 sugar packs and 1-1/3 sticks

3.  Nerds - 1/2 box

2.  Candy Corn - 15 pieces

1.  Mini Snickers - 2 pieces

Diet Myths Revealed

In this world of gimmick exercise equipment and fad dieting, it's very difficult to know what is "the best" way to lose weight and keep it off. It is also hard to know who to listen to and believe. Here are a few examples of some dieting myths that are out there.

1.  Skip Meals to Lose Weight. Fact: Skipping any meal can cause your metabolism to slow down. You want the "fire" to be continuously stoked. Skipping meals is like letting that campfire die down. Never skip meals, especially breakfast; it is the most important meal.

2.  Fad Diets Work. Fact: Fad diets rarely work and are usually too hard to stick to. Most people will lose weight initially, probably because they are simply doing something different. But, because most fad diets cut something (whether fat, protein or carbs) once it is reintroduced you crave more of what you have been missing.

3.  Eating All Day Boosts Metabolism. Fact: Eating small meals throughout the day can keep your metabolism at a higher level. But the danger here is eating too many calories all day. If you are going to eat six meals throughout the day they must be small. For example, if you need to eat 1800 calories to lose weight, breakfast, lunch and dinner should be around 400 calories each and the three snacks need to be around 200.

4.  Never Eat After 8PM. Fact: It isn't when you eat, but what and how much. Fat won't collect overnight. Your metabolism will take care of you, even at rest.

5.  Certain Foods Can Burn Fat. Fact: No food can burn fat. Some, like caffeine, can speed up metabolism for a short time. The only way to burn fat is to put on lean muscle and increase your activity level.

As always, the best way to lose weight is to cut your calories and be more physically active.

CVS & Walgreen's 10/17/10

Well, last week I shopped some at Sam's and a lot at Kroger. I spent almost double what I had been spending lately, but this week all I needed to buy was bread and milk. There were a couple of good deals at CVS this week and a lot at Walgreen's. At CVS I planned to buy 6 things of Mentos gum, a hand sanitizer that CVS sent out a free coupon for and a bag of candy because I was going to have overage with the gum and needed to buy something so that they didn't owe me money. They were out of the gum, so here's what I did:

CVS Hand Sanitizer - $1.99
     CVS coupon - $1.99
Bag of Fun Size Skittles - $2.50 (Regular $4, shelf price said $3, not sure why it was just $2.50)
     CVS coupon when I scanned my card at the door - $1
Total OOP - $1.62 (I had planned to use a $2 ECB that I had, but the cost was not high enough)

At Walgreen's I didn't think I would be able to find anything, but I actually found it all. The only thing that didn't work out the way I planned was that she had to lower the value of my coupons so that I did not get any overage. It was a difference of $1. Here's what I did:

Transaction #1
Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment - $2.59
Nivea Men's Body Wash - $2.50
     Nivea - 10/17 SS - $3/1 (adjusted down to $2.50)
3 Campbell's "Cream of" Soups - $1.59 each
     Walgreen's Ad - $.79 each
     Campbell's Printable - $1.50/3
Caramel Candy - $.33 (because I had more coupons than items, I think)
     Register Rewards from last week - $1.50 and $1
     Total OOP - $1.29
Register Rewards Earned - $2.60

Transaction #2
Mucinex Nasal Spray - $7.99
2 Ricola Cough Drops - $1.00 each
     Walgreen's Monthly Coupon Book - $.50 each
     Ricola - 10/17 SS - $1/2
2 Coffeemate Creamers - $2.49 each
     Walgreen's Ad - B1G1 Free
     2 Coffee-mate Printables - $1.50 (adjusted down)
     Register Rewards from Trans #1 - $2.60
     Total OOP - $5.59
Register Rewards Earned - $8.00

So, considering Register Rewards and cash, I was out $1.38 for all 11 products. I'm pleased with that! Plus, it gives me a good start on any deals next week with my $8 RR.

Be on the lookout tomorrow for some deals with Swagbucks. It sounds to me like they will be doing something special for anyone new that signs up. I'll keep you posted on my Facebook. Have a fabulous week!!

Just Say No

Childhood obesity is at an epidemic level. Why do so many kids eat unhealthy foods and so much of it? Why do so many kids sit around and do nothing? Why are so many kids being diagnosed with childhood diabetes? Because parents cannot say "no" to their children. Parents need to stop treating their kids like their best friends and treat them like what they are - KIDS! We wouldn't let them play on the highway or do dangerous drugs, so why do we let them eat whatever they want and play video games and watch TV for hours. Let's make a change! Here are some suggestions:

1. Take family walks. What better way to talk and bond with our children than to walk or ride bikes with them.

2. Give them chores that are active. If they are old enough, have them mow the lawn, wash the car, sweep, mop, etc. Again, make it a family activity.

3. Limit TV, Internet and Video Games. Limit them to 1 or 2 hours per day; whatever you feel is best. Another way to do it is to make deals or trade-offs. One hour of activity for every hour of the other things. We need them to be active!

4. Include them in your workouts. If you do any exercising at home have your kids take part. They will learn from your example. If you don't exercise, start! If you show them how important it is to you, it will start to become important to them.

5. Do a "walk pool". If it is safe, have a group of kids in your neighborhood walk or ride their bikes to school together.

The bottom line is that it is the same for them as it is for us: burn more calories than you eat. They need to eat less and move more!

Coupon Survey

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