Aggravated Today & A Little Bit About Me...

 

Okay, so I'm thrifty, cheap, good with my money, etc. <-- Whatever you call it, I don't like to spend a lot of money on things. I wasn't always like this...but, when my husband's kidneys failed a little over 2 years ago very unexpectedly, I had to learn to live off of a much smaller income...aka disability. It is no where near what we used to get when he worked, and since I've been a stay at home mom to our three kids for the last 11 years, only dabbling in a little overworked underpaid retail management, it's not likely that I could supplement our loss from his disability. So, I'm back in school for my associate's degree in nursing and working on my bachelor's at the same time because of the long wait list at my school (that's a whole different blog post in itself! lol). And in the meantime, we are working towards a transplant for hubby and I coupon to save on the things we need and yes, some wants. Because what is life, if you can't indulge at times? So, that is what I'm going to tell myself today. I'm aggravated. I'm ticked. I'm not happy. :( I spent too much today and being as it is the end of the month, and we live on disability, that is not such a good thing. I wish I would've just put everything back. Ugggh. Let me explain what happened.

First trip was actually Walmart this morning. I had 3 Cascade coupons that made the trial size packs free (only 3 in a pack, but hey, it's free dish soap!) that were expiring today and I also needed some newspapers to start the drugstore trip. Not a problem, got the 3 Cascade trial pacs and my newspapers. Moving on....

Next was CVS. Now, I was not really planning to do much there because I know that my CVS tends to get cleared out pretty quickly. And we didn't get the Colgate toothpaste coupons in my newspaper. LOL. So, I was only getting some Skinny Cow snacks, Bic Soleil Razor Kit, Gillete ProFusion Razor, and really that was all I had planned. Well, I still have my raincheck from the last time the Bic Soleil went on sale, so I didn't have high expectations to get it this time, and I was right. It was still gone from the shelf. So, raincheck for that. Then, I got the Skinny Cow snacks (2), the Gillete razor (1), and the magic coupon machine printed me out a coupon for free U by Kotex liners ($1.77 off). I had a $1.00 off manufacturer coupon to match up with it in my binder, so I grabbed those up  and was pleased to find that they were only $1.44, so I actually got the store 1.77 off and the manufacturer 1.00 off which gave me 1.33 in overages. The magic coupon machine also printed me off a 3 off 10 purchase of cosmetics. I had a 5.00 store magic coupon machine left from last week on a Revlon product (not the ones with the ECBs though, darn!), so I bought a lip gloss that was 10.99 and really with all the coupons and overages, it ended up being $1.66, and of course I actually paid with my EBC's, so it was technically pretty much free. I got all of this today for 77 CENTS. So good trip..Saved 25.16. Still happy here...

Next, my mom was wanting some stuff at RiteAid, but due to the fact that I've been super aggravated with RiteAid almost always being out of the items I wanted to get, I've pretty much stopped shopping there. I did go ahead and get the Bic Soliel disposable razors for 1.99 + 1UP, so I guess I will start back there again this next week since I have a 1UP now, lol! Okay, still happy....

Here's where it got complicated. I normally really do love my Walgreens. I normally only do about 2-3 transactions there, occasionally even only 1. Well, I had a complicated order this week, but I was planning to only spend about $16.00 for over $100 worth of stuff and come back out with 9RR. So, after dealing with coupons that didn't match up with some products that were on sale (grrr!) and then not being able to even find a place in the store with others, I finally was ready to check out. I was planning to do 4 transactions, with my last one getting me some diapers for free for a baby shower that I'm going to need to plan here in a few months for a friend. And when I get there, the cashier (she was nice about it) told me they are no longer allowing more than two transactions per day per customer. WHAT?! Seriously. This messed me all up because I was planning to roll over some of the register rewards to other transactions, but I also was buying some things the same in different transactions. And everyone knows that if you buy a deal, get the RR, and buy the deal again and use the RR to buy it, you won't get a new RR. So...Now I have like $19 in RR but I spent close to $35 dollars. :( I think I should have just walked away, but I got blindsided by this, and really got confused and out of sorts. I keep telling myself, that it really isn't that bad, because I still saved like over a hundred dollars, but when you are a fixed income, that was a lot of money to spend. I guess its just one of those things that you have to be prepared for. I think what stinks the most, is that she said it was due to the fact that people come in and wipe the shelves clean...Stupid Extreme Couponers. See how hard you make it on the rest of us?! I don't understand why people can't just buy what they need for their family. And I told the lady, that was a stupid rule, that people will just start bringing in hubby, kids, friends to do the transactions with, so its not going to solve it. The one thing I can tell you is that, I don't think this is a Walgreens thing...It is just the Walgreens in my area. Anyway. Vent over...Time to move on with more important things in life, like the 5 million exams I have this week since its the last week of summer semester! Ugh!  Pin It

Drugstore Totals...July 3rd Week

Okay, so I'm officially behind....Again. But, in my defense (or at least that is what I'm going to keep telling myself!) I've had a lot of school work this summer. I'm sure if I wasn't such a procrastinator, I probably would get things done sooner which would lead to me having more time to do things like write on this blog. But, it's so much more fun to surf the internet for good coupons and chat on the phone with my besties! :P So, here are my drugstore totals for July 3rd sale week!

July 3rd Sale Week

144.68 Subtotal - 135.35 Savings/Coupons 
= 9.33 TOOP
I have had to be a little more creative if I want to use my "store currency" before it expires here lately because I simply just don't need anything (GASP!).  I mean, I don't feel comfortable stockpiling a million boxes of toothpaste.

 CVS

Aussie Mousse
Aussie Shampoo
Hershey's Air Delight Candy Bar
2 Oral B Advantage toothbrushes
2 Oral B Pulsar toothbrushes
3 Mentos Gum packs
1 box of Tampax Pearl Tampons

42.38 Subtotal - 41.40 Savings/Coupons 
= 0.98 TOOP

RiteAid
5 Bags of Tide Stain Release 18 ct
2 Bottles of Shout
1 bottle of Crest Pro-Health mouthwash
2 bottles of Pantene
2 Oral B Advantage  toothbrushes
2 bottles of John Frieda Full Repair
86.06 Subtotal - 77.94 Savings/Coupons 
= 8.12 TOOP





Walgreens 
1 Gillette Fusion Power Razor
2 boxes of Nabisco cookies
1 Laffy Taffy Candy (filler)
16.24 Subtotal - 16.01 Savings/Coupons 
= 0.23 TOOPPin It

(Another Late Post, sorry!) Sunday Drugstores, FREE EGGS, and a small rant....

Sorry this is way late, but for some reason, I saved this instead of posting about it? Not sure what was up with that...I guess maybe because I  didn't break down the drugstores all the way...Anyway. It's the June 19th shopping week at the drugstores.

Paid 1.13 Total after rebate or 6.13 before rebate!

Okay, eggs were free for me because I had RR from Walgreens to get them, but 99 cents for a dozen eggs isn't a horrible price either! I'm going away for the weekend next week, so even though I didn't really think this was a great week for any of the stores...Or I guess I should say it was not anything I was overly excited about getting.
We have most of this stuff already stockpiled, so it just gets added to the stockpile closet. I want to mention though, that while I DO have lots of stuff, I don't usually ever by more than 2-3 of anything and if I do, it is because we DO use it that much. I'm not a crazy extreme couponer. I meet a very nice lady today in CVS, but she was bragging about an extreme couponer and her buggy was stocked FULL of things. I'm not even sure how she gets around the limits...And to be honest, I don't want to know! I have no problem following the "rules" of couponing and getting PLENTY for my family, PLUS I have my friends and family raid my stockpile (grocery and drugstore items) all the time to help them out. So, following the rules has NOT caused me to loose any money AT ALL. There is no need to have 300 (or even 50) of anything! Okay, rant about extreme couponing over (LOL!).

Totals for the Drugstore Trips

121.58 Subtotals - 115.45 Savings/ Coupons = 6.13 TOOP 

Savings of 95%! 

And actually, I'm getting a 5.00 Rebate back from the Gatorade products, so TOOP is going to be 1.13 or a savings of 99%! 

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97% Savings & All About Rain Checks!

From my house to:

Publix 7.4 miles or about 20 minutes

BiLo 5.1 miles or about 15 minutes

Walmart 1.1 miles or about 4 minutes

CVS 3.6 miles or about 10 minutes

RiteAid 5.9 miles or about 17 minutes

Walgreens 1.9 miles or about 5 minutes

A lot of people talk about the price of gas when you talk about coupons and going to the different stores. Since I do visit about 5-6 different stores weekly, I want to give you an idea of how close they are to my home. Also, I carpool with my mom pretty much every time we go to the store, so it also saves on the little bit of gas we do use. And on top of that, generally speaking, most of these stores are close together for me. In other words, I'm not driving one way to get to one store and turning around and driving a totally different direction to go to another!  Not everyone is this lucky though, and if you are not as close to the store as I am, you may need to pick only one to two stores to visit per week or pick one day a week to do ALL your shopping. I know I have a good friend of mine that lives about 30 minutes from any of the *hot* stores to shop at in our area so it is very unreasonable for her to go shopping more than once a week. And with that, comes the inevitable possibility that you will miss an item being on sale. And to be honest, with all the hype on coupons here lately, I've even been a little frustrated with not being able to find certain items in stock.

Which brings us to RAIN CHECKS! What is a rain check, you ask? A rain check is particularly useful when you get to a store to only find out that the item or items you came to purchase are no longer in stock. It is a voucher which will allow you to purchase the item at the advertised price after the store has restocked it. Here's a few tips and tricks:

1. Know your ad...Have a copy and try to have an idea of where your item is and what kind of sale/deal you are wanting for the rain check.

2. Rainchecks are for grocery stores AND drugstores! Don't limit yourself! The drugstores will give you the sale price PLUS the deal they are running like ECB.

3. Some rain checks expire, BUT some do not! Make sure you pay close attention to the stores that don't have expiration dates on their rain checks. A great tip is to get a rain check on items like produce at those stores that don't have expiration dates. Then, when you need something out of season, you can still get it at the sale price!

4. Another great tip is to remember that if one flavor is out of something, you can still get a rain check for it even if there are other flavors there! For example, the yummy Jala Bars I blogged about here were on sale at a great price, but when I went back, the blueberry ones were out of stock. I got a rain check for 10!

 * Hope this helps you, and remember, don't leave empty handed! Once you get used to them, it is second nature!*

First, like usual is CVS. I did some great shopping there this week!

2 John Frieda Full Repair Conditioners

2 Soft Scrub Total

2 Soft Scrub with Bleach

1 Cetaphil Facial Cleanser

2 OFF! Clip-on Starter Kits

2 OFF! Clip-on Refills

1 Zyrtec 5 ct

1 Bayer Advanced Aspirin

2 boxes of Skinny Cow Bars

Subtotals 96.25-Savings 95.61=0.64 TOOP

And of course, here is RiteAid...another small week!

1 Bayer Advanced Aspirin

1 Compound W Liquid

1 Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Color

Subtotal 21.97-Savings 17.00=4.97 TOOP-1.99 Mail in Rebate (Bayer)= 2.98 TOOP

Walgreens was a pretty decent week though!

3 Schick Hydro Shave Cream

2 Tone Body Washes

1 Finesse Shampoo

1 Finesse Conditioner

1 Blistex for Men

1 Colgate 360 Toothbrush

4 Laffy Taffy (fillers)

Subtotal 37.01-Savings 33.06=3.95 TOOP-2.99 Mail in Rebate (Finesse)= 0.96 TOOP

DRUGSTORE TOTALS FOR 6/12: 

Subtotal 155.23-Savings 145.67= 9.56 TOOP-4.98 Rebates= 4.58 TOOP

93% Before Rebates or 97% After Rebates!

Since I had a few things I wanted to get before my coupons expired, I also went to Walmart...

2 Nautica Cologne (clearance 7.00 each)

5 Dial Travel Size Body Washes (0.97 each)

1 Bic Mark-It pens 24 count (12.44)

Subtotal 30.32-Coupons 22.00=7.32 TOOP

Savings of 73%! Here's a breakdown:

(4) 2.00 off Dial from (RP 6/12)

(2) 5.00 off Nautica Cologne (printable)

(1) 5.00 off BIC Mark-It 24 ct (printable)

So, I used the overages from the dial to help pay for the other items, bringing my TOOP down!

And lastly, I made a quick trip back to Publix as well to grab a few items...

5 Think Thin Protein Bars 

2 Tomatoes

1/2 lb grapes

2 Bayer Advanced Aspirin

2 Skinny Cow singles

Subtotal 21.90-Savings 18.26=3.64 TOOP

Savings of 83%!

*Quick Note* I was planning to also use my $2.00 off Publix produce coupon from the Stocking Spree signup, but come to find out, the coupon was not valid until 6/16. Oh well!

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A little late....Last Sunday's Trip to Drugstores & More...

Okay, well those of you that know me, know why I'm late posting this. Those that don't, well, I had 3 birthday parties in the last 3 weeks on top of going back to school for summer semester and kids getting out of school. And of course, about  a million other things. I don't know about all of you, but I'm not super mom...It's exhausting!  But, here is a quick breakdown of last Sunday's totals (6/5):
CVS Trip
5 Vitamin Waters
2 Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash/Rinse
2 Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste
2 Oral-B Pulsar Toothbrushes
Subtotal 40.99
- 40.99 Savings/Coupons
=0.00 TOOP

RiteAid Trip
2 Veet Products
1 Blink Tears
2 Rimmel Nail polishes
Subtotal 29.45
-24.50 Savings/ Coupons
= 4.95 TOOP
*BUT* The Blink Tears were a SCR this month, so I will be getting a check for 7.99 back making it 3.04 in OVERAGES paid to me!

Walgreens
1 Box of Omega Smart Ultimate Fish Oil
5 Laffy Taffy candy (fillers)
23.99 Subtotal
-23.99 Savings/Coupons
=0.00 TOOP











So, my weekly drugstore totals altogether are:
Subtotal 94.43 - 89.48 Savings = 4.95 TOOP - 7.99 SCR = -3.04
SO, a savings of 94% without the rebate and 103% with the rebate! Better than FREE!

(Quick) Publix Trip
2 Mrs. T's Pierogies
1 Fresh Express Salad Mix
(Raincheck for the yummy Jala bars)
Subtotal 9.16
-7.57 Savings/Coupons
=1.59 TOOP

I wanted to share this quick Publix trip because this would make a great lunch for the kids and us during the summer...Can you imagine paying for that without shopping the sales and coupons? Even if you did the sale, it would have still been right at 5.00. Not as bad, but it really makes you look back on the "before couponing"...I just imagine on what all we could have saved! It makes my tummy hurt thinking about all that wasted $$$! I think the best thing altogether about this, is that I get to buy things that I never would've splurged on before...Like the Rimmel nail polish...I actually did the french manicure today on my nails and it looks salon perfect! It's nice to have those little things and not have to worry about spending that little extra!Pin It

$64.25 Subtotal - Savings/Coupons = 1¢

Well, I'm behind with sharing about my trip from last week, and its already time for me to go to the grocery store again today, but my baby girl is running a 102 fever, so we won't be doing any shopping today! But, that's okay...I was only buying a few things this week anyway! Maybe I can go later today when Shannon gets home from dialysis or tomorrow if she is feeling better. Anyway, I apologize for being so late with my totals and not having the usual pics to go along with it, but final exams took priority this week!
Publix
There was a lot of good freebies that would give you overage this week, so I was super excited to go! My first transaction was the picture to the left. It was my favorite because of all the John Frieda hair products, my favorite!

Subtotal 64.25 - 64.24 Savings/Coupons 

= 0.01 Order Total (tax was 3.89, not included)

 Savings of 99.9%

Now, on to groceries....I didn't do as well as the previous transaction, but I actually bought quite a few things that were not on sale (I just wanted them, lol), so I feel pretty good about the total transaction.

Subtotal 160.50 - 94.42 Savings/Coupons 

= 66.08 Order Total 

Savings of 59%

BiLo

I did better this week here than what I usually do...Sometimes I wonder why I don't just go to Publix only, but then I have a week like this and I realize why. A big thing is just the fact that they double coupons up to 60 cents...And you won't believe how many coupons are 55 and 60 cents! Here's what I got:

Scoopable Cat Litter

5  Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste

2 Minute Maid OJ

3 Lean Cuisine Market Fresh Meals

4 Bird's Eye Voila! Family Size Meals

4 Bird's Eye SteamFresh Veggies

Mayfield Half Pint Ice Cream (hubby's treat for going!)

Subtotal 74.43 - 54.32 Savings/Coupons 

= 20.11 Order Total (tax was 0.99, not included)

                        Savings of 73%

CVS 

I actually went to CVS twice. Once Saturday evening because Shannon has this *certain* kind of toothpaste that he likes and he gets all frustrated when he doesn't have it. And of course, I've been out. I got 5 tubes of it at BiLo for 99 cents a tube, but FREE is always better, even if there is a limit of 2 at CVS! Anyway, the reason I went Saturday evening to get it was because my coupons for it were expiring 4/30 (Sat) and for some reason Colgate must think people in SC don't brush or we are all toothless hillbillies because almost everytime we are supposed to get those coupons, they are missing! Needless to say when I finally do get some Colgate coupons that can be used on any Colgate or Colgate MaxFresh, I'm excited! It's almost as good as getting Mentos Gum coupons! :D I don't have a picture of Sunday's transaction, sorry! Now let me tell you about what happened on Saturday. I got there and realized the Colgate had been on sale for 1.97 a tube the previous week, so that sale was still on meaning more than likely the ECB were not going to print. So, I asked my AWESOME manager at CVS and she said it was not a problem that they would just force print them, and thanks for letting them know so they can take care of it! So, I ended up getting 2 tubes for 1.94 after coupons and then got (2) 3.00 ECB back! Well, that was an even better deal than I had hoped for! They paid me to take them out the store! I love when that happens! :D And of course, the Dove Men's deodarant was on sale for 99 cents, and I had 3 1.00 coupons so they were FREE too! Here's the totals for Saturday:

Subtotal 21.35 - 20.40 Savings/Coupons 

= 0.95 Order Total (tax was 0.48, not included)
+6.00 in ECB

Savings of 96%

When I went back on Sunday, I was just getting a couple cleaning products, 3 to be exact: Cascade Dishwasher deteregent, Mr Clean Magic Eraser, and Mr Clean All Purpose Cleaner. Here's the total:

15.07 Subtotal - 12.81 Savings/Coupons

= 2.26 Order Total (tax was 0.49, not included)

+3.00 ECB

Savings of 85% 

And I will have to get Walgreens and Rite Aid another day, because I'm tired and want to go to bed! LOL!

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Weekend Drugstore Trip

CVS, Walgreens, RiteAid

I didn't do as well as I wanted this weekend due to a coupon that was possibly counterfeit, but in reality, someone had photocopied a ton of them and then sold them online. My particular coupon was printed at home directly from the manufacturer's website, but due to the scammer...any of these coupons cause an abnormal beeping noise and the cashier to look at you like you did something wrong.Needless to say, I just bought the items in question without the coupon (grrr!) and it cost me $4.00 extra this week at RiteAid. It was the $2/2 Carefree coupon. I think what aggravated me the most is that I had another coupon for 50 cents off 1 pack that I had 4 of that I could've used to at least make it only a 2.00 difference, but they were in the car and there was a line behind me.  But, anyway, here's the totals for the week...

 Subtotal (with tax) 105.44 - Savings/Coupons 87.57= Total out of Pocket (TOOP with tax) 17.87

 Savings of 83%

CVS

CVS

3 bottles of Aveeno body wash (6.49 each)

1 tub of Aveeno Facial Cleanser (6.49)

1 Head & Shoulders Shampoo (5.89)

1 Head & Shoulders Conditioner (4.99)

1 Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer (4.19)

1 (20 oz) Cherry Coke Zero (1.69)

1 Easter grass (0.99)

1 PAAS Easter Egg Dying Kit (1.99)

Coupons Used....

(1) B2G1F Aveeno body wash (6.49 value)

(3) 2.00 off any Aveeno product

(1) 2.00 off Head & Shoulders

(1) Buy Head & Shoulders shampoo, get conditioner free (4.99 value)

(1) 2.00 coupon for any candy or drink purchase at CVS

(1) Free hand sanitizer up to 3.99 at CVS

3.00, 3.00, 5.00, 2.00 and 1.98 ECB used from stash

Subtotal 51.40-Savings/Coupons 49.15= 2.25 + Tax 2.14 = 4.39 TOOP and ECB Total 12.98

Walgreens 

2 packs of Always Pads (3.00 each)

2 REACH toothbrushes (2.99 each)

1 Goody Ouchless hair clips (3.00)

2 Colgate Total toothpaste (3.00 each)

5 Easter plastic tumblers (filler items) (0.39 each)

Coupons Used...

(2) 1.00 off Always Pads

(2) 1.00 off Reach toothbrushes

(2) 1.00 off Colgate Total 

in ad coupon for the tumblers to make them 17 cents each

3.00, 3.00, 2.00, 3.00, 1.00 Register Rewards used from stash

Subtotal 29.81-Savings/Coupons 25.98= 3.83 + Tax 1.53 = 5.36 TOOP and RR Total 15.00

RiteAid

RiteAid

4 packs of Carefree Pantiliners (1.25 each)

1 bottle of PediCare (4.99)

1 bottle got2Be Gloss (5.99)

Coupons used...

(1) 2.00 off RiteAid got2Be

(1) 2.00 off any got2Be styler
(1) 1.00 off PediCare

1.99 & 1.99 UP+ used from stash

Subtotal 19.44-Savings/Coupons 12.44= 7.00 + Tax 1.12 = 8.12 TOOP and UP+ Total 6.00

*This is the transaction that was supposed to be better than this had the legitimate 2.00 coupons been able to be used. My TOOP should have been 4.12.

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Best Drugstore Trip EVER!

 Alright, I don't know why, but I totally love trying new lotions, body wash, gum, deodorant, etc. I know it seems silly to get excited about such products, but I do! I love my weekend drugstore trips and the fact that I pretty much come away spending basically nothing, makes me love it even more! I went to a couple different stores today. I actually went shopping twice today, once this morning with my mom (CVS, Walgreens, & RiteAid) and then I went back out after seeing some of the deals in person and hit some up with Shannon and the kids.  I needed a few things at Walmart & Target this week too, so I tried Target out for the first time, and then tried out Walmart's "new" coupon policy. Here's how I fared:

CVS (2 Dove Deodorant/2 Axe Body Wash) 
Subtotal= 22.68 Savings/Coupons=21.56 Total Spent w/tax= 1.12
Received 5.00 in ECB for buying!
RiteAid (2 StayFree) 
Subtotal=8.33 Savings/Coupons=7.40 Total Spent w/tax=0.84
Received 1.40 in UP+ for buying!
Walgreens (Aveeno, Snickers, Colgate, caramels) 
Subtotal=85.89 Savings/Coupons=79.17 Total Spent w/tax=6.72
Received 14.00 in RR for buying!

Walmart (4 Gain Fabric Softener & 1 filler item not pictured)
Subtotal= 13.86 Savings/Coupons=12.00 Total Spent w/tax= 1.86

RiteAid-2nd Trip 
Subtotal= 73.00 Savings/Coupons=65.75 Total Spent w/tax= 7.25
Received 1.49, 5.00, and 4.00 UP+ for buying!

CVS-2nd Trip
Subtotal= 12.40 Savings/Coupons=10.99 Total Spent w/tax= 1.41

Target
Subtotal= 18.92 Savings/Coupons=11.68 Total Spent w/tax= 7.24
Received a $5.00 Gift Card for buying!

Okay, Walmart officially sucks. Even with their new policy, they are NOT coupon friendly at all. The lady was extremely rude and fought with me over these coupons. First, she tried to tell me I could only use one in one transaction. I showed her ON THE COUPON where it stated "limit of one per item purchased" & "limit of 4 per transaction". She scowled at me. I smiled sweetly. Then, she totally freaked out when they rang up for 1.87 and my coupon was for 3.00 off each. She told me she couldn't do that. I very firmly explained Walmart's overage policy and explained that was the reason for my "filler item" to cover the overage. She got super pissed off with me and started taking it out on the cash register, but regardless, I got my stuff for free +tax! She was not a happy camper. I almost wish I had about 20 more of these coupons to go back to her 5 times in a row and make her pay me cash out of her register to "buy" them! LOL :D  

But, Target was fun! I had no beeping and the cashier was very friendly! I think I could occasionally hit them up for their deals! 

Totals for the whole shopping trip today:

Subtotal with Tax=235.08

Savings/Coupons=208.64

Total Spent with Tax=26.44

Savings of 89%!

NEW "Store Currency" Totals: 

Extra Care Bucks 8.00

Register Rewards 34.00

UP+ 10.49

Target Gift Card 5.00

*Also, I just realized that I bought 2 items at RiteAid that qualify for $2.00 in SCR (single check rebates). I've never done it before, but it seems easy enough. I enter the receipt info online at the website and supposedly in a few weeks I will get my check. Hmmmm......

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Weekend Drugstore Trip= Savings of 82% Even with Mistakes!

Well, because I didn't get to go last weekend, I had to go this weekend as I had some store "money" that was expiring. All in all, I had a good trip, but a few little mistakes happened.

WALGREENS
I went to Walgreens first. As I know someone that can use them, I bought the Tena pads that were supposed to be on sale for 10 dollars, used a 2.50 coupon, and then I had the intentions of using a $3 and a $2 Register Reward, so I bought two pieces of caramel at 33 cents a piece. At the end, I would receive a $10 Register Reward. I was planning on paying around 3.00 out of pocket. But, for some reason the pads rang up for 6.49, so instead, I paid 1.22 (with tax) and still have a $2 RR. Hey, I'm not complaining! LOL  I also did the deal with the Chex Mix and Bugles that were on sale for 1.25 each and I had the $4/4 coupon. Since, I had two coupons, I got all 8 and spent only 2.00! So, fairly decent at this store, but the only aggravating part is that I still had a $2 RR that I need to use because it expires. I should have used it on the Bugles/Chex Mix deal, but I had done that one first! Mistakes Mistakes! I ended up going back in and getting the Always pads (and a caramel as the filler item to use the RR) on Monday at the 2.99 sale price each and using a $2 coupon on each with my $2 RR and getting back a $2 RR. If I would've bought them separate, I could've gotten a $2 RR for each of them, but I wanted to use my $2 RR to buy them so I wouldn't be paying for anything but tax.

CVS
Then, I went to CVS where I proceeded to mess up as well. LOL I got the Allegra deal (6.99-2.00 coupon and get back 6.99 ECB). I also had a $6 store coupon off of Physicians makeup, so I got a liquid eyeliner and some concealer. Since, my hubby was with me, I grabbed him a pack of Mentos gum (yikes, no coupon!) and used my 10 ECB from before. But, I was still short 1.80, so I lost 1.80 on the ECB. I got back a 6.99 one. And then, I had a huge stack of 50 cents off of 2 Cadbury eggs or the Reese's eggs and since they were on sale this week for 50 cents and then buy $10 worth and get $3 ECB, I thought I would stock up for my kids' Easter baskets. Well, I got 12 Reese's and 5 reg Cadbury and 5 caramel Cadbury. Coupons worked fine on all of them, but I failed to realize the caramel ones were NOT on sale and they were not included in the deal. So, I ended up paying a little more than expected and I still have to buy another 1.50 worth to get my ECB. Pooey. Messed up again!

RITE AID
Finally, I went to Rite Aid. And, here's where I really got messed up. I had a 2 UP and a 1 UP. I wanted to do the Old Spice deal where you buy 2/$7 and you get 1 UP. I had a coupon for buy one deodorant get one body wash free and I had a 1.00 off coupon. So, I should have been getting a deodorant and a body wash for 2.50 before UPs. I was doing this twice. Then, I was also doing the VEET deal where you use the store coupon for $3 off and a manufacturer coupon for $3 off and get 1 UP back. The particular VEET product I wanted was 6.49 so I was planning to pay 0.49. Okay, so I get to the register and I ask if I buy all the Old Spice together, will it print out both UP rewards for each one? The cashier doesn't know. Well, I would like to know, so I told her to just do it all in one transaction. As it turns out, this was actually a blessing in disguise or I wouldn't have gotten any UP rewards from the Old Spice. See, apparently, even though I'm 100% positive it should have been included, the body wash was not part of the deal. It rang up for 4.99 each. And my coupon maxed out at 3.99. So, I ended up paying $5 in deodorant, $2 in body wash, and 0.49 in the Veet after regular coupons and after UP rewards, it was right at $6 with tax. Phooey. Messed it all up again! But, to be honest, I think it might have been a store mess up...I think they were supposed to be on sale as that was the only Red Zone body wash in the whole store. GRRRRR! I walked away with only 1 UP from the Old Spice deal and 1 UP from the Veet. :(

SUMMARY (Tax included)

Walgreens  42.09 Subtotal-36.10 Savings= 5.99 Total Spent    12 RR
CVS          43.46 Subtotal-35.61 Savings= 7.85 Total Spent      6.99 ECB
Rite Aid     27.09 Subtotal-20.96 Savings= 6.13 Total Spent      2 UP
TOTAL  112.64 Subtotal-92.67Savings=19.97 Total Spent   
20.99 Total Store "Currency"
Saved 82% Total

Not too bad, I wish I wouldn't have messed up at CVS though. It should have been another 3 in ECB plus my total spent should have been about 1.00 cheaper. Instead I have to go back and spend another 1.50 to get the ECB. And I don't know what the heck happened at Rite Aid. I suppose I could go back and complain to a manager about it. Not sure if its worth all that though.Pin It

I ❤ My Walgreens!

So, earlier this week, I did a deal at Walgreens that where you purchased $15 dollars of certain items and you would get $15 in coupons printed out. Well, since we are going on a weekend getaway this next weekend, I thought it would be in my best interest to have plenty of snacks and sodas to bring...Especially MY Coke Zero! (Disclaimer: I'm addicted to Coke Zero...I used to be a regular Coca Cola addict, you can ask anyone, I NEED the stuff. Without it, I become "a not-so-nice person" and that's being polite! I don't like diet soda, so when they came out with Zero, I was skeptical...But, now I'm hooked! No sugar and great Coke taste! Plus, my drug of choice, CAFFEINE!) So, when I realized one of the coupons was for 2 bucks off a pack of Coke Zero and it would attach to EVERY pack of Coke bought, I said, ummm yeah, how do I get those coupons?! I ended up getting the Hersheys Drops/Pieces bags (6 total) and used coupons on them to make the 15 dollar total actually only cost 5 dollars. Then, I got my coupons for Coke Zero and a bunch of other GREAT products! Stay with me......

Before today (Sunday), Walgreens had Coke products on sale 3/$13, so I figured with the $2 off coupon, it was going to cost me $7 to buy 3 packs of Coke Zero. Plus, I was planning to buy some peanuts to add to it in order to get the coupons yet AGAIN! So, I went Saturday to get them. But, they were completely out of Coke Zero. The guy helping me told me to get a raincheck, but when I got to the front, the cashier talked to the manager, and he said he would have 4 packs waiting on me Sunday (4 b/c the sale was changing to 4/$14), if I wanted to come back in the morning. Well, since I knew I would be coming back anyway (and it made for an even BETTER deal), I told them that would be fine. Fast forward.....

I get to Walgreens this morning, only to look around and still see NO Coke Zero products. Well, I went and got the few other items I was there to get, and then, went and asked the cashier. He called the (same) manager who came up and told me that he "was sooo sorry but the truck did not come in BUT he sent one of his other cashier's to another store to pick up 4 packs of Coke Zero for ME!" Lots of  ❤! And sure enough, a few minutes later, the poor rain soaked girl came in the store carrying MY 4 cases...SOOOO, I got all 4 cases after coupons for 6 DOLLARS! Did I tell you, I ❤ My Walgreens!

That being said, let me tell you about my sales. First of all, you should know, I originally had NO plan to hit the stores this weekend b/c I didn't need anything that was going to be at that "stock up price". But, then I remembered that I won't be shopping (OMG withdrawals!) next weekend because we will be in the mountains with some other couples (looking forward to it!). And sure enough, my UPs from RiteAid and my RR from Walgreens were going to expire before I even got back. GRRRR! So, I came up with some lame scenarios to get the few things I wanted and still come out with a little bit of store currency. Here's what I got:

Okay, my mom wanted to hit all 3 stores again...So, since I knew I only need to scan my green tag at CVS one more time to get a dollar ECB, I bought my newspapers there and scanned it. So, no real savings to post but, my new ECB Total is 13.58 now! Then, on to, RiteAid. I had 5 in UPs that was expiring, here's how I used it:

Lysol Healthy Touch Hand Soap Dispenser        7.49 (reg 14.99)
Manufacturer Coupon                                       -3.00
Aquafina 24pk 16.9 fl oz bottles                         3.99
UPs Coupons                                                   -5.00
Total (before tax)                                               3.48
UPs coupons received                                        3.00 (1 for water/2 for soap)
Total Savings                                                     16.50

Next, Walgreens! ❤ :) LOL! Well, you already know about my coke deal, but here is the whole transaction:

4 Cases of Coke Zero (3.50 each)                 14.00
Store Coupon (2.00 off each pack)                -8.00
2 Bounce Dryer Bars (3.99 each)                    7.98
Manufacturer Coupon (0.50 each)                 -1.00
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 2 Pk                          2.50
Manufacturer Coupon                                   -0.75
Planters Cashews Can                                    3.00
Planters Mixed Nuts Can                                3.00
RR Coupons                                                 -9.00
Total (before tax)                                          11.73
RR Received                                                  3.00 (Plus more $15 coupons!)
Total Savings                                                 33.78

I was not overly impressed with my "haul" this week, but I guess it was still decent all things considering. Really wish I wouldn't have been dealing with expireds! 

Subtotal 65.49

Saved 50.28

Actual Cost (pre-tax) 15.21

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And who said drugstores were too expensive?

Okay, so I used to say that. I hated HATED hated going to the drugstore to buy anything because I always felt they were wayyy overpriced. But, I guess if you are shopping with coupons and you can use their currency, its not so bad! I ended up at CVS this morning again because I wanted the deal on the toothbrushes but one of the coupons was in today's paper. So, first I got my paper and cut them out before hitting the store. Then, my mom wanted to do Rite Aid and while I wasn't trying to do Rite Aid, we usually go together, so I went with her and got a few things. Then, we hit Walgreens. Long morning, I don't usually do this much, but WOW!  

I spent 2.65 TOTAL before tax (7.60 with tax). Considering that just ONE of the toothbrushes cost 10 bucks, I'm pretty happy! Total before savings and coupons would have been over 105! So, I saved over a 100 dollars today! Whoo hoo! Plus, I have 12.58 in ECB left for CVS, 5.00 in +UP Rewards at Rite Aid, and 9.00 in Register Rewards for Walgreens.

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