[howesmath]

Originally Posted by gettinrevvin2007 items like these, EXCLUDING FREEs? I realize prices will vary, but am trying to guage myself, on how well I'm doing, in comparison. Kraft Miracle Whip Kraft Parmesan Cheese Vlassic Pickles Manwich Paper Towels and any others you may wish to contribute. Thanks to the people in the CVS forum, I've learned to get my toothpaste, and toothbrushes for free, and I've gotten FREE razors. It seems just when I don't think I'll find cereal any cheaper, and buy it...then I find it cheaper. I'm trying to find better ways to save on the things we need often, like meat, and milk for instance...any way to SQUEEZE more out of the grocery $$$. TIA

I usually get Bounty Paper Towels at CVS free. Here's an example of what I do. The Softsoap is $4.49 and you get $4.49 back in ECB's. I can use the $8.99 Almay ECB that I got last week and buy 2 Softsoaps. I then use (2) $1.50/1 mf coupons for the Softsoap. So, now I have $3 to play with. I can buy a roll of Bounty Select a Size Paper Towels for $2.19 and use a $0.25/1 Bounty mf coupon and now I have $1.06 to play with. In the past, I would have bought a trial size Nuprin for $0.99 and a pencil for $0.25. They don't have the trial size Nuprin anymore, though. So, I look around for stuff on sale or I'll buy a trial size of something for $0.99. With this example, you get $8.98 back in ECB's. You've rolled your ECB's to use at another time and gotten stuff that you needed for free. If you have $/$$ coupons for CVS, this makes things even better and you can get more free stuff. This is how I get all of our toilet paper, tissues & paper towels for free. I often do the same thing for milk at CVS. It is normally $3.19 at CVS here, but goes on sale at least once a month for $2.49. I think that they sell Miracle Whip there and maybe the pickles and Manwich, too.

I buy Kraft products at Publix when they have them BOGO and are part of their JC Penney or Sports Authority promos. I buy Vlassic Pickles when they go BOGO at the store and use (2) $0.75/1 coupons on them. I've never thought to check to see if they sell them at CVS. For meat, I wait until it goes BOGO and stock up. If boneless skinless chicken breasts are less than $1.99 a pound, I buy them. If I can find wt's, I use them, but the NWPN wt's for meat in Florida have been few and far between lately. Last year, there was a $2 off any Hormel product NWPN wt and I would buy the marinated pork loins when they went BOGO. They would be 2 for $9.99 when they were BOGO and I'd use (2) $2/1 wt's to get them for $2.99 each. I miss those days. Keep your eyes out for wt's whenever you go grocery shopping. I always look. 2 summers ago, I found $2 off any ribs and $2 any meat for the grill (what meat can't you put on the grill?) NWPN wt's. You never know what you are going to find. Some wt's can be used for deli meat, too. I've had wt's for any chicken, any turkey or any ham that I've used at the deli for sliced ham, turkey or chicken. Boy do I miss those meat wt's.