I usually get scowls from the cashier's at CVS when they see all my coupons, but the cashier today was pretty nice and surprised.  She said, "What a bargain shopper - that's what I'm talking about!"  That made me feel like I wasn't robbing the store!

With that said, here are some of my awesome buys:

Kashi - 2/$5 (had 2 coupons - $2/1, so they were $0.50 each)
Cottenelle TP (Tom's favorite) - $4.99 (special sale, $0.25 coupon)
CVS Cotton Swabs - $3.19 (2 ECBs back)
Mascara - $7.99 (7.99 ECBs back)

In addition, I used a $3 off purchase of $15 or more and $11 ECBs.  Total saved: $27.43.  Total Paid: $2.92!!!

The best is that I didn't burn into my ECBs - I pretty much recouped the amount spent and still have 8 left over from my previous trip.

In the afternoon, Tom and I went to the Manayunk Arts Festival.  Some of the art was nice, but very expensive.  Some of it was just plain weird.  We didn't buy anything except water ice.  It was great to go just for a change of scenery and the freebies.  Got free ice cream, Stonyfield yogurt and all of this cat food!  Matty, Molly and Rusty will be feasting for a while!

Oh, how I love CVS and look forward to my trips!  I was actually having a not so good morning at work and I went there at lunch time and had a great rest of the day!  What a pick-me-up!  So here's what I got below.  My receipt says I saved $34.01 and I paid $11.27 for all of this.  The best part?  I got $18 ECBs for my next purchase!  I spent $20 worth of toilet paper, paper towels and batteries and got $10 back.  The Soy Joy's were free plus I had coupons.  (I also had manufacturer's coupons on the Bounty and batteries.)  I really accumulated the CVS coupons and can't wait for my next trip.  The ECBs are really racking up!

We got a 6 pound turkey breast for .99¢ per pound, so naturally we had a lot of leftovers for just the two of us.  It was time to get creative!  Kim at work has been telling me about this recipe for Kentucky Hot Browns featured on Bobby Flay's Thrown Down and everything about it sounded good to me.  (I was able to catch the episode too, so it really got me interested!)  I followed the recipe pretty much, except I didn't need the egg for the roux - it thickened pretty well on its own.  I also omitted the whipping cream.  The combination of ingredients really make for something very delicious.  I tried to fit a little of everything onto my fork - bread, turkey, tomato, mushroom, bacon and then swiped the sauce up.  Yumm-o!  I used a bagette for the toast.  It was kind of small to work with, but sturdy enough to eat with your hands if you wanted.  It didn't get soggy at all.  This meal was better the first night, but didn't reheat too badly.  The other thing is that my broiler isn't working, so the KHB's didn't get too brown.  Got rave reviews from the hubby, even though he was tentative about the white sauce and had flashbacks of not so good white sauce his mom used to make.  He kept an open mind and really enjoyed it.  My only regret?  That I didn't have a Mint Julep to go with it! 

It was a little challenging, but overall satisfying at CVS yesterday.  Things are not well-labeled in the store I go to and they were out of the Oral-B cross action twin packs, but they store manager was nice enough to give two single brushes totally for free (since I would have gotten the extra care bucks for them).  I got the ECB's back for the mouthwash!  I had coupons for the Dove deodorant and got $6 ECBs for all the Dove.  All in all, I spent $9.62 for over $30 worth of stuff.  I also got $9.49 in ECBs and a coupon for $3 on my next purchase of $15 or more.  You know what that means, right?  I'll only be paying a few dollars for my next order!  I can't wait to get to the point of only paying tax on the items.  I'm getting close!

By the way, if you have two coupons for a certain amount off per item, they'll take both, as I found yesterday.  I had a $5/$30 and a $3/$15. 

I love to read, especially in the summer. So when I kept hearing about Paperback Swap through my blogs, I had to see what it was about!  Here's how it works: Post 10 books you are willing to totally give away and never see again.  This was very easy for me since I have a whole bookcase, mostly with books that have been collecting dust.  Mail them out when you get a request.  You pay the postage and get a credit when the book is received.  1 credit = 1 book you can use to request a book from another member.  (When you request a book, you don't pay the postage.)

It's only been two weeks, but there's so much I love about this service/site.  I get e-mails constantly - I know when my book was marked mailed or when one I mailed was received.  People are so friendly - they always thank me for sending the book.  I've already sent 5 of my 10 books and received one just on Saturday.  The website is really slick.  When I said I received the book, it listed it on my virtual bookshelf, but it's not available yet.  I can choose to keep it and delete it from my bookshelf or put it back into circulation when I'm done reading it!  Paperback Swap is helping me reduce clutter and doesn't cost me that much.

I just finished Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War.  It was a surprisingly good read, especially for someone who hated history in school.  Maybe it's from getting all of my stamps, but I really enjoy history now, especially when there are interesting stories behind it, which this book was full of.  I highly recommend it, but don't think it will go on my virtual bookshelf, at least for a while.  If I ever get to these historic sites the author visited, I'd like to read those passages again since he learned so much of the untold history.  I have a pile of books to read this summer - I'm not sure which book to pick first since I can't wait to read them all!

I got some decent deals yesterday, including a few freebies!  The salad dressings are free with a rebate, and the lemonade and Stonyfield yogurt were free with a $15 purchase.  I spent $7.93 at CVS (picture with the Tide).  Using numerous coupons, I got about $9 off.  Plus I got $5 ECBs back and a $3 coupon off my next purchase of $15 or more.  At ShopRite, I spent $16.25, but will get the $5 back in rebates.  The only thing I paid full price for was the milk and lettuce!  I was pretty happy with my purchases.