You can tell by the ads that summer is nearly here. There are deals on everything from allergy medicines to sunscreen and swim diapers.
Worth noting up front:
*CVS is bringing back its summer gas card promotion: Spend $30 in select products and get a free $10 gift card for gasoline. CVS also has great deals on Ocean Spray juice (how does FREE sound?), Pantene, Irish Spring, Pepsi, Suave and Purex.
*Rite Aid has a good deal on Xtra laundry detergent and Formula 409.
*Walgreens has free tampons and a great deal on mouthwash and the best deal on swim diapers among all the stores. It also has the best deal I've seen on milk this week at just $2.99 per gallon.
*And at Kroger, there are good deals on produce, Greek yogurt, Breyers ice cream, Kroger cheese slices and All laundry detergent. Kroger has also brought back its enhanced fuel rewards, rewarding you with cheaper gasoline when you buy gift cards.

Word has it in the coupon blogosphere that CVS will have a BOGO sale on Ocean Spray juice starting Sunday.

And that means two free bottles of juice.

Here's the deal:

It's a holiday weekend for moms so even though you might want to take a break from bargain shopping today, be sure to carve out some time later in the week to pick up some pretty terrific deals.

It's always worth shopping when the stores are willing to pay YOU to carry merchandise out of their stores. And that's what you can do at Walgreens this week with a little coupon magic involving a new Starbucks product. (Keep reading for the details.)

There are also excellent deals on Kraft barbecue sauce, Pantene and sunscreen at CVS. At Rite Aid, you'll find stellar buys on Pepsi 12-packs, Kellogg's cereals and M&M's and an even better deal on Pantene -- at just 75 cents a bottle. And at Walgreens, besides being paid to buy Starbucks, you'll find a good deal on Purex laundry detergent.

Over at Kroger, there are some excellent produce deals as well as a nice deal on Sargento and Kraft cheeses.

Once you hit the aisles, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

The drugstores are offering some especially good freebies this week, including free children's allergy medicine, free contact lens solution and free energy bars -- not to mention the free chocolate you can score at CVS.

There are also impressive deals on General Mills cereals, Kellogg's cereal bars, Banana Boat sunscreen, Neosporin, Huggies diapers and my favorite deal of the week, 8x10 photo collages for just 49 cents at Rite Aid.

At Kroger, chicken breasts are on sale for $1.79 per pound and milk is $1.49 per half gallon. Check out the produce deals as well: mangoes are just 59 cents each and organic Cameo apples are $1.29 per pound.

Once you hit the aisles, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

You'll find lots of candy and chip deals at the drugstores this week plus the opportunity to try out a new Starbucks product free -- thanks to a new coupon in today's N&O. (Look for it in the Pepsi Moments to Save coupon insert!)

There are also good prices on Pantene hair products, a steal of a deal on St. Joseph's aspirin and a solid deal on Colgate power toothbrushes. If you need to stock up on milk and eggs, Walgreens has milk for $2.99 per gallon and eggs for $1.29 per dozen.

At Kroger, be on the look out for deals on Ball Park Franks, Sargento Cheese and a variety of items in the produce department.

Happy shopping, and, as always, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

(If you haven't done your Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods or Food Lion shopping for the week yet, you can find those deals, good through Tuesday, HERE.)

Let's talk toilet paper.

We all want our TP to be soft and strong but we don't want to spend a lot of money on it either.

But how in the world do you know what's a deal and what isn't from the dizzying wall of white at the grocery store. One-ply or two-? Double roll or single?

What's the difference between "Ultra Soft and Thick" and "Ultra Plush"?

Does anyone really want a toilet paper with "Ripples"?

The May issue of Consumer Reports addresses the delicate issue of toilet paper, ranking 25 brands for softness, strength and price, along with how well the paper disintegrated in swirling water and how well sheets tore at the perforation.

The overall top 5 performers in Consumer Reports testing and (price per 100 sheets):

This week's Sunday circulars contain some stellar deals: milk for under $3 a gallon at Kroger and Walgreens, a steal of a deal on olive oil at CVS, good produce prices at Kroger and bargain prices on Kellogg's cereals at Rite Aid.
But my favorite deal of the week is at CVS, where the store will actually pay YOU to buy greeting cards.
Read on for all the very best deals at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Kroger.  And, as always, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

All the drugstores have freebies up for grabs this week but at Walgreens, some of the deals are even better than free. With the right coupons, Walgreens will pay YOU to shop -- more than $6.50 on two items!
At Kroger, there are good deals on chicken, meat and produce, especially the 19-cent sweet corn.

Happy shopping, and, as always, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

(If you haven't done your Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods or Food Lion shopping for the week yet, you can find those deals, good through Tuesday, here.)

Free razors, free toothbrushes, 24-cent toothpaste and 49-cent deodorant are among the deals you can snag this week at the drugstores and Kroger.
Walgreens has the new Pepsi Next for just $1.99 per 12-pack, and with the right coupons, Rite Aid has a nice deal on Softsoap products.
Kroger is offering some solid produce deals as well as split chicken breasts for 99 cents per pound.

Also take note that Kroger has milk on sale for $2.88 per gallon, which is not quite as low as Aldi's price ($2.69 through Tuesday) but still a terrific deal.

Happy shopping, and, as always, please post any great deals you spot so we can all save more.

(If you haven't done your Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods or Food Lion shopping for the week yet, you can find those deals, good through Tuesday, here.)

By Tammy Grubb

An April 17 public hearing for a proposed CVS drug store at the corner of North Greensboro and Weaver streets in downtown Carrboro has been delayed indefinitely.

The Board of Aldermen agreed to the developer’s requested delay 6-1 Tuesday night, with Alderman Dan Coleman dissenting. The developer sought the delay after reducing parking and making some changes in the elevations and treatment of the building, Planning Director Trish McGuire said. Saff has only started to review the revisions, and the plan probably will return to the town's advisory boards before another public hearing is scheduled, she said.

The delay could take a couple of months, she said.