Start Couponing Today!

There are quite a few excellent coupon deals this week with printable coupons and coupons from today's papers. This is a great week for coupon newbies to start. If you didn't purchase today's paper all may not be lost. Try gas stations in your area early tomorrow morning. Ask if they still have any of today's unsold papers and if they would be willing to give them to you. Now on to the sales!

• Go to couponmom.com
• Register for an account if haven't done so already
• Click on the "Drugstore Deals" tab at the top

• Scroll down to the text after the list of stores and click on the "Extreme Coupon Deals List For All National Stores" link

• If you already have a Coupon Mom account scroll down to enter your email address and login

• Scroll down to see the great deals!

There are dates and codes to the left of the store names. The date indicates when the coupon was released and the code indicates what publication the coupon was in (R-Red Plum, S-Smart Source, PG-Procter Gamble, AY-All You Magazine). Red Plum and Smart Source inserts are in the newspapers each Sunday. P&G inserts are released in newspapers the first Sunday of each month. All You can be purchased at Walmart. There are also links to printable coupons associated with specific deals.

There are lots of "cash" back deals that will make items "free" this week as well. The store cash you get back on many of these deals is equal to the purchase price. You still have to pay the sale price out of pocket (OOP), but the store cash can be used towards the purchase most items in the store. Check out my rewards programs tutorials for tips on how to make the most of your cash back from CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.

You check the box on the left to select a deal and there are tabs directly above and directly below the chart to "Display Selected Deals." Clicking this tab will allow you to print your shopping list.

Happy Shopping!

Walgreens' Register Rewards

Walgreens Register Rewards (RR) program is my least favorite of the reward programs I use.

1) RRs are MFC, and therefore CANNOT be used with another MFC on one item

2) Only ONE (1) RR for a product will print per transaction. If you purchase more than one RR item in the same transaction
     you will only get one RR.

3) If you use your RR to purchase another of the same RR product you will NOT receive another RR. Example: Get $2 +UP WYB (1) Crest toothpaste. #1: Buy (1) Crest toothpaste, get $2 RR. Transaction #2: Use $2 RR from previous transaction to purchase another Crest toothpaste. You will NOT get $2 RR back.

HOWEVER,
If you use RR that you received from one product to purchase a different RR product you will get your RR. Example: Get $2 RR on purchase of Excedrin pain reliever and get $2 RR on purchase of Crest toothpaste. Transaction #1: Buy (1) Excedrin pain reliever, get $2 RR Rewards back. Transaction #2: Use $2 RR to purchase Crest toothpaste, get $2 RR back.

4) RR can be used on most items (exclusions include alcohol and prescription drugs, so read the fine print).

5) The amount of a RR can exceed the cost of an item, but you will still get the full RR amount credited toward your transaction.*

Here's an example that shows you how to make the most of your RR:

Scott's Naturals paper towel 6 packs are on sale for $4. You have (1) $1/1 MFC and (1) $3 RR coupon. You CANNOT use the MFC AND the RR on one (1) pack of papertowels. So, pick up the cheapest item you can find, like a pack of Silly Bandz on sale for $0.25. Transaction: Buy (1) pack of paper towels and (1) pack of Silly Bandz. Your purchase will total $4.25. Use (1) Scott's $1/1 MFC coupon for the paper towels and (1) $3 RR coupon for the Silly Bandz. $4.25 - $1 MFC - $3 RR = $0.25. It's not the free paper towels you would have been able to get at CVS or Rite Aid, but paying $0.25 for six rolls of paper towels is still an amazing deal!

*The RR amount cannot exceed the cost of the transaction.

Rite Aid +UP Rewards Tutorial

Rite Aid's +UP Rewards work the same as CVS's Extrabucks.
Like CVS*:
1) +UP can be used with MFC on one item.
2) You can buy the max amount of an +UP deal and have that number of +UP
Rewards print on your receipt.
3) You can use the +UP rewards received from one product to purchase another one of that product and still receive another +UP reward up to the +UP reward limit on that product.

*See my CVS Extrabucks Tutorial for details.

 

CVS Extrabucks Tutorial

CVS has my favorite rewards programs. Here's how it works:

• 1) EB can be used with manufacturer coupons (MFC) on one item.

• 2) You buy the max amount of an EB deal item in one transaction and get EB back for each qualifying item. EXAMPLE: Get 3 EB back when you buy (WYB) (1) Oral-B toothbrush, Limit 2. Buy (2) toothbrushes in one transaction and get 6 EB back.

• 3) You can buy one EB deal item in one transaction and use the EB you get back to buy another of the same EB deal item and still get back EB on your second transaction. EXAMPLE: Get 3 EB back when you buy (WYB) (1) Oral-B toothbrush, Limit 2. Transaction #1-Buy (1) toothbrush. Get back 3 EB. Transaction #2- Use 3 EB from previous transaction to purchase another toothbrush. Get back 3 EB

Save $$$ on Bubble Bath

I ran out of bubble bath for my LO yesterday. I haven't seen bubble bath deal yet, so I've been holding out on restocking (although I paid less than $3 for a 64 oz bottle that has lasted me months). I decided to use my bodywash as a substitute (White Rain purchased at Shoprite for $.66). Problem solved! Two squirts produced tons of bubbles that lasted the entire bath. The bodywash actually worked a lot better than the bubble bath I was using. I'll try one squirt tomorrow.

Couponing Tip #1: DON"T Clip!!!

Despite tons of advice not to, I clipped all my inserts my first few months of couponing. I ran out and bought a binder and baseball card sleeves and put together a beautifully organized system. As my coupon stockpile began to grow I quickly ran out of sleeves, which cost $8/pack of 30. I waited until I had a 40% off coupon and paid $4.80, but at the rate I was going this was going to get expensive, defeating the whole purpose of couponing in the first place. Clipping every insert every week was also taking way too long, and by the next Sunday I had a fresh new pile of inserts to go with the pile of half clipped inserts from the week before. Coupons were everywhere! This method was not going to work for my family and I.

I cleared out a shelf in the bookcase I use for craft supplies. I began sorting my inserts by type (RP or SS), date, and paper (different papers have different versions of the same insert). I then clipped my sorted piles together, wrote the date in black marker on the front cover of the top insert, and stacked them on the shelf. My coupons are still organized and easy to find, but the time I save is invaluable.

6/12-6/18 Deal Ideas

Price Chopper

• Kotex Maxi Pads
• 2/$5 - $2/2 coupon = 2/$3
• Kotex Tampons
• 2/$5 - $1.50/2 coupon = 2/$3.50

Shoprite

• Think Thin Protein Bars
• $1.49 each - $0.50/1 coupon doubled = $0.50 each
• coupon here: Think Thin Coupons

Stop & Shop

• General Mills Cereal
• 2/$4 ($2/box) - $1/3 coupon = 3/$5
• Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta
• 10/$10 ($1 each) - $1/1 coupon = FREE
• Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries
• 2/$5 ($2.50 each) -$1/1 coupon = $1.50 each
• Hormel Compleats
• 2/$4 - $1/1 coupon - $3 WYB 8 = 8/$5

Walgreens

• Dial Bodywash
• $2.99 - $2/1 coupon = $0.99

6/10 Shopping Trip

I went out yesterday to get the Bounty paper towels, but the Staples near me did not have them on sale. I went to a few other stores in the area and found some other deals:


SHOPRITE:

• (3) Brut deodorants
• on sale for $0.99 each - $1/1 coupons = FREE
• (6) Zone protein bars
• on sale for $1.25 each - $0.75/1 coupon, which doubled to $1.50 = FREE
• (7) Ken's Steakhouse marinades
• on sale for $1.99 each - $1/1 coupon = $1.00 each

Retail Value: $38.18
I paid: $8.07
I saved: 30.11 or 79%

WALGREENS

• (1) Tylenol Precise Heat Patch
• (1) Tylenol Precise Pain Reliever Cream
• both on sale for $5.99 - $2/1 coupon = $3.99 each
• (1) Silly Bands (added so I could use my RR)
• on sale for $0.25 - $4 RR

Retail Value: $18.47
I paid: $8.07
I saved: $14.24 or 77%

 RITE AID

• (2) Disney Gummies multivitamins
• BOGO sale $7.29 - $1/1 coupon = $3.15 each

Retail Value: $14.58
I paid: 6.99
I saved: 50%

My stockpile is growing!

Great Bounty Paper Towel Deal!

Staples has a six pack of Bounty paper towels on sale for $4.99. Here's how to them for as low a $0.99:

• Go to: Staples' $3 off purchase coupon
• Use $1/1 Bounty coupon from 6/5 P&G insert

Even if you don't have the extra $1/1 coupon getting a Bounty six pack for $1.99 is an awesome deal! Thanks iamthatlady.com for this info.

Still Learning

I went to Walgreens today for a good deal on bodywash (something we're almost out of). I planned my trip ahead of time and estimated the total cost for 4 bottles of bodywash and 4 bottles of face lotion to be about $6.00 before taxes. Nivea Men products were on a 2/$7 sale plus $2 back in Walgreens' Register Rewards. I also had 8 $2/1 Nivea Men coupons. I planned on doing my trip similar to the way I did my CVS trip earlier this week.

Transaction 1: Purchase 2 products for $7 - $4 in coupons, pay $3, and get back $2.

Transaction 2: Use the $2 in RR in addition to my $4 in coupons to purchase another 2 products, and pay $1

Transactions 3 & 4: Repeat Transaction 2

My first problem happened on my second transaction. CVS's ECB, is basically CVS cash that can be used in conjunction with a manufacturer's coupon on one item. I assumed Walgreens RR worked the same way. They don't. RR are actually manufacturer's coupons, so you cannot use them on the same item you're using a coupon on. I had to add a third item to my transaction to be able to use my two coupons AND the RR.

Solution: Add a $0.25 pack of silly bands to my order, so I could still save $1.75 with the RR

This is when I encountered my second problem. Since I used the Nivea RR on this purchase I wasn't eligible for the same RR at the end of the transaction. Here's what I should have done:

Transaction 1: Same as above

Transaction 2: Repeat Transaction 1. I would now have (2) $2 RR

Transaction 3: Purchase 4 Nivea products and 2 packs of silly bands ($14.50), use my 4 coupons plus my two RR (-$12), pay $2.50.

After all was said and done I ended up paying $10.82 after taxes. Because of the way RR work my calculations were off by $2.50. I over paid by an additional $2 by using my first RR on my second transaction. Even after all the hiccups I paid $10.82 for $55.22 worth of merchandise. I still saved 80%, making this my most successful couponing trip to date (not including my free bandages)!!!

Saturday's Shoprite Trip

I planned a trip to Shoprite last week to pick up laundry detergent and dish detergent. While my girlfriend and I were in the cleaning aisle looking for the products a man noticed my coupon binder and gave me some leftover coupons he had! These are the things I got on this trip:

• 4 bottles of Ajax laundry detergent on sale for $1.69 - (2) $1 off 2 coupon = $4.76
• 2 bottles of Sunlight dish detergent on sale for $0.88 - (2) $0.25 off coupon, which doubled = $0.76
• 2 Spray n Wash Stain Remover sticks on sale for $1.79 - (2) $0.75 off coupon, doubled = $0.58
• 2 Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom wipes $3.99 - (2) $3.00 off coupon = $1.98

The total for this trip after taxes, minus a $0.55 Cellfire coupon  and $0.10 for reusable shopping bags was $7.88. I saved $30.17 or 79%.

The Power of Store "Cash"

I got my coupons and store flyers together on Sunday, and went through them to plan my shopping trips for the week, including my final cost per trip. We were running low on contact lens solution and mouthwash, both of which were on sale this week. I also had coupons for both items. My original plan was to go to Shoprite for two bottles of lens solution, and CVS for two bottles of mouthwash. My total for the two trips combined would have been about $12.

I went to Shoprite first and they were out of the solution, so I got a raincheck. I then went to CVS. When I got there I realized the mouthwash was going to cost me $2 more than I'd estimated, so I decided to go home and restrategize my shopping list before buying anything. After my restrategizing and taking CVSs Extra Care Bucks (CVS "money" you can use on your next purchase) into account I was much better off making all of my purchases there. Here's what I got on this trip:

•  2 bottles of RevitaLens Contact Solution
•  4 bottles of Crest mouthwash
•  4 Twix bars (for my mom)

The retail price for these items was $54.00
I paid $12.13, saving over 77%!

This is how I did it. I bought 2 bottles of mouthwash, on sale for $4.50 each - (2) $2.00 coupons. I paid $5.66 after taxes and got back $5.00 in ECB. I then purchased 1 bottle of lens solution on sale for $8.99 - (1) $3.00 coupon - $5.00 ECB, paying $.99, and getting back $3.00 in ECB. I did these two transactions twice (I had another $1.00 ECB from a previous trip, making one of my lens solutions free). I ended up with $6.00 ECB and my mom wanted 3 Twix bars. They were on a 4/$3 sale, so I used $3.00 ECB to get her 4, leaving me with another $3.00 ECB.

I knew about the items on sale at CVS and ECB when I was planning my trip on Sunday. Since I didn't think about splitting my transaction to use them the same day I thought that I would end up paying more out of pocket for getting the lens solution there. Clearly I was wrong. The lesson here is to pay attention when stores offer store "cash" back and see how you may be able to use them immediately to purchase multiple items you need.

Inventory

I did an inventory of everything in my pantry, fridge, and drop freezer. I wanted to get an idea of the things I'm running low on, so I can make those things a couponing priority. I also have a tendency to buy more of things I already have plenty of because I don't check my stockpile before heading out to the store. Picking up extra is fine if there's a great deal, but I definitely don't want to overbuy at retail prices.

Knowing what ingredients I have on hand will also make menu planning a lot simpler. Check back in on Monday for next week's menu!

Score!

As a couponing newbie I have a long way to go in stockpile building. I don't plan on hoarding my goods until every inch of my home is used for grocery storage, but I would like to have enough of the things we use to tide us over until each item goes on sale and I can get them for little or nothing again. Today the stockpiling began! I found a printable coupon for $1 off any Nexcare bandage at iamthatlady.com. There's no limit to the number of coupons you can print, and Wal-mart sells Nexcare bandages for $1 or less, making them FREE. I printed off ten coupons, and I now have ten boxes of bandages in my stockpile. Here's the link to the coupon I used: http://www.iamthatlady.com/2011/05/walmart-free-nexcare-bandaids/

My Couponing Quest

Like most SAHMs, I'm always looking for ways to save money. I've tried using coupons a few times in the past, but I was never able to figure out how they would save me money (using a coupon for a few cents off an item I wouldn't normally buy will cost me money), so that never lasted long. This past weekend I watched a marathon of TLC's Extreme Couponing, which reignited my interest in saving with coupons. Sitting there watching these people stockpile years worth of groceries and household products got me excited to make another attempt at couponing myself.

Join me over the next few weeks while I navigate the complex world of couponing. I'll share the things I learn along the way, offering tips and insights that may inspire you to save along with me!