I stumbled on this today at Wegmans...thankful I had my binder full of coupons! LOL
Secret Deodorant (not trial, not full size) was on sale for $0.69. I had a coupon for $5 off Olay Body wash when you buy a Secret Deodorant. So I bought 8. (O: Couldn't stop myself! I have a serious problem. (O: But, $5.50 for 8 deodorant and 8 bodywash is not bad. Not as good as Rite Aid, but still not bad.
And I had 3 of those coupons left, plus some extra BOGO deodorant coupons that I really wanted to use at Rite Aid. I only had 1 $5/$25 with me so I was worried that I wasn't going to get the most for my money. Have no fear.
I bought 8 more full size deodorant, 3 trial size secret, 1 olay body wash, 2 olay packs of soap, and 4 tootsie roll banks ($1 each, for the girls stockings) and my total was $2.40.
Now to start planning on HOW to get through this crazy stockpile I have created!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Rite Aid Plan for Sunday 11/21
Not going to be too big of a week at RA. I stock piled shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant last week for well, the rest of my life! LOL Until it is free again...can't pass up free!
Some of this is going to help transfer my +UP rewards, which expire, into cash through RA's Single Check Rebate program. I think I have $44 +UP! Can't let them go to waste!
Deal #1
(3) Chow Mein Noodles and (1) Ramen Noodle $4/4 receive $2+UP
(10) Cans Carnation Evaporated Milk $10/10 receive $4 +UP
(8) Healthy Choice Soup $3/2 receive $4+UP
TOTAL $26 (no tax on food!)
-$5/$25
-$1/3 Chow Mein
-$2.50/8 MC for Evaporated Milk
- $4 Healthy Choice MC
-$13 +UP (previously earned)
=$0.50 OOP and earn $10 +UP
Deal #2...work in progress...Emma is hungry.
(1) Motrin $4
(4) Deodorant $7.98
(1) AMO Saline Solution $7.99
(4) Zone Bars $5.40
Total=$25.37
-$5/$25
-$4.35 MC Zone Bars
-$7.98 MC deodorant
-$3 Motrin Coupons ($1 Adperk and $2 MC)
= $5.04
-$5 UP rewards
=$0.04 + tax and receive $12 in single check rebates
Deal #3
On Tuesday I will be going back to do this deal, twice...
(1) Olay Regenerist $22
(1) Olay Body Wash $6
-$5/$25 RA coupon
-$6 Free Body wash coupon
-$1/$10 RA skin care coupon
= $14
-$14 +UP
=0.00 OOP
After doing this twice I can submit for a $20 rebate from RA and a $20/$50 rebate from P&G.
So it cost me $28 in my +UP rewards and I get $40 back in cash rebates. Nice moneymaker.
Some of this is going to help transfer my +UP rewards, which expire, into cash through RA's Single Check Rebate program. I think I have $44 +UP! Can't let them go to waste!
Deal #1
(3) Chow Mein Noodles and (1) Ramen Noodle $4/4 receive $2+UP
(10) Cans Carnation Evaporated Milk $10/10 receive $4 +UP
(8) Healthy Choice Soup $3/2 receive $4+UP
TOTAL $26 (no tax on food!)
-$5/$25
-$1/3 Chow Mein
-$2.50/8 MC for Evaporated Milk
- $4 Healthy Choice MC
-$13 +UP (previously earned)
=$0.50 OOP and earn $10 +UP
Deal #2...work in progress...Emma is hungry.
(1) Motrin $4
(4) Deodorant $7.98
(1) AMO Saline Solution $7.99
(4) Zone Bars $5.40
Total=$25.37
-$5/$25
-$4.35 MC Zone Bars
-$7.98 MC deodorant
-$3 Motrin Coupons ($1 Adperk and $2 MC)
= $5.04
-$5 UP rewards
=$0.04 + tax and receive $12 in single check rebates
Deal #3
On Tuesday I will be going back to do this deal, twice...
(1) Olay Regenerist $22
(1) Olay Body Wash $6
-$5/$25 RA coupon
-$6 Free Body wash coupon
-$1/$10 RA skin care coupon
= $14
-$14 +UP
=0.00 OOP
After doing this twice I can submit for a $20 rebate from RA and a $20/$50 rebate from P&G.
So it cost me $28 in my +UP rewards and I get $40 back in cash rebates. Nice moneymaker.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Quickie to Rite Aid
I did two big makeup trips to RA on Tuesday. It was fun since I NEVER buy makeup for myself. I ended up buying about $60 worth of makeup and only paid about $6. for it. If I had found a filler I could have paid about $4 b/c it would have allowed me to use more +UP money.
Anyway, I found some more coupons so I will be going back and getting the following:
(5) Herbal Essence $14.95
(4) Right Guard $7.98
(2) Zone Bars $2.70
Total= 25.63
-$5/$25 RA printable coupon
- $10 b/c of (5) $2 off Herbal Essense
- $7.98 b/c of (2) BOGO Deodorant coupons
-$2 b/c of (2) $1 off Zone bars
So just b/c of manufacturing coupons and that Rite Aid coupon my total went from over $25 down to $0.65 plus tax. AND...I earn $2 in play money for each of the shampoos so $10 in +UP rewards.
Anyway, I found some more coupons so I will be going back and getting the following:
(5) Herbal Essence $14.95
(4) Right Guard $7.98
(2) Zone Bars $2.70
Total= 25.63
-$5/$25 RA printable coupon
- $10 b/c of (5) $2 off Herbal Essense
- $7.98 b/c of (2) BOGO Deodorant coupons
-$2 b/c of (2) $1 off Zone bars
So just b/c of manufacturing coupons and that Rite Aid coupon my total went from over $25 down to $0.65 plus tax. AND...I earn $2 in play money for each of the shampoos so $10 in +UP rewards.
Little trip to Walgreens
If you are interested in going to Walgreens to do a little trip and test the waters here is something you could do if you are in need of cold medicine AND M&M's. And who couldn't use either of these???
Trip 1
(1) Coldease children's medicine $4.99 EARN $4.99 in RR.
Trip 2
(2) Day or Nyquil $10/2 use (2) $1.50 off coupons from the paper and pay $7 Earn $5 in RR
(1) Ramen Noodles as a filler
Use your $4.99 RR from Trip #1 so pay about $2.50
Trip 3
(4) MMs $10/4 use (2) $1/2 coupons and pay $8 Earn $5 in RR
Use your $5 RR from trip #2 so pay $3.
You end up paying around $10 for
(1) Kids cold medicine
(2) Nyquil
(4) bags of MMs
It doesn't seem so great but you also walk away with $5 on your next purchase. Two things to remember...
1. You don't have RR when you walk in, so the deals initially won't be freebs
2. Don't spend your RR unless you are going to earn some to replace them! This allows you to keep rolling Walgreens play money
I did this scenario but was starting with $5RR. So, I was able to purchase that for $5 cash and walk out with $5RR.
Trip 1
(1) Coldease children's medicine $4.99 EARN $4.99 in RR.
Trip 2
(2) Day or Nyquil $10/2 use (2) $1.50 off coupons from the paper and pay $7 Earn $5 in RR
(1) Ramen Noodles as a filler
Use your $4.99 RR from Trip #1 so pay about $2.50
Trip 3
(4) MMs $10/4 use (2) $1/2 coupons and pay $8 Earn $5 in RR
Use your $5 RR from trip #2 so pay $3.
You end up paying around $10 for
(1) Kids cold medicine
(2) Nyquil
(4) bags of MMs
It doesn't seem so great but you also walk away with $5 on your next purchase. Two things to remember...
1. You don't have RR when you walk in, so the deals initially won't be freebs
2. Don't spend your RR unless you are going to earn some to replace them! This allows you to keep rolling Walgreens play money
I did this scenario but was starting with $5RR. So, I was able to purchase that for $5 cash and walk out with $5RR.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday Stops
Finally home after a busy day shopping at Rite Aid and CVS, working at the bookstore, and then volleyball practice.
Here is my morning...
My first stop was Rite Aid. I visited 2 stores for a total of 5 transactions. I had (5) $5 off coupons for each visit, plus manufacturer coupons. I also started my trips with somewhere around $10 +UPS (RA "play" money). Remember, if you let the system work for you, you roll the +UP rewards in every purchase.
My total out of pocket (OOP) was $9.74. I think that mostly covered tax. (O: I did spend $7.50 on newspapers, so that should be taken into consideration.
I bought:
(5) Honey Nut Cheerios
(2) Lucky Charms
(1) Cookie Crisp
(4) Nature VAlley Granola Bars
(2) Huggies Jumbo packs
(5) Herbal Essence Shampoos
(10) Dry Idea women's deodorant
(6) Right Guard Men's deodorant
(2) Mascaras (they retail at RA for $24!! what??!?!?! It must apply itself or something!)
And I have $11 +UP for next Sunday...my favorite part! (O:
CVS didn't work as planned so I had to wing it a bit. I did have a $5/$25 that they emailed me a couple days ago, so that helped. And I had $9 in ECB from a couple weeks ago. It is never as great a deal as RA, but it was still ok.
I bought:
(6) Skippy Peanut Butter
(2) Edy's Ice Cream
(1) Granola Bar
(1) Shampoo
(1) Shaving Gel
I only did one trip and spent $5.44. I received $8 in ECB for another trip. I may do that this week if I can come up with a good deal. CVS limits the ECB so I may wait until next Sunday.
Hoping to make it to Walgreens and Tops tomorrow after work for a couple fast trips. The best part about being organized is that I am in and out, no browsing, I get what is on my list, and I am done. That probably contributes a bit towards my saving money as well!
Thanks for checking things out!
Here is my morning...
My first stop was Rite Aid. I visited 2 stores for a total of 5 transactions. I had (5) $5 off coupons for each visit, plus manufacturer coupons. I also started my trips with somewhere around $10 +UPS (RA "play" money). Remember, if you let the system work for you, you roll the +UP rewards in every purchase.
My total out of pocket (OOP) was $9.74. I think that mostly covered tax. (O: I did spend $7.50 on newspapers, so that should be taken into consideration.
I bought:
(5) Honey Nut Cheerios
(2) Lucky Charms
(1) Cookie Crisp
(4) Nature VAlley Granola Bars
(2) Huggies Jumbo packs
(5) Herbal Essence Shampoos
(10) Dry Idea women's deodorant
(6) Right Guard Men's deodorant
(2) Mascaras (they retail at RA for $24!! what??!?!?! It must apply itself or something!)
And I have $11 +UP for next Sunday...my favorite part! (O:
CVS didn't work as planned so I had to wing it a bit. I did have a $5/$25 that they emailed me a couple days ago, so that helped. And I had $9 in ECB from a couple weeks ago. It is never as great a deal as RA, but it was still ok.
I bought:
(6) Skippy Peanut Butter
(2) Edy's Ice Cream
(1) Granola Bar
(1) Shampoo
(1) Shaving Gel
I only did one trip and spent $5.44. I received $8 in ECB for another trip. I may do that this week if I can come up with a good deal. CVS limits the ECB so I may wait until next Sunday.
Hoping to make it to Walgreens and Tops tomorrow after work for a couple fast trips. The best part about being organized is that I am in and out, no browsing, I get what is on my list, and I am done. That probably contributes a bit towards my saving money as well!
Thanks for checking things out!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is by far the best drug store to shop at! Although rumor has it they are going to be changing things up a bit in the near future.
I use Ann at couponsdealsandmore.com to write up the Rite Aid deals. I tweak them as I need. I don't usually have as many coupons as needed for her deals, so I need to work with what I have.
Here are her suggestions with my adjustments.
I have $9 +UP to work with (RA play money)
Deal #1
(2) Herbal Essence Shampoo ($2.99 each Receive $2 UP each) $5.98
(2) Nature Valley granola bars (2/$4 receive $1 +UP) $4
(8) Right Guard Deodorant B1G1Free (3.99 each) $15.96
= $25.94
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.94
- (2) $1 MC Herbal Essence (11/14)
- (2) $1 MC granola bars (printed online)
- (2) $1 flu book coupons for granola bars
- (4) $3.99 BOGO free coupons on Right Guard (10/31)
= -1.02! So I need to find something to buy for over a dollar so I don’t end up in the negative! Maybe a stocking stuffer for the girls??
And I earn $5 in +UP
Deal #2…this will only work if you can print off multiple computers. The next 3 deals are from Ann at Couponsdealsandmore. I will tweak a little b/c I don't have any gain coupons.
(5) Thermacare Back or Neck $4.99
(1) Gain 89¢
= $25.84
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.84
- $1 adperk coupon
= $19.84
- $18.89 manufacturer coupons
= 95¢
- (1) $1 +Up from deal #1 adjusted down to 95¢
= $0.00 + receive $10 +Up rewards
Deal #3
(2) L’Oreal Lash Boosting System $17.49
= $34.98
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $29.98
- (2) L’Oreal Lash Boosting System $6 flu booklet coupons
= $17.98
- (2) $3 manufacturer coupons
= $11.98
- $10 +Up from deal #2
= $1.98
- (2) $1 +Up from deal #1 adjusted down to $1.98
= $0.00 + Receive (2) $5 +Up rewards
Deal #4
(2) Huggies $8.99
(4) B1G1 Right Guard 2/$3.99
= $25.95
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.95
- $11.98 manufacturer coupons
= $8.97
- $5 +up from deal #3
= $3.97
- (3) $1 +Ups from deal #1
= 97¢+ receive (2) $3 +Ups
I will probably do this deal #4 twice to stockpile diapers for my girlfriend.
I need to get the girls to gymnastics and will look over this closer later to make the numbers work for what I have.
I use Ann at couponsdealsandmore.com to write up the Rite Aid deals. I tweak them as I need. I don't usually have as many coupons as needed for her deals, so I need to work with what I have.
Here are her suggestions with my adjustments.
I have $9 +UP to work with (RA play money)
Deal #1
(2) Herbal Essence Shampoo ($2.99 each Receive $2 UP each) $5.98
(2) Nature Valley granola bars (2/$4 receive $1 +UP) $4
(8) Right Guard Deodorant B1G1Free (3.99 each) $15.96
= $25.94
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.94
- (2) $1 MC Herbal Essence (11/14)
- (2) $1 MC granola bars (printed online)
- (2) $1 flu book coupons for granola bars
- (4) $3.99 BOGO free coupons on Right Guard (10/31)
= -1.02! So I need to find something to buy for over a dollar so I don’t end up in the negative! Maybe a stocking stuffer for the girls??
And I earn $5 in +UP
Deal #2…this will only work if you can print off multiple computers. The next 3 deals are from Ann at Couponsdealsandmore. I will tweak a little b/c I don't have any gain coupons.
(5) Thermacare Back or Neck $4.99
(1) Gain 89¢
= $25.84
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.84
- $1 adperk coupon
= $19.84
- $18.89 manufacturer coupons
= 95¢
- (1) $1 +Up from deal #1 adjusted down to 95¢
= $0.00 + receive $10 +Up rewards
Deal #3
(2) L’Oreal Lash Boosting System $17.49
= $34.98
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $29.98
- (2) L’Oreal Lash Boosting System $6 flu booklet coupons
= $17.98
- (2) $3 manufacturer coupons
= $11.98
- $10 +Up from deal #2
= $1.98
- (2) $1 +Up from deal #1 adjusted down to $1.98
= $0.00 + Receive (2) $5 +Up rewards
Deal #4
(2) Huggies $8.99
(4) B1G1 Right Guard 2/$3.99
= $25.95
- $5/$25 Rite Aid coupon
= $20.95
- $11.98 manufacturer coupons
= $8.97
- $5 +up from deal #3
= $3.97
- (3) $1 +Ups from deal #1
= 97¢+ receive (2) $3 +Ups
I will probably do this deal #4 twice to stockpile diapers for my girlfriend.
I need to get the girls to gymnastics and will look over this closer later to make the numbers work for what I have.
WALGREENS
Walgreens has Register Rewards (RR) as their "play" money. The one thing you have to be careful of with their money is that you can't roll RR if it is for an item from the same manufacturer. So for example, say I buy Crest and receive $3 in RR. I can't turn around and buy more Crest with those RR and expect to receive more RR. It doesn't work at Walgreens.
The other thing you have to be careful of, is you can't have more coupons than you do items. And RR count as a coupon. So, if I want to buy Crest that is $4. I have a $1 manufacturers coupons (MC) and a $3 RR from something OTHER than Crest, I have 1 item and 2 coupons so it doesn't work. I need to buy a cheap filler for a quarter or so. I usually go for the Ramen noodles...Emma loves them!
Walgreens usually has a couple items each week that you get all your money back in RR. This is a good way to start accumulating RR. If you need that item anyway, it is worth it. This week, children's cough medicine is $4 and you receive $4 in RR. Remember, your first couple visits won't be as "cheap" as mine because you need time to build some RR (or ECB or +UP). But it can happen rather quickly.
So here is what I am doing at Walgreens this week...I havw $12 in RR to work with.
Order #1
(1) Ecotrin $1.99 (Receive $1.99 RR)
(2) French's French Fried Onions (99 cents w/ walgreens coupon from flyer) $1.98
(3) Puffs (89 cents each) $2.67
(2) DayQuil and Nyquil 2/$10 (Receive $3 RR)
(1) Ramen Noodle as a filler 33 cents
= $16.97
- (2) $0.50 MC (French's)
- (3) $0.25 MC (Puffs)
- (2) $1.50 MC (Nyquil)
- $12 RR
=$0.22 OOP plus tax on the tissues and receive $5 in RR
Order #2
(1) Kids-eeze cough Med $4.99 and receive $4.99 in RR
(1) Ramen Noodle as a filler 33 cents (to get over $5)
=$5.32
- $5 RR
=$0.32 OOP plus receive $4.99 in RR
Now if I wanted to stock up on Cold Medicine (which I probably will) I could continue to roll the Nyquil and Kidseeze RR and for $2.50 more get 2 more Nyquil and 1 more Kids-eeze just by doing separate orders. $2.50 for all that cold medicine is a pretty good deal! And I will always be left with $5 in RR for my next visit.
You would also need some $1.50 MC for the Nyquil. (I have about 6.)
That would look like this...
Trip A
(2) Nyquil
(1) Ramen Noodles (to make the "count")
=$10.33
- $3 MC
-$5 RR
= $2.33 plus $5 RR for next trip
Trip B
(1) Cold eeze 4.99
(1) Ramen Noolde .33
=$5.32
- $5 RR
= $0.32 OOP plus $4.99 RR
Repeat until your coupons run out!
I have a girlfriend who wants me to price my stockpile so she can come shop at my house! LOL
Seriously though, you do need coupons, which I have lots, and you do have to enjoy shopping and love getting a bargain to really benefit from it. It does take time.
Email with questions!
The other thing you have to be careful of, is you can't have more coupons than you do items. And RR count as a coupon. So, if I want to buy Crest that is $4. I have a $1 manufacturers coupons (MC) and a $3 RR from something OTHER than Crest, I have 1 item and 2 coupons so it doesn't work. I need to buy a cheap filler for a quarter or so. I usually go for the Ramen noodles...Emma loves them!
Walgreens usually has a couple items each week that you get all your money back in RR. This is a good way to start accumulating RR. If you need that item anyway, it is worth it. This week, children's cough medicine is $4 and you receive $4 in RR. Remember, your first couple visits won't be as "cheap" as mine because you need time to build some RR (or ECB or +UP). But it can happen rather quickly.
So here is what I am doing at Walgreens this week...I havw $12 in RR to work with.
Order #1
(1) Ecotrin $1.99 (Receive $1.99 RR)
(2) French's French Fried Onions (99 cents w/ walgreens coupon from flyer) $1.98
(3) Puffs (89 cents each) $2.67
(2) DayQuil and Nyquil 2/$10 (Receive $3 RR)
(1) Ramen Noodle as a filler 33 cents
= $16.97
- (2) $0.50 MC (French's)
- (3) $0.25 MC (Puffs)
- (2) $1.50 MC (Nyquil)
- $12 RR
=$0.22 OOP plus tax on the tissues and receive $5 in RR
Order #2
(1) Kids-eeze cough Med $4.99 and receive $4.99 in RR
(1) Ramen Noodle as a filler 33 cents (to get over $5)
=$5.32
- $5 RR
=$0.32 OOP plus receive $4.99 in RR
Now if I wanted to stock up on Cold Medicine (which I probably will) I could continue to roll the Nyquil and Kidseeze RR and for $2.50 more get 2 more Nyquil and 1 more Kids-eeze just by doing separate orders. $2.50 for all that cold medicine is a pretty good deal! And I will always be left with $5 in RR for my next visit.
You would also need some $1.50 MC for the Nyquil. (I have about 6.)
That would look like this...
Trip A
(2) Nyquil
(1) Ramen Noodles (to make the "count")
=$10.33
- $3 MC
-$5 RR
= $2.33 plus $5 RR for next trip
Trip B
(1) Cold eeze 4.99
(1) Ramen Noolde .33
=$5.32
- $5 RR
= $0.32 OOP plus $4.99 RR
Repeat until your coupons run out!
I have a girlfriend who wants me to price my stockpile so she can come shop at my house! LOL
Seriously though, you do need coupons, which I have lots, and you do have to enjoy shopping and love getting a bargain to really benefit from it. It does take time.
Email with questions!
CVS
I have a $5/$25 that CVS emailed to me so I am planning on using that as well as $9 in ECB (CVS "play" money). I hate wasting money! LOL Especially when it is FREE money!
The one thing that I don't LOVE about CVS is that on MOST good deals, they put a limit of 1 or 2. And they track it when you swipe your card. )O: Although, I do have two cards so it may be time to start using them both.
Here is what I am going to get...even though I say trip 1 and 2, it is one visit. I just ask the cashier to do two separate orders for me.
Trip 1
(1) Herbal Essence Shampoo $2.99 –1MC (11/14 RP) and receive $2 in ECB
(1) Oral B Vitality Floss Action Toothbrushes $23 - $10MC (11/14 RP) and receive $13 in ECB
$25.99 total
-5 CVS coupon
-11 MC
-9 ECB
= $0.99 out of pocket plus receive (1) $2 ECB and (1) $13 ECB
Trip 2
(6) Skippy PB $10 (3/$5) (Receive $3 in ECB)
(1) Fiber One Chewy Bars $3.99 (receive $3 in ECB)
(1) Glucose Monitoring System $14.99 (to donate and receive $5 ECB)
$28.98 total
- $10 MC (glucose MS)
-$3 MC coupons (Peanut Butter)
-$15 ECB (from Trip #1)
= $0.98 OOP plus receive $11 ECB
So I started with $9 in ECB, spent less than $2 out of my pocket, and am leaving with $11 in ECB for next time around.
Do you see how once you have some "play" money, you just keep rolling it over and over and never really have to shop with your hard earned "real" money???
The one thing that I don't LOVE about CVS is that on MOST good deals, they put a limit of 1 or 2. And they track it when you swipe your card. )O: Although, I do have two cards so it may be time to start using them both.
Here is what I am going to get...even though I say trip 1 and 2, it is one visit. I just ask the cashier to do two separate orders for me.
Trip 1
(1) Herbal Essence Shampoo $2.99 –1MC (11/14 RP) and receive $2 in ECB
(1) Oral B Vitality Floss Action Toothbrushes $23 - $10MC (11/14 RP) and receive $13 in ECB
$25.99 total
-5 CVS coupon
-11 MC
-9 ECB
= $0.99 out of pocket plus receive (1) $2 ECB and (1) $13 ECB
Trip 2
(6) Skippy PB $10 (3/$5) (Receive $3 in ECB)
(1) Fiber One Chewy Bars $3.99 (receive $3 in ECB)
(1) Glucose Monitoring System $14.99 (to donate and receive $5 ECB)
$28.98 total
- $10 MC (glucose MS)
-$3 MC coupons (Peanut Butter)
-$15 ECB (from Trip #1)
= $0.98 OOP plus receive $11 ECB
So I started with $9 in ECB, spent less than $2 out of my pocket, and am leaving with $11 in ECB for next time around.
Do you see how once you have some "play" money, you just keep rolling it over and over and never really have to shop with your hard earned "real" money???
Getting Ready for Tomorrow
OK...so Saturday is the day I get myself ready for the new sales on Sunday. Usually I do it on Saturday night once the girls are in bed but I have my Hall of Fame dinner tonight so I need to get ready this morning. Send a few prayers up for me this evening...being an emcee makes me NERVOUS!
Here is my routine...
First I check out couponsdealsandmore.com because Ann does an amazing job of matching up sales with coupons. There are a couple more blogs I look at but I can't remember their names b/c they pop up in google reader for me. It seems that the others tend to use Ann's info anyway so often times it is a duplicate. They are helpful during the week though because they find me some other deals that Ann doesn't necessarily post. (Like the Hasbro deal at TRU this past week!)
I then start making separate lists for each drug store and pull out my coupons to match. I have a binder that is home to all my coupons and I have a little $1 coupon organizer (from the dollar tree) that I actually take with me to stores. (Although my binder is always in my car with me when I am moving in for the kill! LOL) So in the little coupon organizer I crossed off the preprinted labels that say bread, dairy, etc and put on my own that say RiteAid, Walgreens, CVS, Target, Tops and Wegmans. Not that I go to each of them EVERY week, but they are there.
I get very specific on my lists I write up b/c often times I go to the register and tell the cashier that I am doing two separate orders. Well, I don't want to stand there I try and figure out what goes on order one and what coupons I need, and waste time. I also want to make sure that I get the sale price, my coupon works, I have the right item so I get the "play" money etc...if my order comes up $2.50 (gasp!) and I am expecting it to be $0.25, well then I can double check with the cashier before I ever walk out of the store.
So List 1(Store A) has the items, price, and total price on it and all my coupons needed for that trip stapled to it, list 2 (Store A again) will have the coupons attached for that order, etc...I have only ever gotten up to 5 trips in one store. LOL And the manager was cheering me on the whole time! I was going to do 2 trips in 1 RA store, 2 in the next RA down the road, and then the last in another RA but she was so cool I told her I would be back in to do the rest. I have about 6 RiteAids between my school and home, and it is only about a 6 mile drive! So RA stops are really convenient.
OK...so anyway, once my lists/coupons are organized I slide them into the correct file in my coupon organizer and move on to organize the next store. Usually RA is the only store I REALLY try to get to first thing in Sunday morning. The others I do if there is time, but I will do them through the week b/c it usually isn't so much stuff.
Oh yes, one more thing. Sunday morning the first thing I do is get my newspapers. Well actually, the VERY first thing I do is stop at Sips for my Raspberry Chai Tea, and THEN I get newspapers. I officially keep a pair of scissors in my car for protection and coupon clipping! No seriously, some matchups are for the coupons that are coming out in the SUnday paper so I need my scissors handy. (O:
Next up...my CVS, Wags, and RA stops for this week!
Here is my routine...
First I check out couponsdealsandmore.com because Ann does an amazing job of matching up sales with coupons. There are a couple more blogs I look at but I can't remember their names b/c they pop up in google reader for me. It seems that the others tend to use Ann's info anyway so often times it is a duplicate. They are helpful during the week though because they find me some other deals that Ann doesn't necessarily post. (Like the Hasbro deal at TRU this past week!)
I then start making separate lists for each drug store and pull out my coupons to match. I have a binder that is home to all my coupons and I have a little $1 coupon organizer (from the dollar tree) that I actually take with me to stores. (Although my binder is always in my car with me when I am moving in for the kill! LOL) So in the little coupon organizer I crossed off the preprinted labels that say bread, dairy, etc and put on my own that say RiteAid, Walgreens, CVS, Target, Tops and Wegmans. Not that I go to each of them EVERY week, but they are there.
I get very specific on my lists I write up b/c often times I go to the register and tell the cashier that I am doing two separate orders. Well, I don't want to stand there I try and figure out what goes on order one and what coupons I need, and waste time. I also want to make sure that I get the sale price, my coupon works, I have the right item so I get the "play" money etc...if my order comes up $2.50 (gasp!) and I am expecting it to be $0.25, well then I can double check with the cashier before I ever walk out of the store.
So List 1(Store A) has the items, price, and total price on it and all my coupons needed for that trip stapled to it, list 2 (Store A again) will have the coupons attached for that order, etc...I have only ever gotten up to 5 trips in one store. LOL And the manager was cheering me on the whole time! I was going to do 2 trips in 1 RA store, 2 in the next RA down the road, and then the last in another RA but she was so cool I told her I would be back in to do the rest. I have about 6 RiteAids between my school and home, and it is only about a 6 mile drive! So RA stops are really convenient.
OK...so anyway, once my lists/coupons are organized I slide them into the correct file in my coupon organizer and move on to organize the next store. Usually RA is the only store I REALLY try to get to first thing in Sunday morning. The others I do if there is time, but I will do them through the week b/c it usually isn't so much stuff.
Oh yes, one more thing. Sunday morning the first thing I do is get my newspapers. Well actually, the VERY first thing I do is stop at Sips for my Raspberry Chai Tea, and THEN I get newspapers. I officially keep a pair of scissors in my car for protection and coupon clipping! No seriously, some matchups are for the coupons that are coming out in the SUnday paper so I need my scissors handy. (O:
Next up...my CVS, Wags, and RA stops for this week!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Last week...
Last week was a big week...now I imagine many wonder why I buy SOOOOO much. Most is a stockpile that we will use over the next year or so. Some, I will drop at the Irondequoit Food Cupboard. And some I give to my sister! LOL
And, when I am MAKING money on some purchases, I can't help myself! Yes, I have 20+ tubes of toothpaste right now and bought 6 more today! But, they were $3, I got 20%, had a $1 off coupon, AND received $3 in UP money to spend next time. I think I can spare some to charity.
And, when I am MAKING money on some purchases, I can't help myself! Yes, I have 20+ tubes of toothpaste right now and bought 6 more today! But, they were $3, I got 20%, had a $1 off coupon, AND received $3 in UP money to spend next time. I think I can spare some to charity.
The big thing for me is that I am staying within my food/toiletry budget EVERY week!
Deal #1 at Target...$55 out of pocket, $50 in Target Gift Cards earned, and $20 Mail in Rebate so this was a money maker for me. It took me 30 minutes at Target, I have candles for bus driver, teacher, custodian gifts and lots of cleanser/astringent and give some away. The deal was buy 2 Oil of Olay products and earn a $5 gift card. Well, I didn't buy their $8 products. I bought their $2-3 products. And the rebate is $20/$50.
(10) Glade Candles
(8) Oil of Olay cleansers
(12) Oil of Olay Astringent
Deal #2...one trip to Rite Aid. About 6 out of pocket, used some UP to buy and received 5 more. 4 boxes of cereal cost $8 alone!
Deal #3...Tops...This tops deal...ALL my coupons came from the Proctor and Gamble insert 10/31. I bought 6 papers for 9 dollars and had a couple given to me.
I spent around $27 in 5 "trips" and kept rolling the $7 I earned to apply it to my next purchase. I walked away with $14 on a Tops GC and the following:
(8) Olay Bodywash (8) Secret Deordorant (2) Tampax (6) Old Spice Body wash (4) Old Spice Body Spray (8) Tide Stain Release and (8) Crest Mouth Wash.
Now...to compliment my Tide Stain Release...I did at last minute deal at Rite Aid yesterday, the last day of the sale. It took me that long for it to click and realize what a deal it was.
I bought
(10) Tide 32 oz detergents
(11) of those Glucose testers to donate to a nursing home
(1) box Zone bars
Fillers as needed picked out by Em and Olivia (candy!)
I spent around $6 for all of that. One order, because the filler was less than a quarter, cost me $0.22 for the Tide! Some got as high as $0.95 b/c of a lack of a coupon or an expensive filler courtesy of the girls.
How do you get the great deals?!?!?
So here is how you score the deals...first, I rarely buy something from a drug store that is NOT on sale and that I don't have a coupon for it. AND, I need to earn "play" money from it in most cases. I say rarely because there is an occassion where I need a filler to make the numbers work. My fillers last week have been discounted halloween candy for 25 to 50 cents.
Each drug store has what I call "play" money. You know, that monopoly money that you use over and over again. Rite Aid calls theirs UP Rewards, CVS has Extra Care Bucks (ECB) and WAlgreens has Register Rewards (RR). Both CVS and Rite Aid have their cards that you sign up for and scan every time you shop. They track what and how much you buy. Walgreens does not.
You need to go to CVS and RA and get the shoppers cards if you don't have them. Also, register online with them and you sometimes get coupons emailed to you. I get $4/$20 almost weekly from CVS.
Also, stores stack manufacture coupons with their own store coupon. So if I have $1 one item and it is a Rite Aid coupon AND I have $1 off the same item but it is a manufacture coupon, I can use it on the same 1 item.
The "play" money NEVER covers tax...so even if you get your purchase down to pennies, they charge tax on the original amount of purchase with no coupons (except food and medicine). Hey, its the least I can do when I am not paying the stores for stuff!
So here is a look at today...just to get an idea. I walked into RA and probably had 12-14 UPs to spend.
I bought (6) Garnier Hair Color and the total came to about $36.
I used the following coupons:
$5 off $25 purchase...$5/$25
(6) $3 off coupons (5 from an Oct newspaper and 1 from today) totaling $18
(5) $2 off Rite Aid Flu Booklet coupons totaling $10
So now my purchase is around $3, I use $2 of "play" money and with tax, my total out of pocket is under $4. Now why did I buy 6 hair color? Not because I NEED them...we all know I don't have a single gray hair on my headbut because on TOP of my almost free merchandise, Rite Aid was offering $5 in Up rewards for every $15 Garnier purchase. I spent over $30 so I earned $10 in play money. Not bad for only spending $2 of my previous play money.
My next purchase at the SAME store...I don't walk out to my car, I simply tell them I am doing two separate purchases and they are cool with it. They expect it. We need shampoo. This wasn't such a great deal EXCEPT that I now have over $20 of RA play money so I will make it a good deal. (O:
My goal here is to get to $25 so I can use another $5/$25 RA coupon
(6) Garnier Shampoo on sale $6/2 so $18 total (just earned another $5 of play money)
(2) Wethers Originals Candy $3/2
(1) Nivea Body Wash $3.99 (just earned $1 play money)
(1) Crest for $2.99 (earned $3 of play money)
My coupons
$5/$25
(6) $1/1 Garnier shampoo MC
(2) $1/1 RA video value coupons for Garnier
(1) $1/2 Wethers
(1) $1/1 Crest
(1) $3/1 Nivea BW coupon
My total is under $10 so I used $9 in play money and ended up paying a little over $3 OOP for this purchase. And I earned $9 back in play money.
Do you see how the play money keeps rolling over and over and over?? That is why I ONLY buy what is on sale, earns up rewards AND I have coupons for it. I am not brand specific. I will use any kind of laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo etc...
I did stop at one more Rite Aid for 2 more purchases. And two WAlgreens for a total of 4 trips. It isn't easy, but it is worth the 4 or 5 hours I spend organizing, planning and shopping each week. And for those that know me, I LOVE to shop! Did I mention I love to shop? And I am doing it for cheap! Still exciting but without the credit card bill at the end of the month!
Each drug store has their own set of rules as far as coupons. So you need to get educated on that. You will learn by experience. You try stuff, it doesn't work, and you learn why. Kinda like life. haha I will post some of the things I have learned about each of them over the next week or so.
So the pic below shows my purchases this morning. I was gone for about 2 hours...spent a few hours planning my attack, and I was off!
I spent $15.21 out of pocket (OOP), got back $28 in CASH from Rite Aid, and received 9 Up and 12 RR to spend next week. For some reason one trip to RA didn't print up my UP so they paid me in cash! My total after coupons was $2.50 and they handed me back $28!!! That RARELY happens, but they wanted to honor the UPs that I should have gotten. Although I thought it should have only been $24. But, ok, I'll take it.
From Rite Aid
(6) Hair Color
(6) Garnier Shampoo
(2) Nivea body Mens BodyWash
(2) Werthers
(6) Crest
(5) Oral B TBrushes
(2) Cheesits
(4) Keebler Cookies
(1) Velveeta Mac and Cheese
(2) Bounty Paper Towels
WAlgreens
(4) Xtreme 3 Razors 4 pack disposables
(2)Saline Solutions
(3) Reach TB
(3) Dental Floss
(4) Arizona Tea
(2) Marshmallows
(4) Brownie mixes
(1) Corn Bread Mix
(1) Crisco 3 pk
(3) Blue Bonnet Margarine
Each drug store has what I call "play" money. You know, that monopoly money that you use over and over again. Rite Aid calls theirs UP Rewards, CVS has Extra Care Bucks (ECB) and WAlgreens has Register Rewards (RR). Both CVS and Rite Aid have their cards that you sign up for and scan every time you shop. They track what and how much you buy. Walgreens does not.
You need to go to CVS and RA and get the shoppers cards if you don't have them. Also, register online with them and you sometimes get coupons emailed to you. I get $4/$20 almost weekly from CVS.
Also, stores stack manufacture coupons with their own store coupon. So if I have $1 one item and it is a Rite Aid coupon AND I have $1 off the same item but it is a manufacture coupon, I can use it on the same 1 item.
The "play" money NEVER covers tax...so even if you get your purchase down to pennies, they charge tax on the original amount of purchase with no coupons (except food and medicine). Hey, its the least I can do when I am not paying the stores for stuff!
So here is a look at today...just to get an idea. I walked into RA and probably had 12-14 UPs to spend.
I bought (6) Garnier Hair Color and the total came to about $36.
I used the following coupons:
$5 off $25 purchase...$5/$25
(6) $3 off coupons (5 from an Oct newspaper and 1 from today) totaling $18
(5) $2 off Rite Aid Flu Booklet coupons totaling $10
So now my purchase is around $3, I use $2 of "play" money and with tax, my total out of pocket is under $4. Now why did I buy 6 hair color? Not because I NEED them...we all know I don't have a single gray hair on my head
My next purchase at the SAME store...I don't walk out to my car, I simply tell them I am doing two separate purchases and they are cool with it. They expect it. We need shampoo. This wasn't such a great deal EXCEPT that I now have over $20 of RA play money so I will make it a good deal. (O:
My goal here is to get to $25 so I can use another $5/$25 RA coupon
(6) Garnier Shampoo on sale $6/2 so $18 total (just earned another $5 of play money)
(2) Wethers Originals Candy $3/2
(1) Nivea Body Wash $3.99 (just earned $1 play money)
(1) Crest for $2.99 (earned $3 of play money)
My coupons
$5/$25
(6) $1/1 Garnier shampoo MC
(2) $1/1 RA video value coupons for Garnier
(1) $1/2 Wethers
(1) $1/1 Crest
(1) $3/1 Nivea BW coupon
My total is under $10 so I used $9 in play money and ended up paying a little over $3 OOP for this purchase. And I earned $9 back in play money.
Do you see how the play money keeps rolling over and over and over?? That is why I ONLY buy what is on sale, earns up rewards AND I have coupons for it. I am not brand specific. I will use any kind of laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo etc...
I did stop at one more Rite Aid for 2 more purchases. And two WAlgreens for a total of 4 trips. It isn't easy, but it is worth the 4 or 5 hours I spend organizing, planning and shopping each week. And for those that know me, I LOVE to shop! Did I mention I love to shop? And I am doing it for cheap! Still exciting but without the credit card bill at the end of the month!
Each drug store has their own set of rules as far as coupons. So you need to get educated on that. You will learn by experience. You try stuff, it doesn't work, and you learn why. Kinda like life. haha I will post some of the things I have learned about each of them over the next week or so.
So the pic below shows my purchases this morning. I was gone for about 2 hours...spent a few hours planning my attack, and I was off!
I spent $15.21 out of pocket (OOP), got back $28 in CASH from Rite Aid, and received 9 Up and 12 RR to spend next week. For some reason one trip to RA didn't print up my UP so they paid me in cash! My total after coupons was $2.50 and they handed me back $28!!! That RARELY happens, but they wanted to honor the UPs that I should have gotten. Although I thought it should have only been $24. But, ok, I'll take it.
From Rite Aid
(6) Hair Color
(6) Garnier Shampoo
(2) Nivea body Mens BodyWash
(2) Werthers
(6) Crest
(5) Oral B TBrushes
(2) Cheesits
(4) Keebler Cookies
(1) Velveeta Mac and Cheese
(2) Bounty Paper Towels
WAlgreens
(4) Xtreme 3 Razors 4 pack disposables
(2)Saline Solutions
(3) Reach TB
(3) Dental Floss
(4) Arizona Tea
(2) Marshmallows
(4) Brownie mixes
(1) Corn Bread Mix
(1) Crisco 3 pk
(3) Blue Bonnet Margarine
Job #1...start collecting coupon inserts
In order to coupon, well, you need coupons! I started off only buying one newspaper a week and found that I was missing out on some fantastic deals because I didn't have the right number of coupons.
If I had to suggest a number for beginners, I would say buy 2 newspapers and then see if you can get a neighbors, family member, coworkers newspaper when they are done. Provided they are not a couponer!
One thing I have learned is NOT all places that you buy papers (news stand, drug store, grocery store, coffee shop) have the same inserts! You want to check the paper and make sure there is a RED PLUM (RP) and a SMART SOURCE (SS). I think that is what it is called. I only call it SS now. Anyway, the other insert that seems to be coming out once a month, I could be wrong, is Proctor and Gamble (P&G). This is huge savings in the making.
The first time I decided I wanted to buy 4 newspapers, I didn't check and the RP was missing from the papers! So lesson learned. I always check. I know Wegmans always has all the inserts, and home deliveries do too.
And don't start clipping just yet and making a big mess! It will discourage you immediately. Later I am going to post how to clip quickly and keep yourself organized.
If you are wondering how to organize your coupons, because it does matter, go to youtube and search coupon organization. Tons of videos and ideas. I have a binder with dividers and baseball card organizers that is working well for me right now. Lots of different ways, check it out.
If I had to suggest a number for beginners, I would say buy 2 newspapers and then see if you can get a neighbors, family member, coworkers newspaper when they are done. Provided they are not a couponer!
One thing I have learned is NOT all places that you buy papers (news stand, drug store, grocery store, coffee shop) have the same inserts! You want to check the paper and make sure there is a RED PLUM (RP) and a SMART SOURCE (SS). I think that is what it is called. I only call it SS now. Anyway, the other insert that seems to be coming out once a month, I could be wrong, is Proctor and Gamble (P&G). This is huge savings in the making.
The first time I decided I wanted to buy 4 newspapers, I didn't check and the RP was missing from the papers! So lesson learned. I always check. I know Wegmans always has all the inserts, and home deliveries do too.
And don't start clipping just yet and making a big mess! It will discourage you immediately. Later I am going to post how to clip quickly and keep yourself organized.
If you are wondering how to organize your coupons, because it does matter, go to youtube and search coupon organization. Tons of videos and ideas. I have a binder with dividers and baseball card organizers that is working well for me right now. Lots of different ways, check it out.
How I got started...
Over the summer it final sunk in that we needed to work a little harder at getting on our feet financially. Together, we set up categories for our budget and filled in dollar amounts for each of them. Marc decided $100 per week was enough for our food budget for a family of 4. For the past 8 years our budget has been $150 per week and we NEVER stuck to it. I shopped at Wegmans, never looked for sales, and never cut a coupon. So $100 was going to be a challenge.
I began searching the internet for ways to cut my food budget. Originally I was looking for dinner recipes that didn't cost a lot per person. Along the way I found various blogs on people grocery shopping for free and MAKING MONEY to shop at different drug stores. Needless to say, I was intrigued and ready to learn more.
The first few weeks I cut coupons I tried matching up my coupons to the sales going on at Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS, Tops and Wegmans. Oh my! The first couple Sundays I spent HOURS doing this and didn't get much accomplished. I thought this is crazy, takes too much time, and too much energy. And to be honest, I didn't have 4 or 5 hours to plan for minor savings.
And then I stumbled upon a blog called couponsdealsandmore and it is run by this amazing couponer Ann. She has been amazing. So full of knowledge and more than will to answer all my amateur questions! You should definately check her out. I still use Ann for all my matchups but I have also learned how to work the systems on my own and can write my own deals and shop all by myself now. I am such a big girl! (O:
Anyway, this turned into a slight addiction for me. I have always loved shopping...but instead of spending $300 in gymboree, I am now walking out of a drug store with $112 worth of product and getting PAID $40 to do it! (That was about a month ago.) Still amazed with that one.
I have had several people interested in learning how to coupon and I would love to share what I have learned. I am no master couponer, but some of the purchases I have made blow me away, and will blow you away too.
Looking forward to sharing! By the Way...my food budget of $100 has been pretty easy most weeks and I have quite the stock pile in my pantry as well. We have even begun to order pizza/subs once a week and Marc and I went to dinner one night (cheap dinner, $25 with tip) because I was below budget.
I began searching the internet for ways to cut my food budget. Originally I was looking for dinner recipes that didn't cost a lot per person. Along the way I found various blogs on people grocery shopping for free and MAKING MONEY to shop at different drug stores. Needless to say, I was intrigued and ready to learn more.
The first few weeks I cut coupons I tried matching up my coupons to the sales going on at Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS, Tops and Wegmans. Oh my! The first couple Sundays I spent HOURS doing this and didn't get much accomplished. I thought this is crazy, takes too much time, and too much energy. And to be honest, I didn't have 4 or 5 hours to plan for minor savings.
And then I stumbled upon a blog called couponsdealsandmore and it is run by this amazing couponer Ann. She has been amazing. So full of knowledge and more than will to answer all my amateur questions! You should definately check her out. I still use Ann for all my matchups but I have also learned how to work the systems on my own and can write my own deals and shop all by myself now. I am such a big girl! (O:
Anyway, this turned into a slight addiction for me. I have always loved shopping...but instead of spending $300 in gymboree, I am now walking out of a drug store with $112 worth of product and getting PAID $40 to do it! (That was about a month ago.) Still amazed with that one.
I have had several people interested in learning how to coupon and I would love to share what I have learned. I am no master couponer, but some of the purchases I have made blow me away, and will blow you away too.
Looking forward to sharing! By the Way...my food budget of $100 has been pretty easy most weeks and I have quite the stock pile in my pantry as well. We have even begun to order pizza/subs once a week and Marc and I went to dinner one night (cheap dinner, $25 with tip) because I was below budget.
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