Today's deals were pretty rockin', especially Rite Aid. Read on to see how I got over $450 worth of merchandise for less than twenty bucks out of pocket!
If you really want to start doing the coupon thing, do what I do and be a faithful reader of Collin's blog, Hip 2 Save. I couldn't do it without her and her reader community!
Walgreens
Not a lot of deals in which I was interested at Wags this week, and several of the ones I was going to do didn't pan out. You've got to be prepared for that. Speaking of being prepared, always bring your ad to the store! I try to remember, but I forget more often than not. Today it bit me in the butt, because they didn't have ANY ads in the store, so I couldn't verify any of my deals. You'll find that when you go first thing on Sunday morning, like I did, they usually don't have the week's sales marked yet, so you need the ad to confirm you're buying the right things. I might go back later in the week, especially now that more deals have been posted on Hip2Save. We'll see.
Anyway. I babble. Let's see how I did:
The 12 rolls of Scott Naturals TP cost me 50¢ each (per roll, not per package). I'm trying VERY hard not to do disposable paper products, so I haven't had paper towels for months on end, but once in a while I need something like that. So, I snagged the deal ($5 for the package, minus $1 MQ, minus $1 SQ in the February coupon booklet available near the door, times two)
The Cottonelle wipes were a similar story. Not free or a money-maker, and also disposable, but I like those things. I've been eating a lot of pistachios lately, and... you do the math on that. Haha! They were $1.99/box with the in-ad SQ, and I had two 50¢/2 MQs, so I grabbed four for $1.74 each.
The Blink Tears eye drops were a $1 moneymaker (MM). They were on sale for $7.99 and gave me back an $8 RR coupon for next time, plus I had a $1 MQ. I actually had three $1 MQs, but I didn't feel like doing multiple transactions by that point. Maybe I'll get more this week.
The Jell-o puddings were on sale for 59¢ each with in-ad SQ, plus I had a 55¢/3 MQ. Good snack for the kids.
Did I really need all that chocolate? NO. But it's good for a treat now and then, so it's up on the way-high shelf in the pantry. Sophia scales the pantry shelves regularly, so we keep it locked! Anyway. The Butterfinger Snackerz were on sale for 39¢ with the in-ad SQ, plus I had six $1/2 MQs from Coupons.com, so it was a $1.32 MM for the 12.
The Russel Stover Chocolate Hearts were 29¢ on sale with the in-ad SQ. I bought 20. If you need a "filler" item, which I didn't, these would be great this week. The peanut butter ones are pretty good. I got those for me. The rest are for the kids. They like that marshmallow filling crap. Yuck.
Total value at Wags: $71.57 (according to my receipt). Total out of pocket: $13.86. Total RRs (Register Rewards) received back: $8. NET: $5.86 OOP for $71.57 worth of goods.
CVS
CVS had a few more deals for me than Wags this week. Here's what I got:
Four 12-packs of Coke cans (two regular for Rob, two Diet for me), on sale for $3 each. Combined with the three Honest Teas I bought Rob (on sale for $1.50, minus three 50¢ MQs printed from their website), I got back $5 ECBs for next time. (Check their ad to build your scenario, or see Hip 2 Save for more ideas.)
The three boxes of special K were supposed to be on sale 3/$10, I thought, but they rang up at $3.19 each. No complaints here. I had a BOGO MQ, another 70¢ MQ, and I got back $4 ECBs for next time. Total = 56¢ per box!
We needed milk, and I had two $1 MQs off milk with any Kellogg's cereal purchase, so I got two gallons for the kids for $2.69 each.
Dawn dish liquid was on sale for 97¢, and I had (5) 50¢ MQs, so 47¢ each.
The Aussie shampoo/conditioner were on sale 2/$5.97, I had a BOGO MQ, and I got back $2 ECB. Net was 49¢ per product. I've never tried Aussie before, so we'll see.
The Olay Body Wash was on sale for $6 (eek, who pays these prices, even on sale?!). I had a BOGO free Olay facial moisturizer MQ, a $2 MQ for the wash, and got back $2 ECB. So, $1 each. Much more like it. Still not free, but I like this stuff.
Physician's Formula make-up was on sale, giving out a $7 ECB for $10 worth of product. I made a killing here: The magic coupon machine (MCM) had given me a $10 SQ a couple weeks ago on Phs. Form. cosmetics, and it was due to expire. Lots of make-up is on clearance at the drug stores right now, so I found three powder foundations on sale for 75% off, making them ring up at $3.75 each. That works out to $11.25, minus the $10 SQ I had, minus the $7 ECB = $5.75 MM for some really good powder - AND it was in my shades (very fair)!
The rest of the purchases were semi-planned, in that I knew I would find good clearance sales, but I didn't know WHAT I would find or how they would match up with the MQs I had. I brought my coupon box with me for the first time EVER (always do that, too - you never what unadvertised sales you'll come across in situ) so I could spend some time and do my own match-ups:
I found four Revlon eyeshadow singles at 75% off, making them $1.25, and I had gotten a $5/2 Revlon cosmetics SW out of the MCM, so all four were free!! The CoverGIrl blushes were on clearance for $2.49, plus on sale BOGO 50% off, plus I had a $2.50/2 MQ, so they ended up at 62¢ apiece. (Remember not to buy stuff you wouldn't use or gift to a teenage friend or something.) The Rimmel nail polish was on clearance for $1.07, and I had a $1 MQ for any Rimmel cosmetic item. The MCM gave me a SQ for $1/2 CVS skincare items, and I found the hand sanitizers on sale $1.19 each, BOGO, so 10¢ each! And finally, the Goody ponytail holders - a hot commodity around here since the girls are always losing theirs - were on clearance for $1.74 each; I bought two.
Here's a close-up of the clearance items, so you know what stickers to look for, if you try it! I was going to do the same thing at Walgreens, but they shipped back all their clearanced makeup YESTERDAY! UGH!!!! Oh well, you snooze, you lose.
Total value at CVS: $172.85 (according to my receipt). Total out of pocket: $35.35. Total ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) received back: $20. NET: $15.35 OOP for $172.8 worth of goods.
Rite Aid
Rite Aid has some great deals this week, so my plan was to get there when the first Rite Aid opened at 0700. I didn't quite make it (0815), but it was still earlier enough that other deal-shoppers hadn't wiped out all the goods, and I was able to get everything I wanted, in every quantity I wanted. Score! Here's how I did:
- 2 boxes Raisin Bran on sale 2/$4.88, minus (2) $70¢ MQs = $1.74 each
- 2 Hormel Chili on sale 2/$3, minus $1/2 SQ from their Video Values (VV) website, minus 55¢/2 MQ, minus $1+UP reward = 23¢ each
- 2 Jif Peanut Butter on sale $1.99 each, minus $1/2 SQ (VV), minus (2) $1+UPs = 49¢ each
- 4 Russell Stover 3-oz sugar-free candy bags (going in my diabetic grandpa's care package this week!!) on sale 4/$5, minus $2+UP = 75¢ each
- 6 Edy's Grand ice cream cartons on sale $2.99 each, minus (6) $2+UPs, minus bonus $5+UP for buying $15+ worth of Edy's/Dreyer's products = 94¢ for all six!!!! (16¢ each)
- 8 Lay's Stax chips on sale $1 each, minus $1+UP for each = all FREE! (I may grab more later in the week if I can find 'em.)
- 2 Chex Mix on sale 2/$3, minus 50¢/2 MQ - $1+UP = 75¢ each (which is NOT a good deal comparatively, but my family loves this stuff)
- 5 Colgate toothpaste, on sale $2.99 each, minus (5) $1 MQs, minus (5) $2+UPs = all FREE (I got the Sensitive formula for my grandpa, so they'll all go in his package this week, too. He's going to laugh and tell me he can't use them up in this lifetime.... on second thought, maybe I'll just send two for now!)
- Afrin Nasal Spray, on sale $5.99, minus $3 MQ, minus $2 SQ (VV), minus $4+UP = $3 MM!!
- Coricidin 10 oz, on sale $5.99, minus $2 MQ, minus $2 SQ (VV), minus $4+UP = $2 MM!! (Do not keep this in the house if you have teenagers, if you don't need it. Lock it up, if you do.)
- 2 Clairol Perfect 10 haircolors, regularly $12, on 75%-off clearance for $3, minus (2) $3 MQs = both FREE!
- 2 Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power razors, on sale for $9.99 each, minus (2) $4 MQs, minus (2) $5+UPs = 99¢ each
-2 bags Halls cough drops (I got sugar-free for Grandpa), on sale 2/$3, minus $1/2 MQ, minus 50¢ SQ (VV), minus $1+UP = 25¢ each
- 4 24-ct Stayfree pads (well one was a bonus 32-ct size for same price & deal!), on sale $4.29 BOGO, minus (2) BOGO MQs = all FREE for my girls' growing stash! (good thing these don't go bad, since they're 5 and 9, eh?)
- 2 Purina Beggin' Strips treats + 2 Purina Busy Bones on sale for $2.99 each, minus (2) Buy-One Beggin', Get One Busy Bones free MQs, minus (2) $1 MQ for the Strips, minus (2) $1+UPs = 49¢ apiece (I bought these to donate to the SPCA for a Girl Scout benefit party coming up, although Jack's begging me to send these to Tiger Lily, our former pooch!)
Total value at Rite Aid: $206.92 (according to my receipt). Total out of pocket: $61.30. Total +UPs received back: $63. NET: -$1.70 OOP for $206.92 worth of goods!!
So total for this week (so far) = $451.34 worth of goods for $19.51 OOP! Woohoo!!!
Fin.
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