Frugal Friday.....the June 16th Edition

* Back in late April I bought Right Guard dry spray deodorant on a BOGO offer at Rite-Aid(and used a Q)and sent a mail-in rebate for 1 of the bottle to "Try It Free".

The original post is HERE.
The TMF Offer said they'd deduct the price of any coupon used so I was unsure if I'd get back $7.29, $5.46, $3.64, $3.79, $1.96 or .14¢.
Turns out I got the full $7.29 back..........

So that trip, instead of "spending down" $3.59 in Plenti Points becomes a $3.70 "moneymaker".  I got paid $3.70 to buy all the stuff in that transaction.  8-)

* We like to buy nice/pricey bagels from Panera Bread now and again so I cashed in some c/c points and sent away for this awhile ago and it arrived this week.........

$50 Panera Bread gift card.  This will pay for 7 orders of a Baker's Dozen bagels on Tuesdays(when the dozen bagels are discounted and the only day I will buy them there). 8-)

* I was sent a 15% off any shopping order at Ollies(Good Stuff Cheap!)that was expiring this weekend so I took a trip down the mountain to our local store.  I had found a fabric shower curtain there a few months back for our master bathroom that we had redone last February that I really, really liked and though went well with the color scheme in that room.  We still don't have any kind of curtain on the window in there so I picked up another of the same shower curtain and will turn it into a window curtain. ;-)

I also picked up some other goodies at Ollies--a replacement "good" non-stick pan(which will be used in the Fall once College Boy goes back to school and isn't here ruining my cooking pans), some air fresheners for .58¢ each after 15% off discount, a pantry staples of minced garlic, and some Xmas gifts for cheap(which I can't show or talk about here).
Plus 8 bottles of Dawn dish soap.....

Ollies had the orginal plus a pomegranate scent variety for .89¢ which was .75¢ after my discount so worth stocking up.  I don't mind using that Dollar store variety but I do think Dawn is better(you can use less as it's more concentrated).

* No Take-out this past week, we've been eating home cooked meals as per usual.

* I have begun to pick up items for the kids to cook when we are on our Summer road trip, and incorporating the cost of those into my food budget for the next 4 weeks(4 WEEKS and we are leaving!?! Yikes!)

I found these St. Louis pork ribs with $3 and $2 instant discount stickers on them.  3.83 lbs. of ribs for $1.63 per lb. after sale and sticker.  The kids love ribs and they can either smoke these or just cook them through in the oven or crock pot so easy peasy.

That's about all I got this week besides the usual stuff I do around here that is frugal.

What Frugal Wins did you have this week?

Sluggy

Rebates.....To Do or Not to Do? And How to Stay Organized

Since it is coming up on the end of October I sat down yesterday and got a boatload of rebates finished before some of the rebate periods ended.

This is a chore I don't enjoy....you know, the filling out forms, gathering receipts, circling purchase prices, taking UPCs off of packages, photocopying the submissions & addressing all those envelopes.
Though I don't enjoy the hoops companies make you jump through to qualify for a rebate, I DO enjoy receiving those checks and freebies in the mail!
Oh, what I endure for a buck..... 8-))

So I finished up yesterday and sent off for 13 separate rebates this morning.  I have 2 more all ready to mail and 2 more to finish and my October submissions will be complete.  17 Rebates(not counting the Rite-Aid ones done online)that I am hopeful I'll see fullfilled and in my hand before the year is out.
Not like that Natural Dentist no show!  DO NOT send for any Natural Dentist Rebate!! ugh

My October submissions(besides the Rite-Aid online SCR) break down to $100 in cash & $45 in coupons and premiums.  Once I get the last 4 finished that makes 28 outstanding MIRs I am waiting on to arrive.

Rebates coupled with using coupons to purchase the items with rebates are a nice little moneymaker if you have the time and patience to fill out all the forms, etc. to qualify for them.

Be cautious however because some rebates are worth the time involved and some are not.  A high value rebate like the recent Pantene/Olay one is worth the time & expense to get back $20 on your purchase.

Even better than the high value Rebates are the items that qualify you for more than one Rebate, the double dips or triple dips!  Recently, that Pantene/Olay purchase, when completed during a certain week at Rite-Aid and paired with another $5 Proctor & Gamble purchase at Rite-Aid that week, got you a $10 Gift Card to Rite-Aid besides the $20 rebate from the company.  In addition, making a copy of that Pantene/Olay receipt before sending it off for the $20 MIR and pairing it with a certain form could qualify you for another MIR for a $40 valued set of Pink Cookware.  A very fine Triple Dip Rebate situation!

On the other hand, a rebate like the $1 on the BeeMD Cough Drops that Rite-Aid recently had on sale may not be worth your time and effort.  Rite-Aid had a SCRebate for the full purchase price of $2.49 for these Drops, which was awesome. You could do the rebate online by just entering your receipt information on the SCR website.  The company that makes the Drops also has a $1 mail-in rebate on them.  After paying the .44¢, the stamp will cost you to mail away for the $1, plus the time invested in submitting this rebate, you are about breaking even on that rebate.

For me, rebate money that comes in each month is added to the Food/Toiletries Budget.  Last month, I "spent" $456.49 cash on these budgeted items.  But I had rebates come in totaling $285.56 that month.  Therefore, my "spending" for the month was only $170.93.
Using the Rebate money this way helps offset spending whenever I have an expensive month.

The key to successful Rebating is organization.  There is nothing worse than buying something that has a rebate available only to miss out on it because you didn't save a receipt/a qualifier/a UPC/a form &/or ran out of time to submit it.
I have a pretty simple, lowkey system.  I keep 2 folders & a ledger for my rebating.
The first folder holds the materials I need to do the rebate....the forms, the receipts, and the UPCs/qualifiers.  I also have a list in that folder of the rebates I am actively working on.  Next to each item on the list is the date is has to be postmarked/mailed so I don't let any deadlines get past me.
As I gather everything I need to submit the particular rebate, I address the envelope, stamp and return address it and put all the paperwork inside the envelope and I cross that item off my list in the folder.

At this point, I take the envelope upstairs to hubby's printer, which is also a copier, and copy the paperwork.  I can't stress enough how important it is to keep a copy of your paperwork for every rebate!  If the company claims they did not receive your submission or it was not complete, you can copy your copy and resend it to them.  It's your proof that you did submit for a rebate &/or you did send all the asked for paperwork.

After the rebate paperwork is copied, the information for the rebate goes into my ledger.  I have two sections in this ledger.

I keep a log of every rebate that leaves the house.  It's just a list of each rebate, the mailing address it was sent to, the date it was mailed, who it was mailed from(some rebates I'll have one sent to me and one sent to another family member) and what form of payment is expected back(cash, coupons, freebies, etc.).

The other place in my ledger is were I record the rebates as they arrive.  I just list the date it came and what it was.  I will also put a check mark next to a rebate that has arrived on the Outgoing Rebate List section.  This check mark on the Outgoing List just let's me quickly see which Rebates I am still waiting on and if they seem late I can then check with the company on whether they are "in process" or if they were lost in the mail.

This system is enough to keep me organized.  Do you have a Rebate System?  Please leave a comment and let us know what works for you.

I was considering setting up a MIR page that lists worthwhile Rebates....sort of a REBATE CENTRAL to consult for possible rebate opportunities that are currently available.  This page would be accessible from my main page sidebar and each rebate listed would be hyperlinked to the online information for it.  What do you dear readers think about this?  Would it be something useful for your needs?  Let me know in the comment section.

Do you do rebates?  Which kind--mail in ones, online submission ones or both?  What do you do with the rebate money when it comes in?  Do you have a dollar amount threshold where you won't do a rebate?  Are you organized with your rebate work?  Tell us! ;-)

Sluggy

Reynolds Aluminum Foil for the Grill MAIL IN REBATE

If you are in the Central to Eastern PA area, check out your local Weis/Mr.Z's grocery store. There are displays in the stores for the new Reynolds Wrap Foil for the Grill. It's wider and supposedly non-stick.

There is a tearpad on the displays for a Mail-In Rebate to get your full purchase price back(up to $4.69) when you buy this new Grilling Foil and 1 other Reynolds Wrap foil item(excludes 25 & 20 sq. ft. rolls). Both items have to be purchased in the same transaction and the offer is good on purchases made between 03/23/09-10/31/09. MIR must be postmarked by 11/30/09.

The Foil for the Grill item at Weis here is $4.19. Use 2 Reynold's Foil $1/1 Qs from the 5/17 insert and buy the Foil for the Grill & another Foil item(cheapest that is larger than 20/25 sq. ft.), submit for the MIR on the Grilling Foil and you get back $6.19 on the purchase, while spending OOP $4.19 & $?

$2.89 is what the recycled Foil is going for here. That's what I bought with my Grilling Foil because philosophically, I'd rather get the recycled stuff.

So my transaction for the Grilling & Recycled Foil was $5.08 OOP(after Qs & before tax) and I'll get back $4.19 of that in the MIR.

You could also just grab the MIR Form now from the display and wait until you find a good sale on the other Reynolds foil products to snag a lower priced item with your Foil for the Grill. Just get a form soon before they all disappear!

There is also a $1/1 Q for the Recycled Reynolds Foil from the 4/19 inserts you can pair with the 5/17 insert foil Q, if you have it and don't have 2 Foil Qs from the 5/17 insert.

Whatever Q you use, go get you some cheap & free foil!

Sluggy

Watch me Build a SCR for May at Rite Aid

I thought I'd do a series of posts on How to go about shopping to build up a good sized SINGLE CHECK REBATE check from Rite Aid. Watch me as I buy things using coupons. Not only with I get these things cheaper but Rite-Aid will send me a check when the month is over to reimburse me for most of the money I spent to buy them.

My 1st Transaction is this....

1 Skintimate Shaving Cream-on sale this week for $2.99 Used a $1/1 Q from last Sunday's paper
2 Listerine Mouthwash-on sale this week for $4.00 ea. Used the $4 off Rite-Aid Q from the sales flyer AND 2 $1/1 Qs from last Sunday's paper
1 Salt-Aire Nasal Wash-on sale this week for $6.99
1 Mini Drops eye drops-on sale this week for $6.49
1 Cup O Noodles for $.69

Used 3 $1/1 Qs(1 for Shave Cream, 2 for Listerine), $4 off Rite Aid Q and 1 $5/$25 purchase Q from Rite Aid website.

Subtotal of merchandise-$25.16

Coupons used-$12.00

Tax-$.24
Total Out of Pocket-$13.40
Do you see why I bought that Cup O Noodles? To get my total over $25, so I could use the $5 off coupon! It's called 'filler'(a cheap item to raise your total spent so you can use a coupon).

These are the following items I bought in this transaction that I can now file for Rite-Aid Rebates at the end of May.....

Skintimate $2.24 Offer #96
Salt-Aire $6.99(full price I paid) Offer #33
Mini Drops $6.49(full price I paid) Offer #30
Listerine Whitening $2.00 Offer #121

So I spent $13.40 and I'll get back at this point, $17.72.

Both Bottles of Listerine are also part of a Johnson&Johnson Rebate running the month of May at Rite Aid-Offer #50. Depending on how much you spend, you'll be from $5 to $10 back on your SCR. So I have $8 toward that rebate deal now too.

Here's the 2nd Transaction.....

1 Benadryl Allergy-on sale this week for $5.99 Used a $1.50/1 Q
2 Johnson's Baby Shampoo-on sale this week for $3.00 =$6.00 Used 2x $2/1 Johnson's Qs from a couple of Sunday's ago
2 Excellence-to-Go Hair Coloring-on sale this week for $7.50=$15.00 Used 2 $3/1 Qs from last month's newspaper AND a $5 off 2 Rite-Aid sales flyer Q

Used 2 $2/1=$4 Qs, $1.50/1 Q, 2 $3/1=$6 Qs, $5 off Rite Aid Q and 1 $5/$25 purchase Q from Rite Aid website.
Subtotal of merchandise-$26.99
Coupons used-$21.50
Tax-$.36
Total Out of Pocket-$5.85

I didn't need a filler this time, as the items brought my total over $25 so I could use the $5/25 Q.

The Johnson's Baby Shampoo & the Benadryl Allergy are also part of a Johnson&Johnson Rebate running the month of May at Rite Aid(Offer #50), like the Listerine I bought last time was. **I now have $19.99 toward this rebate deal. I am .01¢ away from qualifying for the $8 level, having achieved the $5 level already.

The Benadryl Allergy ALSO qualifies for another Rebate at Rite-Aid this month, for a Rite-Aid Gift Card. You much purchase between $20 & $50 worth of products to receive between a $5 and $25 Gift Card. It's offer #500 in the monthly booklet. I now have $5.99 toward Offer #500.

Onward to Transaction #3....

1 Johnson's Baby Shampoo-on sale this week for $3.00 Used a $2/1 Q
1 Claritin-on sale this week for $18.99 Used a $5/1 Q
1 Viactiv Glides-on clearance for $4.49 Used a $2/1 Q

Used 2 $2/1 Qs, $5/1 Q and 1 $5/$25 purchase Q from Rite Aid website.

Subtotal of merchandise-$26.48
Coupons used-$14.00
Tax-$.06
Total Out of Pocket-$12.54

Add the Johnson's purchase to the Johnson & Johnson Offer, so I am up to $22.99 spent on that deal. $2.01 more and I qualify for $10 back-the highest amount you can get back.

Add the Claritin to Offer #500 and I've spent $24.98 toward that deal, which qualifies me for the $5 level.

The Claritin also qualifies for it's own Offer-#48. I'll get $3 back for the Claritin purchase alone.

So to recap so far......

I've qualified for--$2.24 Skintimate, $6.99 Salt-Aire, $6.49 Mini Drops, $2 Listerine Whitening, $3 Claritin, $8 on Offer #50, $5 on Offer #500=$33.72 in Rebates.

And I've spent $31.79.

All this stuff I bought so far-all $78.63 of it(not including tax)-basically has cost me NEGATIVE $1.93. I get all this and the store will pay me back ALL my out of pocket PLUS another $1.93.

Kind of messes with your head, doesn't it?

So Transaction #4.....

3 ProFoot Insoles-on sale this week for $5 each=$15
1 Sudafed PE-on sale this week for $5.99 Used $1.50/1Q
1 Tylenol Sinus-on sale this week for $4.99 Used $1/1 Q

Used $1/1 Q, $1.50/1 Q & Rite Aid $5/25 Q

Subtotal-$25.98
Coupons Used-$7.50
Tax-$.00
Spent Out of Pocket-$18.48

My OOP is high for this one but I'll get back $10 on Offer #20 for the Insoles, the SudafedPE goes toward Offer #50(Johnson&Johnson) and the Tylenol Allergy goes toward Offer #500.

And remember those Mini Drops Eye Drops I bought back in my 1st transaction? Not only will I get all my purchase price back for those but that item purchase qualifies for Offer #500 too!

So at the end of Day 1 here is where I stand.....
Rebates qualified for-

Skintimate $2.24

Salt-Aire $6.99

Mini Drops $6.49

Listerine Whitening $2.00

ProFoot $10.00

Claritin $3.00

Offer #50 $10-Highest level

Offer #500 $10-Need $12.54 more to get $25.00 Gift Card

Total of $50.72 in Rebates
Total Out of Pocket $50.27
If you subtract what I've spent from what I'll get back, when all is said and done, I'll be Out Of Pocket NOTHING and the store owes me .45¢

And I have Merchandise valued at $104.61 too.

Now you won't get rich playing the drugstore games, but you can end up with lots of neat & necessary things for very little money.

I bought things I like, use or need. Things that I would buy anyway mostly. A few items,things I've never tried, IF I get my entire purchase price back I'll buy them. The stores want you to try new items they carry. This is why they offer you a full price rebate on some items.

As the month goes on, there will be a few more things I'll buy at Rite-Aid as they go on sale or during the time frame their purchase will qualify me for a rebate for those items. So my total Single Check Rebate will slowly grow as the month progresses.

It will be harder now to keep my Out of Pocket low since the $5 off $25 purchase Coupon for Rite-Aid expired on thursday night. I am hoping they release a new similar Coupon. If they don't I won't be saving up purchases to get to a total of $25 before I buy. I'll just purchase items singly and with manu. coupons of course.

I'll post an update later in the month in this Series to show you what else I purchase to qualify for a larger check.

In the meantime, go grab a Rite-Aid SCR Booklet and the current Sales Flyer and start figuring out what you can get for free or close to it! ;-)

Sluggy

Easy Peazy Hounding for non-Hounders at Rite Aid this week

Ok, so you want to try your hand at getting stuff for free....or almost free.
Easy Peazy!
Just follow these instructions below, if you have a Rite-Aid and you can get to it before they close on Saturday night, April 25th.

First thing, go HERE and print this coupon for $5 off $25 purchase.

Next see if you can find the Ben-Gay coupon that came in the 3/22 sunday paper coupon inserts. It is probably for $1 off an item. Also, see if you can find 2 Dove Go Fresh Deodorant or Body Mist coupon from the 3/15 sunday paper coupon inserts. They are probably for $1.25 off an item. (Coupon amounts can vary by region, so it might be more or less than the one's in my paper.)

Pick up the weekly ad on the way into the Rite-Aid.

Find the Skintimate &/or Edge Shaving Cream that's on sale 2 for$4 in the ad. Get 2 of either or 1 of each, depending on what you want/like.

Find the GE Reveal Lightbulbs that are on sale for $3(per 4 pack) in the ad. Get 2 packages of whichever wattage you need.

Find the Ben-Gay Ultra Strengh Pain Relieving Patch on sale for $6.99 in the ad. Look for a package that has an instant coupon(a Peelie coupon)for $1 off the package. Get one and if you find one with a Peelie, get that one and make sure you use that peelie coupon when you check-out.

Find the Dove Deodorant or Dove Body Mist that is on sale 2 for $6 in the ad. Get 2 of either Deodorant or Body Mist or 1 of each.

Find the Sure Deodorants with the TRY ME FREE sticker on them.(The TMF ones will either be Sure for Men, Natural Extracts or Clinical Strength varieties.) Buy the one that is the closest to $2.99.

Now go check-out.

After the cashier rings up all your items, your total will be at least $25.98 before tax.

Give him/her the $5 off $25 coupon. Now your total is at least $20.98 + tax. Then, if you have the additional coupons for the Dove &/or Ben-Gay, give those to him/her.(Your total would now be at least $17.48 + tax.)

Pay the cashier.

Get your stuff and your receipt and go home.

Don't lose that receipt! <---very important

At home, take your receipt & go online to the Rite-Aid website.

http://www.riteaid.com/

Scroll to the bottom of the homepage there to where it says "Single Check Rebate". Click on that.

Sign up for this program from this page and then enter your receipt information as directed for the Single Check Rebate for April.

At the end of the month, go back to the RiteAid Single Check Rebate website and have your rebate sent to you.

Now go to http://www.trysurefree.com/

Print out the rebate form on this site, fill it out and get ready to send for a refund(up to $2.99)on your Sure product purchase. (Now do you see why I said get the Sure product that was the closest to $2.99 in price?)

In about 3 weeks from when you send for the Rite Aid SCR, you will get a check in the mail for $14.00....$2 for the Dove products, $3 + another $3 bonus for the Ben-Gay product, $2 for the Shaving Creams, $2 + another $2 bonus for the Light Bulbs.

After your Single Check Rebate arrives safely, xerox your receipt & filled out Sure form(keep the xeroxes)and mail your original Try Sure Free form with your original receipt and the TRY SURE FREE sticker from the deodorant tube to Sure. A few weeks after that, they will mail you a check for $2.99.

Congratulations!

You just got $25.98 worth of products for about $3.99(without any coupons except the $5/25 one) to .49¢(with the 3 additional product coupons). This is before taking into account the sales tax and the cost of a stamp & an envelope of course....

If you look through the Rite-Aid ad you might find other combinations or additional items to buy that would be free or close to it after sending for the Single Check Rebate. There is a Wart Remover product that would be free, a Glucose Meter too and some other things that had nice rebate amounts vs. initial spending out of pocket.

The point is to find things that....

A)The Single Check Rebate amount is high in relation to the selling price of the item.

B)Have coupons that bring down the initial out of pocket cost of the product.

C)Make your purchase large enough to use the $5 off $25 coupon. Don't buy $5 here, $12 there and $8 there. Buy it all in one transaction and that $5/$25 coupon is like FREE MONEY!

By following these guidelines, I got(or will get after my rebate checks arrive)all the items pictured above for .79¢! (plus tax) My SURE Deodorant was $3.29, not $2.99, so I paid 30¢ more than the lowest that was possible for these products.

See?

EASY PEAZY!!

sluggy

As the Soap Lathers.....The Finale=$3.11 Overage!

The last bit of the Rite-Aid purchases.

UPDATE on My Rite-Aid Week.

Well I ended up NOT doing the last Transaction like I planned.(KY product, Vitamin Water 4-pack & 3 2-packs of Olay Soap). The 1st Rite-Aid didn't have Vitamin Water of Soap, the 2nd store didn't have ANY of the 3 items. The last place along my route didn't have the KY, so I did....

9 2-packs of Olay Soap @ $2.50 ea.=$22.50
1 4-pack of Vitamin Water @ $4.99
Subtotal=$27.49

Coupons Used....
9x $2/1 Olay=$18
1 $5/25 Rite-Aid
Coupons total=$23.00

Tax....$1.65
Total OOP=$6.14

Send for Vitamin Water SCR of $2.50
Here are All the numbers by Transaction.

TRANSACTION #1 Value of Items....$31.50($24.17 sale price)
Tax......................$1.20
OOP....................$0.00

Gift Card............$6.37
Store Sales..........$7.33

Qs redeemed.....$19.00

TRANSACTION #1A-The Excedrin
Value of Items....$4.69($1.99 sale price)
OOP....................$0.00
Store Sales.........$2.70
Qs redeemed.....$1.99(adjusted down from $2.00)

TRANSACTION #2
Value of Items....$34.83($25.97 sale price)
Tax.......................$.90
OOP....................$5.24
Gift Card............$3.63
Store Sales.........$8.86
Qs redeemed.....$18.00
SCR refund........$11.99

TRANSACTION #4-Sat.

Value of Items....$33.70($27.49 sale price)
Tax.......................$1.65

OOP.....................$6.14
Store Sales..........$6.21

Qs redeemed.....$23.00
SCR refund..........$2.50

TRANSACTION TOTALS

Value of Items....$107.27($79.62 sale price)
Tax........................$3.75
OOP......................$11.38
Store Sales Disc...$27.65

GiftCard paid.......$10.00

Qs redeemed........$61.99
SCR refund...........$14.49

$11.38 OOP-$14.49 SCR= -$3.11 OVERAGE!

Let's recap what I got....
19 2-packs of Olay Soap
8 Bottles of Vitamin Water
2 Tubes of Colgate Toothpaste
1 Excedrin 20 ct. Gel Caps
2 bags of Bugles
1 Old Spice Clinical Strength Deodorant
1 Bottle of Blink Tears

Yep, the store gave me $107.27 worth of products and PAID ME $3.11 to take it!
And if I didn't have to shell out $3.75 in sales tax, they would have paid me more.

Sluggy

Rite-Aid this Week so Far....As the Soap Lathers

I went to my local Rite-Aid on Monday night.

I had planned on doing the Free Olay Soap Deal.

*Buy 10 2-packs of Olay Soap. It's on sale this week for $2.50. 10x $2.50=$25.00
Use a $5 off $25 Internet Rite-Aid Coupon availabe through the Rite-Aid Website.
Then use 5 $2 Off Olay Coupons from this past Sunday's P&G Coupon Insert.
$25-$5-$10(5x$2)=FREE SOAP(before sales tax).

Unfortunately, my Rite-Aid only had 6 2-packs of Olay Soap left in stock.

So, I tried to come up with some other way to utilize that $5 off $25 Coupon.
I came prepared with other options/coupons.

I tired to do a scenario involving the BLINK TEARS Eye Drops that qualifies as a Single Check Rebate item. That item would get me to $7.99 of the $25 I needed and be free after the SCR.
And they were out of that too.

I tried to get the Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste on sale for $1.99 with 2 Qs, making it free.
Also out!

The ClinicalStrength Old Spice Deodorant with a SCRebate of $4?
Nada as well.

UGH

It looked pretty bleak at this point, my chances of getting to $25 for minimal out of pocket. I was at $15 with the only 6 packs of Olay Soap in the joint.

I wandered around a bit and looked for other options. I turned a corner and found some of the Colgate Toothpaste on an end display w/other non-dental items that no one had found yet to clear out.

Now I had the Toothpaste & was up to $16.99.

Then I found Bugles BOGO @ $2.19. #2 son LOVES Bugles. For what works out to $1.10 a bag, this went into the cart.

Up to $19.18.

Found the EXCEDRIN Express GelCaps on sale for $1.99(free with my $2 IP Q).

Up to $21.17.

I really hate to buy filler junk to get to a total I need. I'd rather spent a bit more than the bare minimum to get something we'll use or really need. I saw the 4-packs of Vitamin Water for $4.99.

Ouch, that price! More than a buck a bottle!!

And of course, my regional did NOT get the Vitamin Water $1/1 Coupons in last Sunday's coupon inserts! Grrrrr

But #2 son loves this stuff.....and we were almost out anyway.
PLUS, there is a Single Check Rebate when you buy 2 4-packs this week, so I can pick up or work up another scenario later in the week at Rite-Aid and get the second 4-pack & send for the $2.50 rebate. $4.99-$1.25(half the rebate amount)=$3.74 for 4 bottles. I can live with that cost.

So $21.17+$4.99=$26.16.
I can use my $5/25 Q....yay!

I go to the register to ring out.
Everything goes smoothly....she rings everything up.

I give her the Rite-Aid $5/25 Q and then the 6 $2/1 Olay Qs, the Rite-Aid Ad $1/1 Colgate Q, the Colgate $1/1 Man. Q & then the Excedrin $2/1 IP Q.

She says she can't take the Excedrin Q because Rite-Aid only takes ONE Internet Coupon per order and they count the Rite-Aid $5/25 Coupon as an Internet Coupon.

Grrrrr

I am thinking that's lame. The ONLY WAY you can get this Rite-Aid $5/25 Coupon is on the Internet!

My head says.....DOUBLE Grrrrr.

But I SMILE!

So she takes off the Excedrin from my order.
The order is now $.73 short of $25.

Before I could grab a candy bar or pack of gum to put me over $25 again, she gives me my total.
Ooookkkkk....lol

She didn't make me pay for a filler to use the coupon.
That was nice, huh?lolol

Total of items $24.17

Coupons Used....
6 $2/1 Olay...$12
1 RA Colgate...$1
1 Colgate....$1
RA Coupon...$5/25
Coupon Total $19

SubTotal after Qs....$5.17
Including $1.20 Tax=$6.37

$6.37 put on GiftCard from Bayer Offer SCR in Feb.

NO OOP.

Yay!

Oh, the cashier rang up my Excedrin GelCaps($1.99) after the 1st Transaction was done and took my IP Q for it, so this Total was $0...yes, Free Pills! With 3 kids and 3 dogs, I can USE free Migraine Pills.lolol

The Excedrin makes this night's Transaction's VALUE OF PRODUCTS $26.16

Tuesday's Transaction in a different Rite-Aid

They also did NOT have enough Olay Soap Packs to do the FREE Soap deal using the $5/25 Rite-Aid Coupon.
But here is what I did that was even BETTER!

I bought....
4 x Olay Soap 2-Packs @ $2.50 ea.=$10
1 x Blink Tears Eye Drops @ $7.99(Gee, this thing was TINY!)
1 x Old Spice Clinical Deodorant @ $5.99
1 x Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste @ $1.99
Subtotal....$25.97

Coupons Used...
4 x $2/1 Olay Soap 2-Pack=$8
1 x $2/1 Blink Tears=$2
1 x RA Colgate Q $1=$1
1 x $1 Colgate=$1
1 x $1 Old Spice=$1
1 x $5/25 RA Coupon=$5
Total.....$18

Tax....$.90
TOTAL $8.87
$3.63 on a Gift Card.

OOP....$5.24

Tonight's Transaction's VALUE OF PRODUCTS $25.97

But wait!

Next month, after I send for my Single Check Rebate, I will get back $7.99 for the BLINK TEARS and $4.00 for the OLD SPICE DEODORANT, for a Rebate totaling $11.99.

$5.24 OOP-$11.99= -$6.75 OVERAGE.

Can you say MONEYMAKER?!?! ;-))

And I am planning on heading back to Rite-Aid sometime this week with another $5/25 Coupon to do this scenario, if I can find a store with 3 2-packs of the Olay Soap.

3 x Olay Soap 2-packs @ $2.50 ea. this week=$7.50
1 x KY Yours&Mine Lotion @$15 on sale this week=$15

1 x Vitamin Water 4-pack @ $4.99=$4.99
SubTotal...$27.49

Use Coupons....
3 x $2/1 Olay Soap Packs=$6
1 x $5/1 KY=$5
1 x $5/25 RA Q=$5
Total....$16

$27.49-$16=$11.49+$.69 tax=$12.18

OOP $12.18

Submit for the KY SCR offer #39 for $3 & the Vitamin Water SCR for $2.50.

Rebate total this Transaction=$5.50

Here are the numbers by Transaction.

TRANSACTION #1

Value if Items....$24.17

OOP....................$0.00

Qs redeemed.....$19.00

SCR refund........$0.00

TRANSACTION #1A-The Excedrin
Value of Items....$1.99
OOP....................$0.00
Qs redeemed.....$1.99(adjusted down from $2.00
SCR refund........$0.00

TRANSACTION #2
Value of Items....$25.97
OOP....................$5.24
Qs redeemed.....$18.00
SCR refund........$11.99

TRANSACTION #3
Value if Items....$27.49
OOP....................$12.18
Qs redeemed.....$16.00
SCR refund........$5.50

TRANSACTIONS TOTAL

Value of Items....$79.62+$2.79 tax

OOP................$17.42

GiftCard paid......$10.00

Qs redeemed......$54.99
SCR refund.........$17.49

$17.42 OOP - $17.49SCR Refund = .07¢ OVERAGE!

Essentially, by letting Rite-Aid 'borrow' money from me until I get my Single Check Rebate next month, they are GIVING me almost $80 of stuff AND paying me .07¢ to take it all!

Stay tuned to see how this drama plays out..... ;-)
Sluggy

Mail Call...FINALLY!

Guess what FINALLY came in the mail yesterday?
Yep.....

My SuperBowl Pepsi/Frito-Lay Coupons!

I had written them off as "they-aren't-going-to-get-here-this-century" since I mailed the rebate off in early Feb.
It took just under 8 weeks to arrive.
I guess when they say, "delivery in 6-8 Weeks", they really mean 6-8 Weeks, huh? lolol

Sluggy

Returning Merchandise leads to Saving More Money!

So I was out & about on Thursday, and needed to pop into WAGS to return some Body Wash I had purchased on Monday. Hubby doesn't like that kind so back it had to go!

After getting my refund, I just HAD to check the clearance section.....I found some bags of Lifesavers marked down to $1.00. Then I remembered I had a couple of Hershey BOGO Qs in the envelope in my purse and WAGS had that Wag Q for 49¢ candy bars that I could stack on it, so I had to grab those. While in the candy aisle, I saw that 1 flavor of 5 Gum was marked down to 75¢ so I picked up some for my #2 son's Easter basket as it's his favorite kind of gum(sshhhh, don't tell him!).

Once I looked in my envie for the Hershey's Q, I found the Glucerna Q(wasn't Glucerna producing a RR this week?), then the Reach/Listerine Qs.....Colgate Qs.......at that point we were off to the races again, on a full fledged Hound!lolol


Here's what I picked up......just a quickie!


I have put in RED next to the item what it actually cost me out of pocket after coupons. And as always, it's all consumable goods(except the toothbrushes which fall under buying new for sanitary health reasons)so I am keeping to my COMPACT pledge.

TRANSACTION #1

3 x Duncan Hines Brownie Mix @$1=$3.00 $2/3 or .66¢ ea.
4 x 5 Gum @ .75¢ ea.=$3.00 $3 no Q just clearance
2 x Lifesavers @ $1.00=$2.00 $2 no Q just clearance
1 Glucerna Cereal @ $4.99=$4.99 FREE
1 Glucerna Bars @ $5.49=$5.49 .48¢
2 Hershey's @ .79¢ ea.=$1.58 FREE
2 Hershey's @ .80¢ ea.=$1.60 .98¢
2 Listerine @ $3.00 ea.=$6.00 $3.34 before RRs/Made .66¢ after RRs
1 Reach Toothbrushes @ $3.00=$3.00 $1.67 before RRs/Made .34¢ after RRs
2 x Colgate Total Toothpaste @ $3.49 ea.=$6.98 FREE
1 Axe Shampoo @ $5.99=$5.99 FREE after ESR rebate
SUBTOTAL.....$43.63

Coupons Used
$1/3 Duncan Hines Mixes MQ=$1
$10/2 Glucerna Products IP Q=$10
2 x BOGO Hershey's Candy Bars .49¢/2 MQ=.98¢
4 x .49¢ Hershey's Bars WAG Q(stacked with previous MQ)=$1.22
$3/2 Listerine/Reach Products MQ=$3
$1/1 Listerine/Reach Product MQ=$1
2 x $1/1 Colgate MQ=$2
2 x $2.50/1 WAG Q from ESR book(stacked with previous MQ)=$5
SUBTOTAL....-$24.20

WAGS RR Used
$10 from Dove Deal
$5 don't remember what this one was from
$2 from Vaseline a couple of weeks ago
Total.....$17.00

$43.63-$24.20-$17.00+$.72tax=$3.15 OOP
Earned $8.50 in RRs($2.50 Glucerna & $6 Reach/Listerine)

TRANSACTION #2

Samy Conditioner $5.99 FREE after SAMY Rebate
Samy Treatment $1.99 clearanced FREE after SAMY Rebate
SUBTOTAL $8.46 w/tax

Used $6RR from Reach/Listerine deal earlier in the week
$7.98+.46tax-$6=$2.46 OOP

I found the Conditioning Treatment on the clearance endcap. I can send for a full refund/rebate on both, so I'm out of pocket just the tax on this. The rebate is why I had to do this in a separate transaction. I need the other receipt to send away for the rebate on the Glucerna to the Caregivers Marketplace.

GRAND TOTAL NUMBERS....
$64.53 Savings (coupons, rrs, sales)
$5.61 OOP
$8.50 RR earned for Glucerna(2.50)& Reach/Listerine(6)
$15.97 Cash refunded for Glucerna(2 at Caregivers Mrktpl.), Axe(5.99 in ESR) & Samy Products(7.98)

After I send for & receive the Rebates, I am OOP MINUS $18.86!
Can you say MONEYMAKER!?!? 8-)

Don't you love going into a store & walking out with FREE stuff and having them send you money for taking the stuff?

Basically this store said, "Give us $3 now and take all this stuff home and then we & our products' manufacturers will send you a total of about $19 cash in about 6 weeks".

Sluggy

MIR at CVS on Hair Products

If you frequent CVS drug stores, be sure and check out the MAIL IN REBATES available currently for ORGANIX & VITAMIN Hair Products there. Most all varieties of these brands qualify for a MIR when you mail in the cash register receipt w/the product circled and the TRY ME FREE Hangtag. (Make sure you get one with a Hangtag, I took mine off of the Organix bottle before I shot the photo.)

And if you hurry in before this week's sale is over at CVS, you can get these brands on sale for $4.99. I know, I know.....you say, "I'm already getting them free no matter reg. or sale price when I do the MIR." I say, "Better to be out of pocket initially $4.99 rather than $6.99, until the rebate comes in!

Sluggy