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Black Friday

It has been a very productive shopping week for me so far!! I am so impressed with all the deals that I managed to snag on Black Friday! My Mom & Aunt were going to pick me up at around 6:45 AM and then we would head to CVS. Instead, Noah decided to change my plans a little bit. He woke up at 5 AM ready to eat. I nursed him for about 30 min. and figured I might as well stay up and head out a little early. I made it to Best Buy by 6:05 and managed to snag one of the deals that was on my list. As I was in the drive-thru at Starbucks my phone rang. It was Shelia (my Aunt) wondering if I was ready to go. I told them I was already out and would meet them in about 10 minutes at my house :) I think they were a little impressed that I was already out since last year my alarm didn't go off and I woke up from them knocking on my door!!

We made it to CVS a couple of minutes before they opened. My Mom & Aunt wanted to see me in "action" since I tend to brag a little about my mad money saving skills lately. I had worked out my three scenarios earlier in the week (you can see two of them here). I was able to get everything that I wanted! To break it down - I paid less than $11 OOP and have over $35 in ECB's to use in the future. CVS definitely paid me to shop there on Black Friday!

After CVS we ran up to Kmart - they had their booster car seats BOGO Free (save $18.99), which was a fantastic deal! I did manage to find them and I also picked up a digital key chain for myself for only $9.99. The booster seats will be used for at least the next 5-6 years since once Logan outgrows them they will work for Noah.

When we were done at Kmart we went to Menards but the lines were horrendous so we left almost immediately. We then went to Sears. My Mom wanted to look at a refrigerator and I was hoping to upgrade my KitchenAid Mixer. They had the mixer that I wanted. I got the 4.5 quart one at an amazing price ($159.99!!) and got Mike some jeans for only $9.99 each.

That ended the most hectic part of our shopping morning. After stopping at a couple more stores we went and picked up Logan (he had spent the night at my Mom & Dad's - so he was hanging out with Grampy that morning) and then went to the mall to watch Santa's arrival. He loved watching the band play and seeing Santa in his sleigh. Sitting on his lap was another matter but that story is for a different day :)

After Santa's arrival I shopped a little bit more until about 2:30 that afternoon. I then went back to my Mom & Dad's where Logan & Noah were at (Mike had taken Noah to work with him for the morning). Noah was asleep and Logan was more than ready for a nap. I laid on the couch and fell asleep almost immediately. I needed a nap since I did have to work from 5:30-10:30 that night at the bookstore!

I think by far this has been the best Black Friday that I have done! I stuck to the list that I made (well mostly - I did buy myself two pair of shoes. But I blame Auntie for that! I never would have gone into that store if it wasn't for her!!)

So how did you fare? Did you go out and make some great purchases too??

We'll See If This Works

Here are my scenerios that I hope will work at CVS - they have a great ad for Black Friday. I'm planning to go Thanksgiving Day morning so I hope these things are in stock!

Transaction #1:
(1) Bic Soleil razor ($5.99)
-use $3 coupon
-receive $5.99 in ECB
(2) pack of Energizer batteries (about $20)
-use $1.50 in coupons
-receive $10 in ECB
(2) All detergent (B1G1 Free- $7.49)
-use $2 in coupons
Total: $34 + tax
-use $5 off $25 purchase coupon
-use $15 in ECB (from last week)
OOP: $7.50 + tax
Receive: $15.99 in ECB

Transaction #2:
(2) Aussie shampoos ($5.98)
-use $2 in coupons
-receive $5.98 in ECB
(2) Hershey's candy bars (B1G1 Free-$1)
-use B1G1 coupon
-receive $1 in ECB
(1) Bic Soleil razor ($5.99)
-use $3 coupon
-receive $5.99 in ECB
(1) Garnier towelettes ($5.99)
-use $1 coupon
-receive $5.99 in ECB
(1) Playtex tampons ($3.99)
-use $1 coupon
-receive $3 in ECB
(1) Schick Quattro ($7.99)
-use $4 coupon
-receive $6 in ECB
(1) Zest body wash
-use $1 coupon
Total: $35.93 + tax
-use $4 off $20 coupon
-use $15.99 in ECB from trans. #1
OOP: $2.94 + tax
Receive: $27.96 in ECB

So if by some miracle this is actually able to happen CVS should be paying me about $15 to shop at their store. I'll let you know if it works - wish me luck!!