Couponing Part 2

So I took notes. I had all the terminology down pat. I felt ready to try my luck at CVS. CVS for those who don't know it, is a chain drugstore. You can get a Customer Loyalty Card(like the ones at the Grocery Stores). This Card is the key to getting the deals that the store offers. When you buy certain things in the store(and use your card), it triggers the register to print out ECB(aka Extra Care Bucks). These are $s off your next purchase. Also, if you use your Card you get the sale price for some items. Sometimes you need to buy a certain amount or certain $ amount to get the ECBs to print for you.
The week I went to CVS they were running a sale on boxes of Soy Joy bars. The daughter likes these and asked for some. If you bought 1 box for $6, you received a $6 ECB for $6 off your next purchase. There was a limit of 5 boxes per Loyalty card. So I bought 5 boxes, spent $30 and received an ECB for $30 off my next shopping trip.
In the world of the Couponing Queens this is getting all those Bars free. Well, if I didn't have to spend $30 first.lol I now have $30 of FREE stuff I can buy. Get it?
But actually, I handled this transaction all WRONG! I neglected to ROLL THE DEAL!
A TRUE Couponing Queen would have....
1. Bought 1 box of Soy Joy for $6 total, triggering a $6 ECB.
2. Gone back through the line with 2 more boxes of Soy Joy for $12 & paid with the $6 ECB they just obtained + $6 more. She would have received another ECB, this time for $12 for the new purchase.
3. Buy 2 more boxes, use the $12 ECB to pay, receive another $12 ECB. Or in the Couponing Lingo, this step would be a "Rinse & Repeat".
4. You have now purchased 5 boxes(the limit), have spent Out of Pocket(aka OOP)$12, have a $12 ECB for a future purchase & you have $30 worth of soy snack bars to eat.

If your CQ was Molto Savvy, she would have multiple Customer Care Cards(one in her hubby or SO's name, one in her mother's name, her father's name, etc.), and she could repeat this whole series of transactions again, up to 5 boxes for each card. She would also have known this deal was coming up weeks beforehand and would have Manufacturer's Coupons(aka MQs) to use to take more money off the purchase of the 1st 2 boxes, thereby lowering her OOP expenses even more.

Remember when you were a kid and use to complain about having to learn math because you would never need it in life? I have just proved your inner child wrong!lol

So I studied some more and made another attempt, this time at Walgreen's. While they don't have a Loyalty Card Program, buying certain items in certain quantities can trigger RRs(aka Register Rewards), which are basically the same as CVS ECBs and are good on a future purchase.

Walgreen's had a deal-Buy $20 of Pepsi & Frito-Lay products(these were on sale), get $10 in RRs. So I loaded up on Pepsis & Chips for the kids. As far as they are concerned, I can't buy enough of this stuff. Oh, I also got a FREE jar of Salsa($2.99 value) when I bought 2 Tostitos, because I had a "Peelie"(aka a coupon stuck onto a product that can be used instantly or later). I spent $21, I got a $10RR & 23.99 worth of stuff.
Took the pepsi to the car, then went back in and bought 9 jars of Peanut Butter & Spaghetti Sauce....on sale for $1.99 each. I also used 4 x $1 off MQs on the pb & sauce. $17.91 total - $4 coupons - $10RR=$3.91 for 9 jars. That's 44 cent a jar. AND I got another $10 RR because I bought 8 Unilever products in one transaction.

Then I bought 4 Nyquils on sale for $6 ea., used $6 in MQs & the $10 RR. I ended up with $24 of cold gunk and was out of pocket $8($2 per bottle). AND I got yet another $10 RR to use next time.

Then I bought $21 of Pepsi and Chips again, used the $10RR, so my snack foods only cost me $11. If I had been longer into the couponing deal, I would have had Frito-Lay & Pepsi MQs too, bringing the cost down on the OOP for this transaction too. If I had more PB & Sauces coupons I probably would have 'Rinse and Repeated' the Unilever deal......and then more Soda again.
Just this little adventure into Walgreen's & I am stockpiled to the rafters with junk food and sauce & peanut butter AND I have a $10RR to keep rolling the deals my next trip to Walgreen's.

I also saw a bottle of shampoo with an MIR(aka Mail in Rebate)hangtag. So I am out $7.99 and the cost of a stamp, until they send me a check for $7.99 for trying their shampoo.

I learned you can also 'stack' coupons at Walgreen's. You can use the Walgreen's coupons in their flyer WITH an MQ for the same product. Stacking and going to stores that double or triple coupon values is how those Couponing Queens get all that stuff for practically nothing.

Total OOP-$43.91

8 12-packs of Pepsi products
8 bags of Frito-Lays products
1 Shampoo
4 Nyquil
6 Peanut Butter
3 Spaghetti Sauce
1 Salsa

Value of Products-$94.89 PLUS $10 to spend next time

I couldn't get the second Pepsi Deal I did in the photo, let alone fit it all in my kitchen.


This is crazy stuff I tell ya!
Crazy!

sluggy