Thanksgiving (& CVS!)

Happy Thanksgiving!  (A few days late, I realize.)  We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a married couple at my parents' house with some good time with family, a great Thanksgiving dinner, and even a bonfire!  As CVS is new to us this year, we were blown away by the sales this past weekend!  My sister & her boyfriend even both got a CVS card & started learning the ropes.  You can see below what we came home with (between all three of us):

Because there were three of us making transactions, we went through the line so many times that we even returned later in the day to take the cashier some gingerbread.  It was the least we could do after being "those customers" in the morning.  

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving as well!  And... come back tomorrow to see some super easy, fun Christmas ornaments that we've made today.

Fireproof

I know this movie has been out for a little while now, but seeing as how I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in the theatre (was it really 2 years ago??), I thought this was still pretty timely. :) All I have to say about this movie, is if you are married, or ever want to get married, you should go see this movie. That's it - just go see it!

If you're at all like me, you might cringe at the rising price of movie tickets and the inevitable disappointment of the show you see. Check for a coupon in your Entertainment book, if you have one, or go to a matinee for slightly cheaper options. This movie was much more real, a whole lot less cheesy, and definitely more challenging than I had anticipated. So, if you're looking for a date night that will challenge you & your signifcant other to dig a little deeper, give this movie a shot! I don't think you'll regret it!!

CVS Thanksgiving Deals!

These deals are amazing!! Make sure you get to your store early before they're gone. I checked the store near where we'll be for Thanksgiving, and they said they have normal operating hours, 8am til 10pm.

The deals below are the best way that I could divide up my current ECBs plus the ECBs that I will receive in order to have the lowest out of pocket cost. Hope this helps you figure our your transactions! And... have a very happy Thanksgiving!

(If you're looking for the regular weekly deals this week, check out my other post here. The items below are just on sale Thursday-Saturday this week.)

Transaction #1:

$6.99 - Universal remote (Earns 6.99 ECBs)
$7.99 - Titanium Schick Quattro Trimmer (Earns $6 ECBs)
$4.47 - (3) Gatorades (1.49 each) (Earns $4.47 ECBs)
$3.79 - Sally Hansen Nail Polish (Earns $3.79 ECBs)

Total before coupons & ECBs: $23.24

Coupons to use:
-$4.00 Schick razor, December All You magazine
-$1/2 Gatorade G2, CVS Beauty Book coupon
- $17.98 ECBs from previous trip

Total after coupons & ECBs: $.26 (plus applicable tax)
Earns: $21.25 ECBs ($6.99, $6, $4.47 & $3.79)

Transaction #2 (this is a pretty large transaction - you may want to break this into smaller ones):

$8.99 - Complete contact solution (Earns $8.99 ECBs)
$2.99 - Colgate toothpaste (Earns $2.99 ECBs)
$3.99 - Playtex sport tampons (Earns $3 ECBs)
$5.69 - Johnson's Softlotion (Earns $5.69 ECBs)
$5.99 - Bic Soleil Razor (Earns $5.99 ECBs)
$6.99 - Loreal lip gloss (Earns $6.99 ECBs)
$7.99 - Covergirl liquid makeup (Earns $7.99 ECBs)

Total before coupons & ECBs: $42.63

Coupons to use:
- $1.50 Colgate toothpaste found here
- $1 Playtex found here
- $3 Bic razor, newspaper insert
- $1 any Covergirl makeup, newspaper insert
- $21.25 ECBs from Transaction #1
- $14.49 ECBs from a previous week

Total OOP: $.39 (plus tax)
Earns: $41.64 ECBs!!

Transaction #3:

$2.99 - Colgate toothpaste (Earns $2.99 ECBs)
$1.00 - King-sized Hershey's bar...yum! (Earns $1 ECBs)
$5.98 - (2) Aussie products (2.99 each) (Earns $5.98 ECBs)
$5.99 - Bic Soleil Razor (Earns $5.99 ECBs)
$6.99 - Loreal lip gloss (Earns $6.99 ECBs)
$5.99 - Covergirl pressed powder (Earns $5.99 ECBs)
$5.99 - Garnier Nutrioniste Cleansing Towelettes (Earns $5.99 ECBs)

Total before coupons & ECBs: $34.93

Coupons to use:
- $1.00 Colgate toothpaste, newspaper insert
- $1.00 any Aussie product, newspaper insert
- $3 Bic razor, newspaper insert
- $1 any Covergirl makeup, newspaper insert
- $28.66 ECBs from Transaction #2 ($8.99, $5.69, $5.99, & $7.99)

Total OOP: $.27 (plus tax)
Earns: $34.93 ECBs!!

CVS Deals: November 23-29

This was one of my best CVS trips ever due to a really nice manager! I have no idea if these deals will work everywhere, but it's definitely worth asking about - especially to grow your ECBs before Thursday!

(If you'd like to check out some scenarios for the sale Thursday-Saturday of this week, check out my other post here.)

Transaction #1:

$8.99 - Complete contact solution (earns $8.99 ECBs - so free!)
$3.49 - Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste (Monthly deal - free after ECBs)
$.88 - Candy Canes (filler that I also just wanted)

Coupons used:
-$1.00 when you buy 2 toothpastes, newspaper insert
- $15 ECBs from previous trip

Total after coupons & ECBs: $.91

Earned: $12.48 ECBs ($8.99 & $3.49)
(NOTE: According to my receipt, the Crest toothpaste limit is 4 - I thought it was 5. If you haven't reached this limit of 4 you'll earn $3.49 more ECBs than I did.)

Transaction #2:

$8.99 - (2) Maybelline Liquid Mineral Makeup

I had brought just one makeup up to the counter & the manager then informed that the makeup was on sale buy one, get one free. So, I grabbed another one, and he rang it up. **UPDATE: A friend also tried this & let me know that this did not work for her. Apparently, it's not really buy one get one free - I apologize if any of you tried this.**

Used $8.99 ECBs from Transaction #1

Total OOP: $0
Earns: $17.98 ECBs!! (apparently the makeup limit is 2)

Newlyweds' First Christmas!

As Christmas is very quickly approaching, we're starting to think of some ways that we can make our first married Christmas special, while also beginning to think of traditions we'd like to keep for the years to come.

For now, we've been doing a little bit of shopping for a few Christmas decorations. Both of us love the idea of decorating our house for the season, and I think this will be a fun tradition for us for years to come. I can't wait to put up a few pictures of our results!

Also, come back within the next week to find a super cute, cheap, and easy ornament idea!! We're getting the supplies to make these & I'll show you how neat they are soon. :)

For now, what is one special memory you have of your first Christmas as a newlywed? Please share... I'd love to hear ways you make your holidays special! And if you haven't had that first married Christmas yet, what is something you're looking forward to?

Works for Me Wednesday: Being Intentional

My husband & I are like most of you: busy! We've had lots of conversations about how to manage our time better, how to get things done more quickly, etc, etc. Sometimes this can be draining, and might even wear us out just talking about how we'd like to be more efficient at the everyday things in life.

So, what worked for us this past week was getting out of the house, getting some coffee, and having great conversation! We were amazed at how much better our conversation was when we could focus our attention, not being distracted by the clutter on the kitchen table or any number of other things.

I think we both knew that being intentional was important for our relationship - but we were definitely made aware of the importance again this past week!

Go here for more great tips at Rocks in My Dryer, or check out my previous Works for Me Wednesday posts.

Long Time, No Post

I'd like to apologize for my extended, unannounced absence. Let's just say that grad school, a new marriage, new city, and normal life have all kept me rather occupied the past couple months. That said... I plan to be around a bit more regularly... don't give up on me please! :)