If you're not interested in seeing all the money-saving deals I picked up yesterday, just skip this post! (But please comment if you do read it!) This might be the last time I do one of these posts, just because they take so much work and I don't know if anyone appreciates them. Let me know if you want me to continue!
KEY:
MQ = Manufacturer's Coupon
SQ = Store Coupon
OOP = Out-of-pocket expense
RR = Walgreen's Register Rewards
SCR = Rite Aid's Single Check Rebates
ECBs = CVS's Extra Care Bucks
WYB = When You Buy
MIR = Mail-in Rebate
MM = money-maker
I finally got out and about Thursday to pick up the weekly drugstore deals. Thanks go to Tara at Deal Seeking Mom, Crystal at The Thrifty Mama, and Collin at Hip 2 Save for helping me put these together!
There's an area up by one of the Navy bases where the Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens are clumped close together. Makes it convenient for shopping those deals in one trip! However, since the ads come out on Sunday and I didn't go out until Thursday, that Rite Aid didn't have one of the important things I needed to build my order. I decided to skip it altogether, because then I wouldn't have had a big enough order to use my $5-off-$20 coupon. Rite Aid puts out a lot of these online. I did hit up another Rite Aid later on, and was successful, but I'm to go in order here. Next up...
#1 This wasn't the best shopping trip to CVS for me, because so many things were missing, it messed up how I was going to order my transactions. I did okay, though. These three L'Oréal eye shadows sell for $5.49 each. I had three MQs totalling $4.00, making my subtotal $12.47. I didn't have any ECBs saved up, so with tax, my OOP was $13.29, but the transaction spit out $5 ECBs for #2. Not the best deal, but I'm stocking up on eyeshadows right now, since I have been using the same old shades of brown for forever and want to branch out a little!
#2 This one went a little better! The Shick Quattro for women normally sells for $9.99; it was on sale for $8.99. I had a $4 MQ and the $5 ECB from #1 (which they had to adjust down to $4.99, because you can't get overage on your subtotal), making my OOP 45¢! Also, I received $3 ECB for buying this.
#3 The store was busy, so I did the rest all in one transaction instead of breaking it into two more like I planned. I hate holding up the register! My OOP for all the above was $22.75, and I received $4 ECBs for next time. I saved $41.48 on this order after sales and coupons. Here's the breakdown:
- (2) Ocean Spray Cran-Apple juice, normally $4.79 (!!) each, on sale for 2/$5. I had (2) $1 MQs for these.
- (4) four-packs of 9 Lives cans. My kitty-girls love their wet food, and we were all out, so I jumped on this deal. Normally $2.99 each, they were on sale for $1.50; I had (2) $1-off-2 MQs.
- (2) 40-load Gain powder laundry detergents, normally $7.49 each, on sale for $5.99 each. I had (2) 50¢ MQs
- (4) CoverGirl eyeshadow trios, normally $4.99 each, on sale for $3 each. I had two $2.50-off-two MQs.
- (2) EAS Protein bars, normally $1.99, on sale for B1G1 50% off. I had two MQs for a free bar, and the cashier took off the full $1.99 instead of just 99¢ for both!
- Plus, I had a $3 ECB from #2
For buying the Gain, I received $4 ECBs for next week's deals. The deals I missed out on, I received rainchecks for, so hopefully I can pick them up next week before the MQs on those expire.
Up next...
KILLER DEAL! I just did this one transaction, and my OOP was only $1.96 for all this, plus I received $6 RRs for next time. Essentially, they PAID me $4.04 to buy all the above! Here's how:
- (2) Tylenol Simply Sleep 24-ct packages, on sale for $2.99 each. I had (2) $1 MQs and a $1.50 SQ
- (2) Nivea flavored Lip Care, for $3.29 each. I had a B1G1 FREE MQ, and an SQ that made each one 99¢. The cashier took off the full $3.29 for the MQ.
- (6) Kleenex boxes: regularly $1.99, on sale for B1G1 FREE, plus I had (2) 50¢-off-3 MQs
- (4) Vicks VapoDrops mentholated cough drops, on sale for 2/$1.79, and I had (3) $1.50 MQs for any Vicks product
- (2) Puffs w/ Vicks, regularly $2.49, but I had two MQs for a FREE box of Puffs WYB (2) Vicks products
- (2) Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, on sale for $2.71 each, and I had (2) $2 MQs
- Plus I had (2) $2 RRs from buying the Goody's hair elastics last week
Altogether, this was a REALLY great trip to Walgreens - best ever!
Afterward, I drove to the next Walgreens, the one closest to our house, to pick up my FREE 8x10 of this picture from when Jack earned his Bobcat award. It will go in his Cub/Boy Scout scrapbook!
Next up...
I did the Target trip in all one transaction, but I'm going to break it up by "deal" to make it easier, again. This Clorox Toilet Wand sells for $9.79. I had a $5 MQ, plus there's a $5 MIR, making this a 21¢ MM!
This wasn't really a "deal," per se, but I wanted to point something out. The individual bottles sold for something like $4.19 each, or two for $8.38. However, these double-packs were only $6.99, plus I was able to use my (2) $1.50-off-two MQs for them. Still not cheap, but we use these every day and are almost out, so I needed more.
Aquamarine was on sale for $5, and I had a $2 SQ! This will be great added to the kids' growing DVD collection.
Ponyo was more of a splurge. I got the Blu-Ray/DVD combo, which was on sale for $24.99, but I had a $10 MQ. Not the cheapest Blu-Ray combo, but I'm hoping there will be a MIR out there soon for it...
A STEAL! These 4-packs of GE Reveal light bulbs were on sale for $2 each. I had (4) $1.50 SQs and (2) $1-off-2 MQs. I got 16 light bulbs for FREE!
These were also FREE: The Johnson's lotion and the Degree deodorants sell for 99¢, and I had $1 MQs for each of them, giving me 3¢ overage toward the rest of my order. Don't forget that many MQs don't exclude trial or travel size items, so you could get them free at Target or Wal-mart!
This was FREE, too! It's on sale for $1.99 (Temporary Price Cut), and I had a $1 MQ and a $1 SQ!
Another splurge! I have a trillion pens, but THESE are the ones I like. No MQ, no SQ, no sale, no nothing. I just bought them because I wanted them. *gasp*
I found another B1G1 FREE MQ in my coupon box, so I went ahead and got two more My Little Ponys. They sell for $4.99, so basically I got two more for the gift stash for $2.50 each!
This was a package deal: Buy (4) Kashi products and get the snack bars FREE! All 5 items were on sale for $2.59 each, and I had (4) $1.50 MQs for the crackers, plus the bars were free.
Another package deal: Buy (5) select Keebler products and get a $5 Target gift card free! Each was on sale for $2.25, and I had $3 in MQs, plus I have the $5 for next time.
That was it for Target! Lots of great deals there. On to...
Normally I only post about Farm Fresh on their Double-Dollar Wednesdays, but they double MQs up to 99¢ every day of the week, and there's a FF right next door to Target, so I went. This wasn't a smashing deal, but again, I wanted to point something out. I have been writing to different manufacturers whose foods we use and love, asking them for MQs, They almost always are happy to send them out - good ones, too! So I wrote to Fresh Express for some, and they arrived a few weeks ago. I waited until this 2/$5 sale to use them. I had (4) 55¢ MQs, which doubled to $1.10 each. That didn't make them free, but it was a helluva lot cheaper than paying full price for each bag, and it's rare to get a deal on produce.
Finally, I went back to another...
This time, I scored another KILLER DEAL!! I got all of the above for $4.85 OOP, but I'm going to get a $5 SCR at the end of the month, meaning they PAID me 15¢ to buy all of this! Here's the breakdown:
- (2) 40-pc cups of Dentyne gum, on sale 2/$5, plus I had (2) $1.50 MQs
- Efferdent, $5.99, plus I had a 55¢ MQ - it's for this that I'll get the $5 SCR back, making this only 44¢ OOP. Of course, neither of us wears dentures, so I'm donating this to Samaritan House tomorrow, along with some other FREE toiletries I've gotten and the clothes that I've shrunk out of (well, what is the opposite of "grown out of"?)
- (6) Packages of Kotex Light Days liners, on sale for 99¢, and I had $6 in MQs! So, these six boxes were FREE, and I'll also give them to Samaritan House since I've no need for them.
- (4) bags of Halls Strawberry cough drops, 30-ct, on sale for 99¢, and I had (2) $1-off-2 MQs
- (2) travel-size Renu lens kits, which sell for 99¢, and I had (2) MQs for $1
- Also, I had a $5-off-$20 Rite Aid SQ from doing their Video Values program for February.
Great deal!! Plus, it feels good to be able to donate some of these great deals I've been getting, for people I know will need it and be appreciative of it. I might just donate ALL of the FREE travel-size toiletries I've gotten LATELY!
If you don't have a Rite Aid near you, you can still get some great steals from their website:
I used the exact order put together by another blogger whose site address I forget, but I got the link from Tara on Deal Seeking Mom. She told us EXACTLY what to buy, so I didn't have to do any thinking. I got all this for $25.45, but I will get $23 of it back on a SCR at the end of the month for this order! I haven't done the SCRs before this month, but I decided to start getting into it, because I knew I was missing out on some great deals. These two orders - from Rite Aid's website and their bricks-and-mortar store - prove it!
All in all, it was a great week for deals. Now the pain-in-the-butt part, adding everything to my 2010 spreadsheet to track my spending and saving on groceries and non-food items. I'm waaaaay behind on that!
Fin.
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