They paid me....

I must warn you that it doesn't happen this perfect every time. After some consideration and a lot

of waiting they actually paid me to take the products out of the store!

As you probably know every Sunday all the store ads change. I normally do my couponing on Sundays because otherwise every thing is already taken, but I remembered one of the cashiers at Walgreens told me that you could come in on Saturday evening when they were posting ads and stickers for the next weeks sale and you could go ahead and get the sale ahead of time. So I tried it...And it worked! The only problem was the sale prices for the next week weren't in the computer systems yet so the cashier had to manually enter them. That's what I meant when I said "after a lot of waiting." One top of that - because the sale prices weren't in the computers and they had to be manually entered that mean't any deals with Register Rewards wouldn't print. So what they did for me was either subtract the Register Rewards that I would have gotten from my total or if it was a perfect match up like (i.e. pay $2.00 and receive $2.00) they would just pay me cash! So here's how it worked:

Walgreens:

Transaction #1-

Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover, 32oz (On sale from the previous week)

Buy 2, Receive $2.00 RR

Original Price: $5.99 ea

Sale Price: $3.00

Coupons: use 2 $2.00/1 - Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover

Pay: $2.00, Receive: $2.00 RR

Final Price: FREE -Even exchange because of the computer system

Transaction #2 -

M&M's 9.9 to 14oz bags

Buy 2

Original Price: $3.79 ea

Sale Price: 2/ $5.00 ($2.50 ea)

Coupons: use 2 $1.00/1 M&M's brand chocolate candies, 9.9oz or larger

And use $1.00/ 2 M&M's chocolate candies - Walgreens coupon

Final Price: $1.00 each (now that I think about it I only ended up paying $1.07 for both - don't know how)

Transaction #3 -

St. Joesph Enteric Aspirin, 36 ct (bought 2 )

Buy 1, Receive $2.00 RR

Original Price: 2.49 ea

Sale Price: $2.00 with $2.00 RR

Final Price: FREE! They paid me $4.00 because of the computer system

Over all - I came out of the store with $3.00 more dollars than I had before I went in! :)

CVS:

Transaction #1-

Tom's of Maine Deodorant, 2.25oz

Buy 1, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks

Original Price: $4.99

Sale: $3.99 with $3.00 EB

Final Price: FREE, plus I made $3.00 on this purchase. Here's why!

I used $4.00 extra bucks from last week to pay the $3.99 that I owed on the deodorant, plus I received $3.00 EB for the purchase.

Transaction #2 -

Tom's of Maine Deodorant, 2.25oz
Buy 1, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks
Original Price: $4.99
Sale: $3.99 with $3.00 EB

Final Price: $1.07 - I used my $3.00 EB from transaction #1, and I still got $3.00 EB back again

Transaction #3 -

American Greeting Cards

Buy 3, Receive $3.00 Extra Bucks

Original Price: $0.99

Pay: 2.97, Receive $3.00

Final Price: FREE - I used my $3.00 EB from transaction #2, and I still got $3.00 EB back on this purchase as well

Target:

DVD Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Original Price: $9.00

Sale Price: $7.00

Coupon: $3.00 off 1 DVD Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or Planet 51

Final Price: $4.00

This was a great coupon week for me!!

Walgreens Deals! Week of 9/4

Walgreens deals are great this week...So make sure and take advantage of them!!

Here's the breakdown:

Transaction #1:
Suave Shampoo or Conditioner (32 oz) - (bought 4):
Original Price: $3.49 each
Sale price: 2/$6 with $2.00 in Register Rewards
Coupons: Used 2- Buy 1 Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo or Styling Product, Any Get 1 Suave Professionals Shampoo or Conditioner FREE, 28 oz from RP 8/14
Pay as low as $3.00, Receive $2.00 Register Rewards
Final Price: $0.50 each

Air Wick Scented Oil Warmer (bought 2):
Original Price: $1.49 each
Sale Price: $0.99 each
Coupon: $0.50/2 – off any Air Wick Products
Final Price: $0.74 each

Finish Electrasol dish detergent, 20 pk:
Original Price: $5.79
Sale Price: $3.99 with $1.50 in Register Rewards
Coupons: $0.65/1 - Finish Powerballs or Gelpacs
Final Price: $1.84

Total for this Transaction was $4.97 after Register Rewards!

Transaction #2:

Kraft Homestyle Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese, 12.5 oz:
Original Price: $3.19
Sale Price: $1.99
Coupon: WAGS in store coupon $0.50 any Kraft Mac and Cheese
Final Price: $1.44

Suave Shampoo or Conditioner (32 oz) - (bought 4):
Original Price: $3.49 each
Sale price: 2/$6 with $2.00 in Register Rewards
Coupons: Used 2- Buy 1 Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo or Styling Product, Any Get 1 Suave Professionals Shampoo or Conditioner FREE, 28 oz from RP 8/14
Pay as low as $3.00, Receive $2.00 Register Reward
Final Price: $0.50 each

Total for this Transaction was $1.81 after Register Rewards!

Transaction #3:

V-Fusion, 46 oz (bought 2):
Original Price: $4.49 each
Sale price: 2/$5
Coupon: $1.00/2 – V8 V-Fusion Juice, 46oz
Final Price: Would have been $4.00 for both BUT I used my Register Rewards from transaction #1 and paid only $0.50 out of pocket for both bottles of V8 Juice.

Transaction #4:

Pure Drinking Water (24 pack):
Sale Price: $2.19
Final Price: $0.19 after I used my Register Rewards from Transaction #2!

All and all I spent $7.47 on what would have been $40.01 all 4 transactions! :) I would say it was a successful shopping trip today! :)

WAGS and Target deals you can still get....

Walgreens:

Playtex Tampons (18ct):
Sale price: 3.99 with $1.00 in Register Rewards
Coupons: used 3/ $2.00 off
Final price: $0.99 each - What a deal!!
Keep in mind to get the Register Rewards for each box you must do 3 seperate transactions.

Visine:
Original price: 4.39
Coupons: WAGS in-store coupon $1.00 off & $3.00/1 Visine product
Final price: $0.39


Target:

Sure Deodorant (bought 3):
Original Price: $1.97
Sale Price: $1.50
Coupons: used 3/ $1.00 off coupons
Final Price: $0.50 each

Monopoly Deal card game (bought 2):
Original price: $5.24
Coupon: Used 2- $4.00 off 1 Monopoly game
Final Price: $1.24 each

Right now Josh and I are very well stocked on deodorant not to mention a lot of other things. So, I decided that I would continue couponing, but that we would begin putting these items towards our Operation Christmas Child boxes. A lot of churches across the country participate in Operation Christmas Child, but if you aren't familiar with it here's what it is. Basically what you do is fill up a shoe box (or several) full of hygiene products, toys/games for the kids, and a booklet about Jesus. It's that simple and because of your generosity millions of children will receive these shoe boxes on Christmas. It's a wonderful ministry and a great opportunity for the children to learn about Jesus.

ALSO: If you find that you are coming home after couponing with way more than you will actually use, considering donating it! There are tons of local charities and ministries that could really benefit from your overflow!

Deals

There wasn't a ton of great deals this week but I can't complain. Everything I bought, I paid just $0.47 out of pocket!! If that's not a deal, then I don't know what is!!!
CVS-

Pepsi products (12pk):
Sale: 4/$10
Final price: $10.00 or $2.49 each

Kleenex tissues (bought 3):
Original price: 1.29 a box
Sale price: $0.88 each
Coupon: $0.50 off 3 boxes
Final price: $0.71 a piece or $2.14 total
I combined my extra bucks from the previous weeks and therefore I didn't have to pay any out of pocket for these purchases. They were FREE!

WAGS-

Skintimate Shave Cream or Gel, 6 or 7 oz (bought 3):
Original price: $3.99 each
Sale price: $1.99 with WAGS in-ad coupon
Coupons: Used 3-$1.50/1 Skintimate Cream Shave – (smartsource.com)
Final Price: $0.49 each

Arizona Tea (bought 4):
Original price: $0.99 each
Sale price: $0.50 each
Final price: $2.00
Again, I combined my Register Rewards from the previous week and all I owed was $0.47! :)

Common Terms used in the Couponing World

Purchase: a purchase refers to buying any item. If you buy 30 items on a single shopping trip, you just made 30 purchases.

Purchase-Based Coupon: Purchase-Based coupons specify a dollar amount off a minimum dollar future purchase. Some common values: $2 off $10, $3 off $15, $4 off $20. Purchase based coupons may be used in addition to store and manufacturer coupons.

Rain Check: A Rain Check is a written slip that you can request from a store when a sale item is out of stock. When the store restocks the item, after the sale period is over, a rain check entitles you to purchase for the previous sale price. Store may include an expiration date as well as a quantity limit on your rain check. Rain checks are usually issued at the customer service desk.

Rebate: A rebate is a refund of part or all of the amount paid. Rebates are sponsored by a store or a manufacturer. Either clip and mail UPC barcodes or enter receipt proof of purchase online, then wait for your rebate check in the mail.

Rolling Catalinas: refers to the practice of separating your purchase into multiple transactions in order to use register catalina coupons from your first transaction to pay for your second transaction. Another catalina prints from the 2nd transaction that pays for the 3rd transaction and so on.

Stacking: Stacking may refer to using any two promotions together. When a coupon coincides with a promotion, we say “stack the coupon with the sale or promotion”.

Stacking Coupons: Stacking coupons refers to using both a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on one product. Nearly all stores will allow you to “stack”. Only one manufacturer coupon may be used per item.

Stockpile (v.): to buy many items at a time in order to build your stockpile.

Stockpile (n.): a food storage or stash of food and non-food items. Stockpiling is a key principle to The Krazy Coupon Lady methods. Buy items when they’re on sale and you have a coupon. Buy products before you need them and build up a stockpile of food and toiletries. When you run out of an item shop from your stockpile.

Green Bag tag: A tag that you can purchase for $0.99 at CVS (sometimes the CVS machines will print out coupons for these tags for $0.50 off, making the tag only $0.49). As long as it is attached to a reuseable bag the cashier will scan it up to once a day. Every fourth time it is scanned you will get a $1 back in Extra Bucks. Just a perk of shopping at CVS!

Transaction: a transaction refers to your entire purchase, especially the payment you make for that purchase. If you buy 30 items and then pay the cashier, you just made one transaction.

CVS & Walgreens Couponing

There wasn't a lot of great deals at CVS this week by my standards but I managed to get a few! Maybe you got better ones than I did...Make sure and share them!!

CVS:
1st Purchase!
Pond's face lotion- (This was one of my favorite purchases because it's normally really expensive)
Original price: $8.39
Sale price: $5.88 with $2.00 in Extra Bucks
Final price: $3.88

Ladies Speedstick-
Sale price: $1.99 with $1.00 in Extra Bucks
Final Price: $.99

Men's Speedstick-
Sale price: $1.99 with $1.00 in Extra Bucks
Final Price: $.99

Colgate Toothpaste-
Sale price: $2.87
Coupon: $1.00 off
Final price: $0.87

Since I had $8.00 in Extra Bucks from my purchases last week I essentially only spent about $3.00 after tax on my entire purchase. Not to shabby!

2nd Purchase! One that I recommend you run out and buy!

Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner- (This is another one of my favorite purchases this week)
Original Price: 4.99 each - Total $9.98 for both
Sale price: 2/$6.97 with $2.00 in Extra Bucks
Coupons: $3.00 off 2 products & $1.00 off 1 product
Final Price: $1.23 after Extra Bucks making these $0.61 each

Since I had Extra Bucks from my previous purchase I used that to pay, so it was FREE!

WALGREENS:

Arizona Tea - (bought 4)
Original Price: $0.99 each
Sale price: $0.50 each
Final price: $2.00
Savings: $1.96

Hefty zipper Freezer bags (13ct) - (bought 2)
Original Price: $3.29
Sale price: Buy One Get One FREE (BOGOF)
Final price: $3.29 for both OR $1.65 a piece
Savings: $3.29

Finesse Shampoo & Conditioner - (This was also a favorite this week - Go out and get it!!)
Original Price: $3.99 each - Total $7.98 for both
Sale price: BOGOF
Coupons: used 2/$1.00 off coupons
Final Price: $1.99 but there is a rebate attached to that coupon for $2.00 back - fill it out and you have FREE shampoo and Conditioner!!
Savings: $7.98 (100%)

Walgreens Honey -
Original Price: $4.29
Sale price: $1.99
Final Price: $1.99
Savings: $2.30

Reach Toothbrushes (2pk) -
Original Price: $5.99
Sale price: $2.99 with $2.00 in Register Rewards
Final price: $0.99
Savings: $5.00

Would have spent: about $29.00
Spent: $12.26 out of pocket and Spent: $8.27 After Register Rewards and Rebate

Wal-Mart Deals

This was an unexpectedly great shopping week for me. Check out the deals I got below:

Beech Nut Rice Cereal:
Original Price: $1.50
Coupon: FREE Beech Nut Cereal
Final Cost: FREE

Beech Nut baby food:
Original Price: $.68 ea (bought 2)
Coupon: 2 FREE Beech Nut jars (total value $1.50)
Final Cost: FREE
I received these coupons just by going to the Beech Nut website and signing up.

Nexcare bandaids:
Sale price: $1.00 (bought 2)
Coupon: used 2/ $1.00 off 1 package
Final Cost: FREE

STP Fuel Injector:
Original Price: $1.87
Coupon: $1.00 any STP fuel injector
Final Cost: $ .87

Total Out of Pocket cost: $ .94 for all my CVS products and my Wal-Mart Products combined!

All You magazine

If you are getting into couponing like the rest of the world is this will come in handy for you. If you go to Allyou.com you can request 2 FREE issues to try it out and see if you want to subscribe to it. That's what I did - if I find it worth the money then I will subscribe for the year. This is a good magazine because it offers some coupons that you can't get anywhere else.

Target: Rimmel Mascara & Orbit Gum

At Target you can get Rimmel Mascara for $0.99! If you aren't particular about your mascara you should take advantage of this opportunity.

Price: $2.99

Coupon: $2.00/1 Rimmel Product – (coupons.com)
Total Price: $0.99

I think you should still be able to print two of these coupons when you go to the website.

Orbit Gum (14ct):
Price: $0.99
Coupons: $0.75 off one & Buy One Orbit gum Get One FREE
Total price: $0.24 for both packs

My Stockpile

I started 'couponing' about 4 months ago. I started out only shopping at CVS, swearing that I would never get into the 'extreme couponing' (i.e. going to multiple stores). Well, almost two months later I am now eating my words and I'm glad because it's so much more rewarding and I am saving like crazy! I decided to get serious about saving money in January of this year and I'll tell you, if you are not living like this you are missing out and over spending on everything!
So I thought I would share my stockpile with you at this point so in a few months when I show you how big it's gotten, you'll have something to compare it to.
Keep in mind most of this stuff was just been accumulated in the past 2 months and every item you see (just about) has multiples behind it. Also keep in mind that you are looking at 100's of dollars worth of products and a lot of that I got for FREE.

Where there's a will-there's a coupon! :)

Target spending

Target has some really great sales this week and I thought I would share with you what I got. Today I was able to get 4 boxes of Totinos Pizza rolls (15ct each) and 3 boxes of Reynolds slow cooker liners all for $5.76. Here's how you do it!

Totinos Pizza Rolls Buy 3, Get 1 FREE (40 ct. packages at $2.75 each) or 4/$4.32 (15 ct. boxes)
Use 2 $0.40/2 – Totino’s Rolls Snack, Any Flavor/Variety – (coupons.com) (zip 90210 pg 8 )
Final Price: $0.88 each for 15 ct. boxes or $1.86 each for 40 ct. packages

The slow cooker liner might be a different story for you if you don't receive more than one Sunday paper. I usually have 4 Sunday papers that way I can always have a chance to take advantage of a good sale, like this one!

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners 4 ct $1.62
$1.00/1 – Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners From SS 1/30
Final Price: $0.62 each

I had 3 coupons for this item so I bought 3 of them, meaning I bought them for almost less than what one would cost on sale! This is definitely a STOCK UP item!
Hope this helps

-A

Broadening my shopping Horizons

Well today was a new experience for me as I tried shopping at Walgreens for my weekly deals. I'll tell you, I had a successful day!! The planning and preparation was well worth it this week. I decided to stop blogging on my weekly purchases as a whole and to start blogging about the best deals out of what I purchased.

This week Walgreens has some spectaular deals, some that are even stockpile worthy. This means you should get a lot of them (or stock up) because you will rarely see these products at this price.

I dedicated this week to my husband because just about all men's products were on sale! This allowed me to stock up on items for him. Not only did he get things he needed but they are good brands, one's he might not normally get because they are too expensive. The Gillette Fusion Proglide razors at Walgreen's are $1.99 a piece this week. Let me explain:

Original price: $12.99

Sale price: $9.99
When you buy, you receive: $4 in register rewards (which is free money that is printed after your purchase is complete and you can put towards another purchase)
Final price: $5.99
BUT then you

Use the weekly coupon: $4 off

Total: $1.99

$1.99 for these is a steal. STOCK UP! They will go fast so hurry.

I'm not one to want to pay for the expensive battery powered toothbrushes but I simply couldn't pass this deal up either. I wouldn't say this is a stock up item but definitely worth checking out.

These were:
Regular price: $7.99 each
On sale: $5.99 each
Weekly coupon: Buy One, Get One FREE
Total: $5.99 for 2

I normally do not buy frozen pizzas because 1.) They aren't really as good as they look and 2.) They are very expensive and we can make our own for less. BUT this week they had Digiorno Pizzas on sale and this brand is actually a pretty tasty.

Regular price: $6.99 each

Sale price: 2/$10 (making them $5 a piece)

Register Reward: $1 (making them 2/$9)

Then there is a coupon on the refrigerator door where the pizzas are for $3 more dollars off
Total: 2/$6

Now this is a really good deal on these pizzas!

If you aren't picky about your cleaning products this week is a good week to stock up on AJAX bleach. In the Walgreens ad from this week there is a coupon for 3/$1. If you don't get the paper - No worries because all you have to do is ask for the Walgreens ad when you go into the store and it will be in there. My favorite purchase this week without any hesitation is the .09 cents Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner. That's right .09 cents!! This week Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and Body Envy are on sale and you're gonna wanna STOCK UP. Here's how it works:

Sale price: $1.09
Register Reward: $1.00
Total: $ .09

Now depending on your location it will vary. The Walgreen's I visited only had the Herbal Essences Body Envy conditioner on sale because the shampoo was sold out already. Some Walgreen's won't have this sale at all. Try to look for this when you go:

P.S. If you are in Lubbock don't go to the Walgreen's on 98th and Slide because they are now sold out of the Body Envy Conditioner - Thanks to me!! :)

Hope this helps you save money this week! I most certainly did!!

-A

Check It Out!

I thought I would update you on my lastest purchase at CVS. I haven't been going as often as I was because it has been busy with the holidays, but I plan to pick things up after the new year begins and to start fresh. By that I mean, I thought it would be neat to start my totals over at the beginning of 2011 and to track my savings throughout the year. By doing this it will give me a good idea of what I would have spent, what I saved and how much out of pocket spending I'm doing.

I only made one purchase this week because there weren't any items that I needed that would give me extra bucks so I didn't think it was worth the time to split it up.

Purchase:

Retail value of products: $103.76

Total out of pocket: $59.29

Amount saved: $44.47

This may seem like a lot of out of pocket, but in reality it's not! This gave me a great chance to stock up on items that I will need for the future that will more than likely not be on sale when I need them. I might also add that I went to CVS with NO extra bucks so I did have to spend more out of pocket this time than usual.

For the new year I plan to really focus on only buying the items that I have coupons for and that are currently on sale and to also begin fresh with collecting Extra bucks. By doing this it will help cut down on my out of pocket spending. :)

What is CVSing?

Recently I heard about a new way to save money. I know, my ears perked up when I heard that too! :)

A friend of mine and I were talking the other day about coupon shopping, which we both do. She started explaining a new “hobby” (if you will), that she just started doing. She coupon shops at CVS!

Now, you may be thinking, “Okay what’s the big deal? Anyone can clip a couple coupons and save some money but I really don’t want to go through all that trouble just to save a few bucks.” Well I’ll tell you, it’s not just a few bucks – sometimes if you plan it just right you can spend little to no money out of pocket. You can go to my friend Lindsey’s blog and look at her purchases to get an idea of what I mean.

There are lots of resources such as: blogs, newspaper ads, and websites that you must visit weekly in order to get the best deals.

I started this past week and I made my first purchase as an official CVS coupon shopper(also known as CVSing). My first shopping trip I saved $40.00 and received $16.00 in Extra Bucks back (free money). So in actuality I only spent $24.00. Since I’m new at this I haven’t quite remembered to do everything but I will get on track this week and begin sharing my purchases with you. I forgot to take a picture this time but I will for the next purchase so you can get an idea of what I’m getting and how much I’m saving. It would have been great to show you a picture of all that I purchased last week because I received a lot of things for the amount I paid.

If you would like to learn more about CVS coupon shopping go to simplycvsshopping.com and click on the CVS 101 tab. It will tell you all you need to know to get started! It’s so much fun - and you can save lots of money! :)