CVS and Walgreens

Here are a few tips when shopping:
CVS: you must get a CVS care card (this is free and gives you the discounts)
you need to buy one green bag tag (this is $1 but every time you shop they scan and every fourth time you get $1 CVS money, you can use over and over)
they have a coupon spitter (an area in store you scan your CVS card and it will spit out coupons about 2-3 per day)
Staff is usually very friendly and helpful with couponers
Better to go sunday or monday the deals go fast
Limited to best deals due to card usage

Walgreens: no card needed
staff not helpful and most do not like couponers
can not use Register Rewards on same item you already got RR on
must have more items at checkout then coupons
can make multiple purchases on deals just remember not to use RR on same item

Walgreens 5-2-2010

I did really great at Walgreens today it could have been better but Walgreens is more complicated than CVS and I am still learning. Walgreens gives money back like CVS it is called Register Rewards. I have learned, the hard way, that you can not use a RR for the same product you got it for, example: you buy crest toothpaste for 2.99 and get 2.99 in RR, you can not use the 2.99RR on crest toothpaste. You must also have the same amount of items per coupon. This gets really confusing at times. Walgreens puts out a monthly coupon book (you can find at the front of the store) and coupons in their weekly ad. You can use those with manufacturer coupons to score some awesome deals. The bad thing is that if you are buying one item example razor for 4.99 with walgreens coupon for 2.00 off and manufacturer coupon for 3.00 (which makes it free) you have 1 item and 2 coupons. You have to buy a "filler item" something cheap about .25 to make the register except both your coupons. This is where I messed up this week I had more coupons than items, oh by the way RR count as coupons. I started with 30.00 in RR from last week. I did 2 checkouts, due to previous RR I wanted to get credit for everything. My first transaction was 33.30 worth of stuff and I paid .84. Woo Hoo!!! My second was 95.17 before coupons, after was 21.98 out of pocket. This is great but I still had 11.00 in RR that the register would not take, this would have made my out of pocket even better, like 9.00. Anyhow I am still happy and I have 21.00 RR for next week. I bought a lot of stuff that did not give RR but was real cheap. Here are some of the deals, pert plus shampoo on sale 1.99, I had 1.50 coupons: made them only .49 (I bought 4). Bic male and female razors on sale 3.99, coupon for 3.00 made them .99 (I bought 6, 3 of each). I know this is a lot but they make great stocking stuffers, presents in gift baskets and I can donate them. Sure deo on sale for 1.50, I had 1.50 coupons made them FREE (I bought 4). With sale and coupons I got mentos gum for .50. Kotex pads for girls 1.00, Nivea body wash .88 and cereal .50 box. All and all very good.

CVS 5-2-2010

I went to CVS today and had the best shopping experience with couponing yet. CVS has extra care bucks (cvs money), these are given when certain items are bought and you can use them later on almost anything in the store. The idea is to spend a little money out of pocket one week buying only things that give you money back and hopefully you have coupons for. Then with the money you get back turn and use the next week only buying stuff you get money back on. Over time you get lots free and little money out of your pocket. So this is what I did today.
I had $18 in CVS money from last week. I also had a $5 off coupon when you spend $30 that cvs emailed me (join their website and advisory panel, they will send these all the time. I bought two bottles of sobe water, cvs has on sale buy one get one free and I had a buy one get free coupon which made both free. I bought bengay, cvs has on sale for 5.99, you get back 2.00 ECB and I had a 2.00 coupon (making it like 1.99). I bought depends 6.99, now i dont no anyone who uses these but I get 6.99 ECB and i had 2.00 coupon ( so I made 2.00) plus I will donate them to a patient (fell good). I bought dawn for 0.97 I had 1.00 coupon, made it FREE. They have always pads on sale for 2.97, I had 2.00, made them .97. This is something I am stocking up on, my girls dont need this yet but they will so why not get them for .97 or free (which I have gotten in the past). Same deal above for tampax .97. Colgate toothpaste 2.99, you get 2.00 ECB, I have .75 coupon so it was .25. We used to only use crest but we are learning to use others esp. when .25 or free. I have a ton of toothpaste I just did this for the ECB. Venus razor 9.99, you get 6.00ECB, I had 2.00 coupon, made it 1.99. I also bought nine warm delights, on sale for 1.00 I had nine .75 coupons, making them .25 each. We all love these and they add to my food stockpile. After all my coupons and 18ECB that I started with I only owed $1.28 and they gave me back $17.00 ECB that I can use next week. This is so great cant wait to see next weeks ad!

Getting coupons ready

The weekends are my favorite for many reasons but mostly that is coupon time!!!! This is my bed where i sit and clip. You can get coupons from many places: newspaper (you want to get several sunday papers, so if you find a good deal you can get it several times to add to your stockpile), the internet ( there is coupons.com, redplum and smartsource...most internet coupons can be printed twice per printer, once one prints hit the back arrow three times and it will print again), there are also many people who blog about couponing.......my favs: hip2save.com, wildforwags, iheartwags, and iheartcvs. You can go to and subscribe to these and many more for free, you will get an email daily with deals, coupons and freebies. I get about 50 emails plus daily a lot have the same deals but everyonce in a while you will find new ones. The large black book is my coupon binder it is gold!!! It is full of baseball card holders that I fit my coupons in nicely. It is divided into various groups like: beauty, medicine, frozen, candy, breakfast, animals and so on. This great book zips up and I always carry scissors, pen, paper and ads in it. It always goes with me shopping just in case I find a good deal or something is clearanced. A few weeks ago I was at walgreens and they had large bottles of Johnson and Johnson baby wash on clearance for 1.12, I had a coupon for 1.00 off so I got it for only .12. SWEET. The smaller pink lined binder is for coupons I know I plan on using. I make a plan before going shopping and have it divided for stores: CVS, walgreens, walmart and so on. Well time for me to start clipping!

Baby Blue

This is Baby Blue. Baby blue was my dad's truck and he always wanted his grandson Alex to have it. Alex however would like something better, who can blame a teenager. So now baby blue will remain as the Smith truck. Note how small it is. Lots of work to be done but it does run.

My best deal yet!

CVS this week. I got two body was, two lip balm (although I already took one out of the pkg), 5 cans tuna, 2therma care, pkg hand sanitizing wipes, toothpaste, shaving cream and 3 paper towels..............are you ready...........I paid $2.96 and got $20.00 back in CVS money to use next week. I cant wait til next week and the one after and the one after and the one after well you get it.

Stockpilng

This is what I do with all my great savings.....stock pile so that I never have to paid full price again. All of these items I have gotten really cheap and even free. As you can see we are stocked on lots. I also have a spot in the kitchen with cleaning supplies. My kids think I am crazy but I know better because well I am the mom! I am working on my food supply now.