My Trip To CVS This Week: I Saved More Than $37, Spent About $3

Last Night At CVS I Saved More Than 92% 

And I Only Spent  $3.10

My husband needed some hair gel, so I decided to head out to CVS. Since I was going to spend about $3 on the hair gel, anyway, I figured I might as well make that $3 go further. As in more than $40 worth of product further... Yep, I did have to do it in 4 transactions. And, Yes. I did start with $5 in EB made in last week's run to the store. (Remember? I bought a Schick Hydro Razor for less than $2 and got $5 EB back...which I used last night.)

Here's what I did:

Transaction Number 1:

• Herbal Essences Shampoo- Bought one at the 2/$5.97 price

• Aussie Hair Gel- Bought one to go with Herbal Essences 2/$5.97

           Used a BOGO Coupon and saved $2.99. Then, got $2 EB.  So, It was like paying 98c for BOTH, or   49c EACH for the Gel and Shampoo.

• Irish Spring Bodywash, 18oz- Bought one at $2.99

            Used a 50c off coupon, and got $2 EB.  So, it was like paying 49c.

Then, I paid using my $5 EB from last week.  This took my total down to 47c! After Tax, my total was $1.10 and I received $4 EB.

Transaction Number 2:  

Glide Clinical Floss-  $3.49

             Used a $1 off Manuf Coupon

             Used $2 EB from previous transaction

I paid 73c after tax, and got $2.50 EB back.  Depending on how you look at it, I got paid $1.76 to own floss.

Transaction Number 3:  

Crest Pro Health Complete Mouthwash-  $3.49

              Used a $1 off Manuf Coupon

              Used $2 EB from first transaction

I paid 73c after tax, and got $2.50 EB back. Depending on how you look at it, I got paid $1.76 to own mouthwash.

Transaction Number 4:

Dr. Pepper 2 L- $1

              Used a 25c peelie coupon I found in the store, so it was 75c.

Purex 3in1 Sheets, 20 loads-  On sale for $3.99

              Used a $1 manuf coupon, so $2.99

Chex Hot and Spicy Snack Mix-  $1 (a splurge!)

CANDY DEAL:  2 Snickers, 1 Dove. They are on sale for 99c ea, buy 2, get 1 free

               The magic coupon kiosk in store gave me 50c off 2 Snickers store coupon, and a coupon for 25c off a Dove candy bar.  At 99c each, buy 2 get one free, that made the candy bars about $1.25 for 3 after these CVS store coupons. BUT I also had a BOGO manuf coupon that took another 99c off. So, about 25 cents for 3 candy bars, or 8c a bar!

I used the $5 worth of EB I got in the Floss and Mouthwash transactions. After the coupons I listed here, and the EB I used, my pre tax total was a NEGATIVE 2 CENTS!!!!!  After tax, this transaction was 54 c for everything!

To recap:

$3.10 got me 3 full sized candy bars, 2L Dr Pepper, 20 load Purex 3in1, Chex mix, Glide Clinical Floss, Crest Complete Mouthwash, Herbal Essences Shampoo, Aussie Hair Gel, and Irish Spring Bodywash.

All items were FULL SIZED.

To those of you that think couponing is not worth it, please reconsider. I am always telling folks I cannot afford generics. This is a good example of why.

My Weekly Drugstore Brag

I Had Drugstore "Bucks" That Were Expiring..

So, This Weekend, I Went to 3 Drugstores.

I highly recommend here to pick one drugstore each week and go work those deals. It is madness to go to a billion different stores a week to get the cheapest best deals. Ok, so it isn't madness. It is kinda smart. But with several children, it is often more trouble than it is worth to drag them in and out of so many stores every week. Especially since I have been couponing long enough to have a nice little mini "store" of my own to shop out of for free. Out of toothpaste? I just go to my bathroom closet. But, since being sick with the flu, an unprecedented event occurred.. all of my drugstore "bucks" were expiring in one day!! So, three drugstores it was.

1. Rite Aid:  Most of the deals I wanted to work, they were out of. That was a bummer. And, I was a little scattered. I totally turned into "that lady" at the check out.. "what??! I am 30c shy of getting the full value of my +Up rewards? Ok.. let me see what you have in the circular.."  If you have a +Up rewards buck for $2, but your pre tax amount is $1.70, and you use the +Up anyway, you lose the remaining 30c value. So, I found a 88c Snickers bar with a 88c back +Up reward to add onto the bill.  I spent $1.39 out of pocket and got $2.88 in +Up Rewards Bucks back.  I bought 2 Disney Gummie Vitamins, $7.29 each at BOGO, 1 Altoids at half off at 99c, and the 88c Snickers.  Even though the Disney Vitamins were BOGO, it is the store's policy to allow you to use a manuf coupon on each of them. So, I used $2.50 in coupons on the Disney Vitamins making them $4.80 for two after bogo and coupons. I used $6 worth of +Up bucks to pay also.   The Disney vitamins had a $2 +Up attached, and of course, the Snickers had the 88c back.  
2. CVS:  I had $4 EB expiring to spend.  I decided to work the Schick Hydro Razor deal where you get $5 EB when you buy one Schick Hydro razor.  The razor was $8.49. I used a $2 off manuf coupon. Then, I used the $4 EB.  My total was $3.08 after tax.  I spent $3.08, and got $5 EB back.  Also, the razor came with 10 Free MP3 Song Downloads. 
3. Walgreens:  This was not my best brag. The main reason is that I really needed to break my transactions but was too tired to deal with doing that. I spent more out of pocket than I needed to by $5.  Oh well. I have the "bucks" to use next time now.  

I bought at Walgreens:
Taco Shells   $1.99
Always:  $2.99 (-$1 manuf, and I got $2 back, so "Free")
Cottonelle Flushable Wipes: I bought 2 packs at 99c each. Then, I got $1.50 in "bucks" back. So, 25c a                                         pack after bucks back.
Play doh Valentines Set: On clearance for $1.25 for a huge bag of mini Play Doh tubs.
Pampers:  I bought a pack of Pull Ups and a pack of Diapers for the 2/$20 deal. Then, I used two $2 coupons which made them 2/$16. Then, I got $3 "bucks" back, which made them 2/$13, or $6.50 a pack. Not the best price I have gotten lately, but $8 a pack is reasonable on these, so I will take $6.50 a pack! 
My total was $25.18, and I have $6.50 to spend another time.  Usually, I would break the transactions up to spend the least amount of money out of pocket. I would have ended with having spent only $18.68. 


 This was my first trip to Walgreens to do a deal like that, and the lady at the check out was a trainee. Also, there was a line.  As a couponer, I try to pick and choose my battles. It is how I get special treatment sometimes from the employees at CVS.. you know.. the ones that give me the circulars a week ahead of time sometimes... 

Also, when I got home, I realized I could have gotten two free Snickers bars. I had a coupon with me that was a BOGO Snickers coupon. When I was at Rite Aid and got one 88c Snickers, and got 88c back, I could have gotten two Snickers, paid 88c for both using the BOGO coupon, then gotten the 88c back per the +Up deal.  See, it happens to all of us sometimes! :)  


How did you do last week?






 
 

A Different Kind of Bargain Puzzler

Recent Birthday Parties, Holidays, Events, Etc 

Have Me Puzzled:

What is an Appropriate Gift When You Are a Bargainista Extroadinaire?

This is more of an open question without a multiple choice or clear cut answer.  All these holidays and birthdays have me pondering: What is an appropriate gift to present to someone when you are a bargainista extroadinaire and snag very valuable gifts on the cheap?  

One example scenario is this:  

Over the holidays, we had a Dirty Santa gift exchange at our Bunco group.  The idea was to spend about $10 tops to get a (nice, not crummy) gift for the exchange.  I did bargain hunt and take a gift that I "cheated" on.. It was about a $15 gift I spent $10 on.  However, one lady at the exchange, the one that sent me on my couponing path to begin with, really cheated. She is the KNOWN COUPONER of the group. She brought a gift basket FULL of awesome "drugstore" products.. Lady Schick Razors, refills, Olay stuff, etc etc etc. This was like a $60 basket she paid less than $10 for by working her coupon deals, etc.  

That is an interesting and funny example. We got a kick out of that gift. It was stolen the max number of times, even.  

But still. Here's the dilemma:  You are known to be a couponer. You can get $55 Disney Princess costumes for $12 at the outlet. $35 OshKosh Sandals for $1.35.  So... your child gets invited to a birthday party.. what do you bring? Do you pay $15 (more than what you spend on a fancy Disney costume dress) for a gift that looks more in line with what the host might expect? Or do you coupon, save money, and give a nicer gift?  Ok, friends and such don't care about the gift.  That isn't what it is about. I get that. But, if my child walks in with a gift I can afford that has been stashed in my gift closet for 6 months, but looks really nice, that's bad, right? What is a couponer to do??  Don't say gift card. That hurts the heart. LOL! (Although, couponers LOVE to get a modest gift card.. we can stretch those bad boys out!)

OR, what about the flip side? Your in- laws know the deals you get. SO, when you present them with something nice, they are going to know you got it on the cheap. Do you gift them with more to compensate for what you really would have spent on that item??

It really boggles the mind.  I recently put together a gift for a 4 yr old. It was a nice gift. Original value of all the items was more than $30. I spent $8 on all of it, total.  I was like this is a rockin gift. Then, I added up the out of pocket expense. I was like whoa. I only spent $8 on all this? That's great.. but... the friendship there deserved nicer than an $8 gift. My husband walks in and is like WOW, NICE GIFT! He didn't know the out of pocket meagerness. So, I resolved to call that gift "done and good".  And it was.  

SO, how do you balance your deals with the feeling that you are being too cheap.. Or worse, that your deal saving makes you give gifts that are too nice sometimes.. oops.  It is a fine line I walk. 

And I wonder, do I walk that line alone? Are others as gift conscious? When you get a gift from me, untold amount of thought goes into it. Am I alone in that? Do you wonder about your gifts from your Deal Steals Gift Closet? LOL.

My mother loves Pantene Products. I get these free from time to time and gift her with my overstock.. Just thinking of her... and she loves that. But she also knows I am being cheap with those types of gifts! Catch 22!

So, how do you all handle these situations? 

*On the other hand, my neighbor LOVES the freebies gift bags I put together for her every month! She just totally chuckles when I bring her dish soap, paper towels, and toothpaste!