move over target, I have a new love

Move over Target, I have a new love... and it is CVS. Yes, CVS, that annoying little store that I had barely been inside for the last ten years.

So why the love?

Free stuff. Lots of it. And free stuff is fun.

I am probably the last person to discover this, but you can shop at CVS every week for things that you need and get them free. Free, as in every week for the last six months or so I have gone in, spent no money (or very little money) and left with bags of stuff. I never thought I would say this, but shopping at CVS is fun.

How do you get this free stuff you ask? Sign up for a CVS ExtraCare card (I know, I hate these silly store cards too) and then go here every week, read about the best deals and get links to coupons.

How to use the CVS ExtraCare program is explained in detail here. Basically, the idea is to use your ExtraCare dollars to buy things that you get ExtraCare dollars back on. There are always things that are free after ExtraCare dollars, meaning that if the item costs $4, you get back 4 ExtraCare dollars. You then use these ExtraCare dollars to buy more stuff, so after your first trip you never actually spend any real money. You just keep spending your CVS money and getting new CVS money.

You can also use coupons to save even more on your free stuff. This week for example, I bought a package to tooth brushes that cost $3.99 and paid back $3.99 in ExtraCare Dollars. I had a coupon for a dollar off, so I spent $2.99 and got back $3.99.

Is it really worth it? Is it really stuff I use?

This week I got two packages of Huggies diapers, a bottle of Johnson & Johnson Baby Bath, Huggies wipes, two tooth brushes, Colgate toothpaste, a bottle of Kids Listerine mouth wash, a bottle of Excedrin, and two Halloween flash lights for $10 and I have 10 Extra Care dollars to use on my next shopping trip.

In my medicine cabinet I have about a years supply of toothpaste, Excedrin and Children's Advil, Tylenol, Benedryl and Motrin. All good, useful stuff. All free or almost free.

Yes, some weeks the deals are better than others. Yes, finding the exact brands and sizes is somewhat of a pain. I have learned that one of the three CVS stores near my house is much better at labeling the sale items and stocking them well so that is where I shop.

And another way CVS saves me money? No cute stuff. No fun stuff. And I am much less tempted to toss random things in the cart since my goal is to spend no money, as opposed to Target where I was already spending $100 (what's a couple more dollars at that point??).

Free stuff works for me. Give it a try!

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works for me wednesday- easy peanut butter cookies

I love kids cooking projects, so when I came across this recipe for peanut butter cookies that called for only three ingredients, we had to give it a try.

This recipe is so simple that my four year old could do all the measuring and mixing on her own. She was thrilled. I got out the ingredients and let Abby do the rest.

I will admit I was skeptical of how these would come out. Cookies with no flour? It just does not seem possible. When they baked up just like cookies I was amazed.

Warm from the oven I thought they tasted fine and the girls ate them enthusiastically, which was good enough for me. I was not sure what they would be like when they cooled, but to my surprise they were actually even better. They were really good cookies. With only three ingredients. Who knew? Works for me.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of peanut butter
1 egg

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Mix all ingredients together and drop one inch spoonfuls onto a cookie tray (15-18 cookies).

Dip a fork in sugar and press down on the cookie dough to flatten and then repeat on the other side so you have intersecting fork marks. Repeat for each cookie.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. I found I preferred mine slightly under done.


And just because she is cute, here is my little chef at work:





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shopping online at the library

Before having kids I was vaguely aware that my town had a library, but I am not sure I knew where it was. I had Borders and Amazon.com. Things are a bit different these days. Now the librarians know my children by name. We frequent the wonderful children's room where the kids can "buy" books and DVDs, play, color and make crafts.

In addition to all this great kid's stuff, there are also two floors of adult books and magazines. And not just serious old books, but my all my current trashy chick lit favorites like Jane Green , Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella. The problem? My kids aren't exactly good at waiting patiently while I browse the boring adult sections.

My solution? I discovered that you can browse the entire library collection online and place books on hold. If your library is part of a local network, you can also browse books at other member libraries as well. Then when you go to the library, all your books are waiting at the main desk for quick check out. I discovered this hold thing by accident and I felt a bit uncertain about it. Like I was taking advantage. But it turns out the shelf behind the main desk at my library is full of books on hold, so I am clearly not the only one using this service. Plus it keeps my kids from trashing the library, which the librarians must surely appreciate.

And the most exciting part? It feels like online shopping, but it is FREE.

works for me wednesday- a better bra

I spent the better part of the last 5 years pregnant or nursing. With my baby weaned, finally, it was time for some pretty new bras. I set out on my afternoon of kid free shopping with high hopes. Then I remembered that shopping for a bra is no fun. Trying on dozens of different sizes and shapes of bras to find one that fits and is reasonably cute and comfortable. Seeing all your frumpy bits in that terrible lighting. Discovering that Victoria's Secret is no longer interested in the business of non super model types. I was honestly about to give up on the whole thing when I discovered a category of bras called minimizers.

Before kids I was about a C cup and wore pretty lacy things. After pregnancy and nursing I ended up about the same size but somehow less full than I started out. The pushup type bras created too much cleavage and jigglieness. Others did not provide enough support or looked plain terrible. Then I found this Bali Concealer bra. It pushes everything up and in rather than up and out. Basically, it provides the much needed lift and shaping without excess cleavage. It is even comfortable. My husband's analysis was that I looked "younger". God, I love him. And this bra.


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