Happy Money Monday to all! Due to some technical difficulties at "Poe Central Station," I don't have any pictures of the great deals this week. I did, however, wish to share my scenarios with you:CVS1 Gillette Fusion Proglide Razor ($4/1 PG 7/31)2 Skinny Cow Candies (B1G1 RP 7/31)Total Sale Price: $11.97Total Coupons: $4.99ECBs Used: $1.00Total OOP: $7.46ECBs Back: $5.99Wags*Transaction 11 Goody Hair Clips1 Allegra Allergy 5ct. (Mail-in-Rebate RP 7/31)Total Regular Price: $10.61Total Sale: $0.99Total OOP: $9.62RR and MiR back: $8.99Transaction 21 Complete Contact Solution ($1/1 SS 7/31)1 FolderTotal Regular Price: $10.15Total Sale and Coupons: $2.47RR Used: $2.00Total OOP: $5.68RR Back: $8.00*You could probably split these two transactions up differently to spend less OOP, but the Allegra MiR says it won't pay you back for coupons, so I didn't want to use RR for this item since they appear on the receipt as "Manufacturer Coupons." Am I just being paranoid? Perhaps.Until next week...happy saving!
There's a great deal at Wags this week on Gatorade G Series products:
If you purchase one of each of the three steps in a single transaction ($5 OOP), a mail-in rebate will print out for $5 back. I also got an unexpected code for a $5 Foot Locker E-gift card!! Here's what I did:
Bought: G Series 01, 02 and 03
Total Regular Price (with tax): $8.31
Total Sale Price (without tax): $5.15
Used: $4.00 in RR from last week (1 coupon < 3 items)
Total OOP: $1.15
Back from Mail-in Rebate: $5 (plus $5 at Foot Locker)
At CVS this week there are a TON of fantastic deals:
Fuze is 5 for $3 again, my favorite shampoo ever (Renpur Organics) is $1.99, Pantene is 2/$1.97, Gain dish soap is $0.97 (or free with a coupon), and PowerBar Energy Bites are free.
I paid $1.27 OOP for all of the above and got back $9.47 in ECBs!
Would you like to share your drug store coupon successes?
In this week's installment of "A Beginners Guide to Couponing," we will continue to discuss the drugstore game. Today we will be examining the inner workings of...
Walgreens
Initiation
One of the benefits to couponing at Wags is that there are no initial steps to be taken other than your typical collection of coupons. There is no membership card program here, nor is there any method for collecting extra RR (like with the green bag tags at CVS).
Preparation
As with CVS, I carefully examine the sale and coupon matchups before I visit my local store. Jenny again does most of the grunt work for me. Her site details the items that are on sale, the RR offers, all the coupons that could be applied to the product, where to find these coupons, which coupons to use to get the best deal, and how much you'll end up paying if you do what she tells you to. There's even a function to print out a nice list of the deals that YOU want and the possible coupons you can use. Wags sales run from Sunday through Saturday.
Since Wags does not require you to have a membership card to take advantage of their sales, they limit the number of items you purchase in another manner. Suppose there is a deal on Shampoo X where, if you purchase a bottle for $3.00, you will get $2.00 back in RR. If you buy TWO bottles of Shampoo X in a single transaction ($6.00 OOP), you will ONLY receive $2.00 back in RR. If you purchase ONE bottle of Shampoo X in your first transaction ($3.00 OOP, $2.00 back in RR), and then you purchase a SECOND bottle of Shampoo X in your second transaction, using the RR you got from buying the first bottle (termed "rolling your RR"), you WILL NOT get $2.00 back in RR for your second purchase, even if there are other items in your second transaction. If you purchase two bottles in two transactions and don't roll your RR, you could end up with 2 bottles of Shampoo X and $4.00 in RR in you wallet. (Thus, technically even though there are limits, there are no limits- please don't abuse the system!)
Another method Wags uses to get you to spend more money in the store involves the number of coupons you are allowed to use in a single transaction. You may use one manufacturer coupon AND one store coupon on the same product; however, the number of coupons used in your transaction must be less than or equal to the number of items purchased in that transaction. Suppose Deodorant Y is on sale for $2.00 per stick. You have a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off 1 stick and a Wags coupon for $0.50 off 1 stick. In order to use both your coupons on a single stick of deodorant, you must purchase at least one additional item (cost doesn't matter). Often times you will be able to find $0.10-$0.50 items (candy, clearance, etc.) that make a nice "happy" for a friend, spouse, kid, or whoever. Note that RR count as "coupons" as well! If you are paying for an item with RR but you also have a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon, you must pick up two "filler item" to use all three.
When I get the Wags add in the Sunday paper, I make sure the deals I like are available at my store, then I clip the coupons I need, and I'm ready to go to shopping.
Coupon Matching Notes: B1G1 coupons are typically best paired with B1G1 sales at drugstores because of the way they price these items - the first item rings up full price, and the second rings up at no charge. When you pair the B1G1 coupon with the B1G1 sale, you're truly getting both for free. Consequently, when you are purchasing an item that a drugstore advertises as B1G1, you must purchase both to actually see the savings!
Furthermore, if you have two $x off 1 item manufacturer coupons, you may use both when taking advantage of a store B1G1 sale, since you are purchasing two items. If the product costs $y, you are getting two items for $y-$2x...if you're not great at algebra, this usually means it's a great deal.
Implementation
The first time I walk into the store each month, I pick up a monthly Wags Coupon Book. These books are pamphlet size, contain store coupons valid for the current month, and are located in front of or below the sales circulars. Occasionally, store coupons will also print out at the register from the machine that prints out the RR.
When I've grabbed all the items that I want, I pull out all the coupons for the items I have in my cart, double check that I picked up the correct items and number of items (including fillers), think about how many transactions I wish to make, and head to the register.
If I am planning to make multiple transactions, I try to limit myself to two, and I make sure that the cashiers aren't swamped so that I'm not a nuisance to them or other customers. The potential benefit to multiple transactions is based on the idea of rolling RRs, i.e. when I purchase items that give me $x back in RRs, I immediately use that $x on my second transaction. Rolling RRs helps to keep the amount of money you pay out of pocket (OOP) as low as possible. (Recall that rolling RRs on the same product will cause you to lose money!)
When I get to the register, I place the items for my (first) transaction on the counter. After the items have been scanned, I hand the cashier my coupons. Next, I hand him/her any RRs I have from previous transactions. RRs will not cover the tax on an item- if you owe $1.75 and $0.75 is tax, you may only use an RR worth $1. If you attempt to use an RR worth more than $1, the register will beep angrily at you. When I've gotten the total down as low as possible, I pay for my purchases and obtain my receipt.
As with all receipts, Wags receipts detail the items you purchase, the coupons you used, the tax, and the total you paid for the transaction. They also show you how much you saved on an item (the difference in the price you paid for an item and its regular price at the store). Since you do not have a rewards card, your previous savings at the store is not tracked.
Your RRs will print out separately from the receipt on long thin strips of paper that look like this:
(the above is actually a rebate that printed out for me- check back this evening for the skinny on this deal.) To redeem the RR, just present it to the cashier at the time of purchase. Anyone can use these RR (since there is no card number attached to it). Typically, you have two weeks from the date of purchase to use them.
Happy Money Monday to all! Today I'll be starting out with the fourth installment in the "Beginners Guide to Couponing" Series...
The Drugstore Game
Couponing is not about using coupons as soon as you get them in a willy-nilly fashion. The goal is to exercise patience, waiting to match a coupon with a store sale to get the best possible deal on an item. Couponing is an art.
What avid couponers often refer to as "the drugstore game" is the matching of coupons to sales at (you guessed it) drugstores. Since the Poe Posse membership is a measly two persons at this time, playing this game has allowed for the most successful reduction in our spending. We'll start with my favorite store...
CVS
Initiation
To begin at CVS, you must sign up for an ExtraCare card. To do this, you can simply go up to the counter and ask for one. Once you fill out some info (name, address, etc.), you will be given a sheet with two cards- one that fits on your keyring and one that can go in your wallet:
Next, you should obtain a reusable bag and a CVS Green Bag Tag:
Your reusable bag does not have to be purchased at CVS, but theirs are only 99 cents. Attach the tag (also 99 cents) to your reusable bag, and take them with you every time you go. After the clerk scans at least one of the items you are purchasing that day, have him/her scan the barcode on the back of the tag. After four scans, you will get $1 free in ECBs. In no time the tag will have paid for itself, and then you can continue to rack up the free dollars! (Note: you may only scan the tag once per day.)
Preparation
Again, couponing is not willy-nilly- some degree of preparation is what will save you the big bucks. Before I visit my local store, I carefully examine the sale and coupon matchups. Typically, since I'm exceptionally busy, I let Jenny do most of the grunt work for me. Her site details the items that are on sale, the ECB offers, all the coupons that could be applied to the product, where to find these coupons, which coupons to use to get the best deal, and how much you'll end up paying if you do what she tells you to. There's even a function to print out a nice list of the deals that YOU want and the possible coupons you can use.
Since CVS requires you to use a card to get these deals, they can limit the amount of sale products that you purchase. This is one of the few downsides to the store. The "household" limit is listed on Jenny's site, as well as at the store, and in the sales flyer. Sales at CVS run from Sunday to Saturday.
When I get the CVS add in the Sunday paper, I make sure the deals I like are available at my store, then I clip the coupons I need, and I'm ready to go to shopping.
Coupon Matching Notes: You may only use one manufacturer coupon per item, so don't try to find all the coupons Jenny lists. However, you CAN pair a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon (from the paper, online, etc.); this is the ONLY way you can use two coupons on the same item.
B1G1 coupons are typically best paired with B1G1 sales at drugstores because of the way they price these items - the first item rings up full price, and the second rings up at no charge. When you pair the B1G1 coupon with the B1G1 sale, you're truly getting both for free. Consequently, when you are purchasing an item that a drugstore advertises as B1G1, you must purchase both to actually see the savings!
Furthermore, if you have two $x off 1 item manufacturer coupons, you may use both when taking advantage of a store B1G1 sale, since you are purchasing two items. If the product costs $y, you are getting two items for $y-$2x...if you're not great at algebra, this usually means it's a great deal.
Implementation
As soon as I walk in the store, I get out my Extra Care card and scan it twice at the price checking kiosk. Each time, store coupons will print out. Pay special attention to these coupons. Occasionally, a $x off a purchase of $y coupon will print out (ex: $5 off $25); these coupons are essentially free money, but they should be the FIRST coupon you give the cashier when you are checking out.
Quarterly CVS will reward you with an amount of ECBs based on how much you've spent at the chain that period. These ECBs will also print out at the price checking kiosk at the beginning of the next quarter.
After checking the kiosk, I continue shopping like normal. When I've grabbed all the items that I want, I pull out all the coupons for the items I have in my cart, double check that I picked up the correct items and number of items, think about how many transactions I wish to make, and head to the register.
If I am planning to make multiple transactions, I try to limit myself to two, and I make sure that the cashiers aren't swamped so that I'm not a nuisance to them or other customers. The potential benefit to multiple transactions is based on the idea of rolling ECBs, i.e. when I purchase items that give me $x back in ECBs, I immediately use that $x on my second transaction. Rolling ECBs helps to keep the amount of money you pay out of pocket (OOP) as low as possible.
When I get to the register, I show the cashier my CVS card and place the items for my (first) transaction on the counter, along with my reusable bag and tag. After the card, the items and the tag have been scanned, I hand the cashier my coupons, starting with any $x off a purchase of $y coupons that I have. Next, I hand him/her any ECBs I have from previous transactions. ECBs will not cover the tax on an item- if you owe $1.75 and $0.75 is tax, you may only use an ECB worth $1. If you attempt to use an ECB worth more than $1, you will loose the rest of it! When I've gotten the total down as low as possible, I pay for my purchases and obtain my receipt.
As with all receipts, CVS receipts detail the items you purchase, the coupons you used, the tax, and the total you paid for the transaction. They also show you how much you saved on an item (the difference in the price you paid for an item and its regular price at the store).
After the typical information, the receipts detail what you saved today and so far this year, what you've spent this quarter, and your "Beauty Club Spending." For $50 in qualifying purchases (at once or over time) of certain health and beauty products, you will receive $5 ECB back.
Following these totals, you can see the offers that you have taken advantage of so far this week and any offer limits you have reached. The ECBs you've earned from this transaction print out at the bottom of your receipt:
To redeem the ECBs, simply tear them off your receipt and present them to the cashier. You must present your ExtraCare card at the time of purchase! The ECBs have your card number on them and can only be used with your card. There are some exclusions to how you spend your ECBs (for instance, you can't use them on prescriptions); these are listed on the ECBs, as is the ECB expiration date (1 mo. after you receive it).
***
While this may seem a bit overwhelming at first, I can assure you that it is totally worth it. I have not paid for toothpaste in the past year and a half. Our brand name shampoo, razors, OTC medications, air fresheners, etc. that we use have been bought for a fraction of the cost of store brand items. We've been able to make nice "pampering" gift baskets for birthdays, as well as "care" baskets for sick folks. We've even made money by purchasing certain items! I would suggest that if you're just starting out, go slow, trying a deal or two a week, and ask questions if you have them.
In a bit, I'll post some of the deals I've gotten so far this week at CVS and Walgreens, so stay tuned!
