Free Items at CVS

Okay, so I saw that someone voted in my poll mentioned last post.  One of the things they voted on was more posts about saving money.  To congratulate the first voter, I will continue (finally) on my series of how to save money.  Which is good, because I'm running a really long code for research I'm doing and need something to do while it runs (no lie, it takes about 10 minutes to run 1 step in SAS and I currently am running a series of 3).  So writing a new post it is! Or at least starting one since most posts take me around 2 hours to write.

So now I'm going to tell you a little secret: you can shop for FREE at CVS.  That's right, FREE.  After working there for 3 years now, I have mastered this system so when my personal stockpile runs low on things, I can get them on the cheap at CVS.  I think the easiest way is to do this in steps and explain below each one.

Just a note first:  ECB = extra care bucks.  These print on your receipt so always look at your receipt before throwing out.  Also to note: the ECBs have an expiration date so make sure you use them before they expire.

So now some basic rules if you are to play the CVS game.

1. Get a CVS extracare card.
• This is essential in order to get discounts and the ECBs which I will explain later.  It's easy to get one.  Most stores will just hand you one without making you fill out the form.  It's basically just a points card.  Also, put down your email address.  CVS will occasionally email you coupons (but I will get to that later).
2. Scan your card EVERY time you shop at CVS. 
• Ideally, you will do this twice when you're there: once at the card scanner which will print out random coupons AND when you get rung out which will give you any sale prices, coupons/ECBs, and credit towards quarterly ECBs
3. Buy the Sunday paper.
• This will help you save money because you can use 1 manufacturer AND 1 CVS coupon per item.
• Coupons have helped me actually earn money on items at CVS (i.e. CVS paid me to take items off their shelves)

So here is the way I play the game:

• First I look through the weekly ad for CVS to see what items are on sale and what items give you ECBs for
• Next, I look at the binder of coupons that I have in my possession to see if I have any that match any of the items listed above
• This is also why it's a very good idea to save previous week's coupons instead of throwing them away.  I have found that I really didn't need toothpaste one week but then was on sale and had ECBs in a couple weeks that with the coupon I paid under $1 for.
• The absolute best items to buy are the ones that give you the cost of the product back in ECBs.
• So for example, Colgate toothpaste has been on sale many times for $2.99 and you get $2.99 in ECBs for future purchases.  If you have a $1 off manufacturer's coupon, you still get the $2.99 ECBs so you're essentially being paid $1 to take a toothpaste off the shelf.
• Other good items to buy are the ones where you spend a certain amount on a particular product/brand and get a number of ECBs. 
• I'm not 100 percent sure on this but I think the amount is before you add any manufacturer coupons so even if you use them, you will still get the ECBs since you technically bought the amount of product.  If it doesn't work, then you can always do another transaction with the item because it's the total amount spent for the whole week, not just in a transaction.
• So now that I confused the hell out of some of you: lets say that if you buy $10 of product X you get $3 ECBs.  Okay, so Monday you go to CVS and spend $6 on product X and use a $1 coupon.  On your receipt it'll state how much more money towards product X.  It should say that you need to purchase $4 more of product X (if I'm correct about using coupons).  Then if you go to CVS later that week (let's say Friday) and you buy $4 more of product X, then you will get the $3 ECBs printed on your receipt.
• Occassionally, you will receive a coupon from CVS that's spend $15 get $3 off or spend $20 and get $4 off.  When using these coupons, make sure you hand them to the cashier first and then all your other coupons.
• At the end of each quarter, ECBs will print off based on the amount you bought for the quarter at 2%.  So if you bought $100 worth, you get $2 in ECBs.

So how does this all get you shopping free at CVS?  Well, it doesn't the first few times you shop.  You end up spending money for the first few trips while you build up your ECBs.  Eventually, you will spend less and less when you use the ECBs (and all your coupons!) on purchases. 

The best things to buy using this system are: toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, candy, and soap (well for me at least) since these are usually the items with the highest amount of ECBs attached to them.  I will add more tips as I think of them but, I'm getting sick of running my code so time to move on to other things.

You Decide!

So after making some posts, I've decided to see what you guys would like to read more about.  The poll is on the right and you can select multiple options.  Have something else you would like to see?  Leave a comment below and if I have enough knowledge on it; I'll add some posts on that topic.

Mirko Pasta Review

For a late lunch/early dinner, my mother and I made a last minute decision to go into Mirko Pasta  as opposed to the pizza place that was in the same plaza in order to try something new.  

First Impressions

The outside had a simple and clean design to it.  Inside followed the same scheme.  The place is small yet very open.  The kitchen also is open and viewable from the dining area which I could see three chefs working inside.

Within seconds of entering, we were greeted and shown to a booth.  The table had a rather unique look to it as well.  It was wooden but seemed to have a kind of clear liquid plastic that was poured over the top so you could still see the wood underneath.  Once we were seated, the waitress filled the two 4 ounce glasses with water and left the jar on the table for us to refill our glasses as needed which is something I personally enjoy because there have been many a times where I have had to wait for a server to come to refill my glass.

Menu Appearance

The menu was a simple, with one side for lunch and one side for dinner.  I should note that their lunch menu is only available Monday - Friday.  There was also a separate one-fold wine menu on the table.  

The menu was set up so that you could pick what type of pasta you would like with prices ranging from $4.50 to $5.50 and then below, you chose what type of sauce you wanted which was another $5.00.  There were also special dishes listed, which was what my mother chose from.  

The waitress told us all the pasta was made right there and therefore had no preservatives in it.  We both ordered (see below) and they brought out some very hot bread that had to have been fresh from the oven and olive oil to dip.

Bread with Olive Oil

The Meal
I decided to order bruschetta as an appetizer which included three slices topped with tomatoes, seasonings, etc.  It also included a little salad on the side which my mother notes was a nice size and good. The plate looked very presentable as seen below:

Bruschetta Classica

The actual bruschetta, I didn't get to eat right away because they also brought out the salad I ordered at the same time.  When I did finally take one, after I had eaten my meal, it was delicious.  My salad, insalata di spinaci, consisted of spinach, raisins, goat cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.  It was very presentable and tasteful, though the dressing did accumulate at the bottom of the plate which made the last few bites a little strong.

Insalata di Spinaci

Within only a few minutes, our main entrees were brought.  I chose gnocchi with their pomodoro sauce (traditional sauce with basil) and my mother chose a specialty dish consisting of butternut squash filled ravioli and a mascarpone cream and radicchio sauce.  While my gnocchi looked a little plain on my plate (but it's gnocchi, so not much you can do to pretty that up) it was still very delicious.  I had a bite of the ravioli and while I wasn't a fan of the sauce, the actual ravioli was very good.  It also, as my mother pointed out, was not all pasta and little filling.  The actual ravioli was very thin letting you enjoy the filling as well.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

Tortelli di Zucca

Overall Impression

This is definitely a place I will return to in the future either by myself or with others.  

• Atmosphere:  The place seems to be a place that you can enjoy with a few friends, a nice family dinner, or solo.  
• Staff: Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the menu items.  In the middle of dinner, I had finished my pop (or soda), and the waitress placed another on the table without me even having to request one.  After dinner, I asked her if the place was a chain or not and she explained the history of the place without hesitation.
• Price: For the two of us, the total came to about $33.00 which wasn't bad since we both we full afterwards which deterred us from going to get frozen yogurt afterwards.
• Speed: As I mentioned before, the food came out so fast, I didn't have time to try the appetizer or finish my salad before our entrees arrived.  This may have also been due to the fact that we were not there during peak hours, and there was only two other tables occupied when we arrived.

Resume Roulette

Topics this post:

• My resume evolution
• General resume tips

So, I thought I switch it up a bit and talk about the "joys" of applying for jobs.  I'm in that process right now and literally spent 4 hours fixing my resume a few nights ago after having spent 6 hours in the past couple weeks fixing it.  It now looks semi-decent. So I figured I would entertain everyone with the story of the evolution (or creation if you prefer) of my resume followed by some resume tips.



Origin of the Resume
I really don't know when I actually created my first resume.  It was some time during undergrad though.  I think it was because I read somewhere that you should get a resume started before you start looking for your first professional job.  So I figured I get one started my mix of weird, yet decent jobs that I had held thus far in my life as well as the volunteer work I was doing at the time.  Was less than a page.

First Resume Edits
So, for my capstone class (in undergrad) we were required to submit a resume (as well as a cover letter) for both career services and the professor to give suggestions on.  The resume was easy, I already had one.  The cover letter (which the professor had written Auschwitz on but that's another story).  Anyways, when our resumes were returned, mine had a few corrections (most in regards to the objective statement that they said we needed but ironically, my grad school says don't put on, go figure).

I actually pulled out the resume a few moments ago and it looks juvenile, to say the least.  But, I didn't really need it except for applying to grad school which I got in to so the baby resume did it's job.

The Resume Evolves
So, after starting grad school, I was offered work study funds (yay!).  We were all also advised to visit the school's career services to 1) become familiar with them and 2) to have our resumes reviewed since they know what employers in the field are looking for.  So, after applying for some work study jobs and getting no calls, I realized that it might be time for my baby resume to grow up a little.  So, I made an appointment to have my resume reviewed and worked on changing it according to their tips online before my appointment.

At my appointment my resume was torn apart, as in red ink everywhere, not ripped up (which is what I felt like doing after the corrections).  So, baby resume received a harsh dose of the real world and had to change.  It became almost two pages long with all the added jobs since I have always held two jobs simultaneously since I was 18.  Then it entered it's teen years and landed it's first job.

Time to Grow
Well, with the occasional update the now grown up resume was doing pretty good, as far as finding work study and my current job (a temporary contract position).  However, now that I want to start looking for a real job, the resume needs to mature a little more.  So, I began to update it, getting rid of the volunteer section since none are relevant to my target job field, updated my job descriptions, and qualifications summary after receiving advice from my boss.  So, after multiple edits, I now have a resume that will hopefully help me land a job when meeting an excellent cover letter.



Resume Tips
Now to share some resume tips that I've picked up over the years from multiple sources.

• The Header
• Include your name and contact information on at least the first page.  Any following pages should include your name in case the pages get separated.
• Contact information includes:
• Name
• Phone number
• A professional sounding email address (ie firstname.lastname@whatever.com
• There is some debate whether or not to include your address.  If you are posting your resume online, then you may want to leave it out.  But, if you're sending it to a local job, it may benefit you to have your address listed since they may prefer to hire a local candidate.
• Qualification Summary
• This is optional but highlights skills/experience that the job you are applying lists for their preferred candidate.  Therefore, this section should change to reflect the skills that the potential employer is looking for.
• Education
• List degree, school, and (expected) graduation dates.
• List GPA only if you want to and if it's high.
• Note: If you list it for one degree, you must list it for any other programs.
• List any thesis/dissertation done in the program
• Job History
• You can organize this in multiple ways.  I did chronologically since it's the easiest.
• Make sure your position is listed along with the company.
• Add  important duties done while one the job. 
• Put these in bullets to make it easier for the employer to skim through.
• Volunteer Work
• Include this section only if:
• It's relevant for the position
• You don't really have any work experience.  It shows you're not a lazy bum essentially.
• Publications/Posters/Presentations
• These sections should actually be separated but they're pretty self explanatory if you've done them.
• Miscellaneous
• There are other sections that can be added but those sections above are the most common.  
• Make your resume stand out, don't use a template.  Organize it the way you find works best.
• As your list of jobs grow, you don't have to include every single job, especially the fast food job you held in high school.  Just stick to those that are relevant to the position.
• If you have no publications/posters/presentation sections, your resume should not surpass 2 pages.  Anything more that, you need to start analyzing if everything in it really needs to be included.
• If your resume has multiple pages, include page numbers.  This is for the same reason you should include your name, in case the pages get separated.
• Make sure job descriptions are not separated.  In other words, ALL the bullet points should be on the same page as your job title.

That's all the advice I have for now.  If you have any more advice or would like to wish me luck in my job search, feel free to comment.

Entertaining Mothers

I thought I switch it up and make a more entertaining post for those who know my mother in honor of the fact that she is coming for a visit in a few days!  I guess I should add here that she also has a blog of her own.  It's on crafting so if you're interested check it out: My Awesome Mom's Blog


Anyways, my mother has been pretty entertaining over the years.  I think the oldest thing we still bring up once in a while is an event that happened several years ago when we were in Disney World.  That's right, the happiest place on Earth.  So a little background about our trip.  I was about 12(ish) which would make my brother 8(ish). Now, my brother loved the pool at the hotel (I think it was the All Star Sports or some weird name like that, it had a sports theme).   So every time my parents asked us what we wanted to do next, he would always say "let's go back to the hotel".  No!  We're on vay-cay little dude!  You're supposed to want to go on the rides or run around like crazy or eat or something.  So after a couple of days of this my mother asked all of us what we wanted to do.  My brother, of course, suggested going back to the hotel.  My father and I pretty much shrugged and said something along the lines of "go on more rides or something".  I don't remember WHAT happened next, I just remember afterwards my mother was about 10 feet away from us and said very loudly "We are going on this ride and we are going to have FUN!"

So, if you have ever heard that story before when talking to a friend or relative while planning a trip to Disney World, please let me know because there were a lot of people standing around and I'm sure that story got told.


Another, more recent event from a few years ago, happened in the privacy of our home.  My mother and brother were having a discussion and she asked him a question.  It wasn't a yes or no question so my brother said a few sentences and when he had stopped, my mother turned to him and said "I'm sorry, what did you say?  I wasn't paying attention."  This caused my brother and I to exchange confused looks for a second before we both said "You asked and didn't even pay attention to the answer?"  So my mom said sorry and asked him what he said and my brother, said "Well, how do I know you are going to listen this time?" or something to that effect.  I don't think he ever repeated his answer.


The last one that sticks out is from a few days ago.  My mother and I were talking on the phone and in mid-conversation she said "You need to get married and have babies.  Specifically a girl."  Since this was completely random I had to ask "Why?"  So, you think her response would be "I want grandkids I'm getting old" or "All my friends are grandparents and they won't let me join their secret club" or something like that.  No.  Her reasoning was and I quote "I'm making pillowcase dresses."  That was the reason that I need to find a boyfriend, marry him, and get the oven cooking.  A few minutes later she sends me a text (while we are still talking) with a picture of one of the dresses, which was very cute I have to admit, and labelled it "my granddaughter's dress".


So, hopefully you laughed at least once while reading this.  If you would like to share your funny mom stories, feel free to comment below.  The one that makes me laugh the most will get mentioned in a future post for all to read.

And now I'm sure my mother is going to get me back for this by posting some story on her blog about me or just kick my butt when she gets here.  The next post will probably be about the joys of a resume roulette since I just spent yet another 4 hours fixing mine today.

The Amazing Loan Race

So remember how I said I entertained the idea of challenging my friend to a loan repayment competition?  Well, she caught wind of it and sent me a challenge.  I accepted.  So now beginning the month of March, we are going to have what I have coined The Amazing Loan Race.

The goal
Pay off as much as our undergrad loan as possible.

The prize
....uh.... we don't really have a prize but I guess the fact that we will have a lot less to pay back is an acceptable prize so we both win there anyways.


Okay so now our makeshift challenge (that was created via texting this morning).

The Challenge
1. The monthly battle:  At the end of the month we total up the amount we each paid towards our undergrad loan.  The person who paid the most, wins that month.  At the end of the year the person who has won the most months, wins.

2. The year battle:  At the end of the year, the person who has paid the greatest monetary amount wins.  Note: this is different from the monthly challenge so one of us may win the overall monthly battle but still could lose the year battle if they didn't pay off the greater amount.

3. The percentage battle: The person who has paid off the greatest percentage of their loan at the end of the year wins.




I'm pretty sure I will lose the percentage battle just because I do owe more but hey, a lot can change in a year.  Plus after reading Katie's blog (the person with whom this challenge is against) it sounds like I may have  a lower interest rate.  If this turns out to be a success, we may redo this challenge with our graduate loans where I will have the $6,000 advantage because to remind you, we took out the same amount for grad school but I'm paying my off now while Katie deferred hers a year.

We decided to start in March since we both make payments throughout the month and since we're already 1/4 through February, Katie already dropped a large payment for this month whereas mine is coming in the next week or two so it'll give us an equal starting point.

So sit back and enjoy watching us battle it out to see who will pay off their loan first!  And for those who are reading this blog for the other topics I said would be in here, have no worries, the loan battle is only going to be one part of this blog.  I will still be posting about other things as well.

The LOANiest Number

So, this post is going to cover the bane of every college grad's existence.  The L-word.

Loans.

As I said before, I have about 80,000 in loans to repay.  It's actually a couple thousand more but I figure that's a nice round number.  Now, the average loan repayment plan is 10 years in length.  BEFORE including the ever accruing interest, for me, that works about to be:

 $80,000 / (10 years x 12 months/year) = $666.66 per month.

What an evil number.  My undergrad loan, after making a voluntary payment a few days ago (the reason it's voluntary will be explained shortly) is under the $18,000 mark.  It's $17,751 and some odd cents.  So, working the calculation for this loan alone and accounting for the fact that it's been in repayment for about a year now, they want $217 a month in order for me to have it paid off by the magic 10 year mark.  Okay, that's cool.  But, I don't want be dealing with this when I'm in my 30s.  My goal is to have this one paid off in 3 years.  Why 3 years?  Because 1 year would make me broke and in 5 years I will be 30 (I'm 25 now if you're like me and can do complex math and simple math skills disappears to make room for it).

I have a friend who is doing a blog with the goal of paying off her under grad loan in 1 year.  If you're interested, her blog is here. I thought about challenging her to see which of us can pay off our undergrad loan faster but that might be a bad idea since:
1. Hers is about $7,000 less
2. She deferred her graduate loan (which is the same amount as mine by the way) for a year to do this.
3. It would just be mean if the winner bragged to the loser
4. I think she would win

Okay, so 3 years.  Adding money for evil interest that works out to roughly:

$17,800 / (3 years x 12 months.year) = $494.44 per month

Still a good chunk of change.  On average right now, I pay $200 a month.  Now before you say that an extra $300 can't be that bad if I have a graduate degree (or will very shortly anyways), I am also paying $820 a month for my graduate loan which sucks and I'm not even going to touch trying to get that one done early for a couple more years.  That might deserve it's own blog in a little bit.  So with my income right now, kind of stretching it there.  Will I try to do it? Yes.

Now to a point I mentioned earlier about my VOLUNTARY loan payment this month.  My loan company seems to have the repayment bills set up so that if I pay more than necessary one month, they will take that amount OFF the next bill.  As opposed to making all the subsequent payments less which I don't know if that would make me feel better or not since it would probably only take $1 each.  Since I've been a good girl with making payments over the required amount, added the fact that payments were being made while it was in deferment, I haven't had to pay an official full amount payment to date, about $217 I think because that's currently the amount I owe May 1st.  Yep, I technically don't have to make another payment towards that loan until May if I don't want to.

So there you have it, my official undergrad payoff goal.

I'm thinking my next post will shake things up a bit and post about my current job search and application woes.