Today’s shop should have been short and sweet. Isn’t that the way it always is? For some reason, those are the days that get…. messy.
The good news all came at CVS where two excellent things happened: First, I got that stellar $2 off $10 Antacids or Probiotics CVS coupon from the Red Instant Coupon Machine. (Read about that moneymaker here) Second, the register took the full $4 Almay coupons off my order. So instead of getting free Almay Eye Shadow, that actually turned into a $.14 moneymaker.
The bad news came at Walgreens (shocking, I know!) It all worked out in the end (and luckily the manager was nice), but she attempted to explain to me that the register would not accept my Register Reward from last week (from Kraft – due to the Crystal Light purchases) because Kraft was the same company as Colgate. I did gently mention that Kraft was not the same company as Colgate, but she wasn’t interested, so I dropped it. After she scanned everything again, the register accepted everything, printed my Register Rewards and I was on my way. At least she let me go ahead with the purchases, so all is right with the world.
Here’s what I did this week:
Walgreens
Transaction #1
1 Colgate Toothpaste $3 (Used $.50 Colgate from 8/10 SS)
1 Lipton Pure Leaf Tea $1
Use Get 50 points for every $1 in personal care purchase in-ad coupon
Used $3 RR from last week (Kraft!)
Paid $.50 plus tax, Got $1 RR from Lipton, $2.50 RR from Colgate and 150 points from Colgate
Final Price: $.15 Moneymaker
Transaction #2
1 Colgate Toothpaste $3 (Used $.50 Colgate from 8/10 SS)
1 Lipton Pure Leaf Tea $1
Use Get 50 points for every $1 in personal care purchase in-ad coupon
Used $3 RR from last week (Kraft!)
Paid $.50 plus tax, Got $1 RR from Lipton, $2.50 RR from Colgate and 150 points from Colgate
Final Price: $.15 Moneymaker
CVS
Transaction #1
1 CVS Antacid $2.99
1 Active D’Lites with Probiotics Bar $1.99
1 CVS Acid Controller $6.99
Used $2 off $10 Antacids or Probiotics from Red Instant Coupon Machine
TOTALLY FORGOT to use the ECB that I was holding in my hand because I was so focused on whether the $2/$10 would work
Paid $9.97 plus tax, Got $2.99 ECB from Antacid, $1.99 ECB from Active and $6.99 ECB from Acid Controller
Final Price: $2 Moneymaker
Transaction #2 (Two people were walking to the register behind me, so I just threw everything else in so as not to have to wait in line again)
1 CVS Orange Fiber 114 doses $9.99
1 CVS Anti-Diarrheal $4.99
1 CVS Hemorrhoid Cream $5.79
1 CVS Gas Relief $7.99
1 CVS Milk of Magnesia $3.99
4 Almay Softies B1G1 50% Off for $5.29 each (Used 4 $4 Almay from 8/10 SS)
Also used $18.97 in ECB from last week and previous transaction
Paid $13.64 plus tax, Got $9.99 ECB from Orange Fiber, $4.99 ECB from Anti-Diarrheal, $5.79 ECB from Hemorrhoid Cream, $7.99 ECB from Gas Relief and $3.99 ECB from Milk of Mag
Final Price: $.14 Moneymaker
If I didn’t shop at CVS every week, I would not have been comfortable holding onto so much money in ECB as opposed to the cash I paid out. That being said, I shop at CVS at LEAST once per week and I know that I will put those ECB to good use over the next month. Now it’s just a matter of rolling them into more deals over the weeks so that nothing expires.
After all was said and done, I got everything for free and made a total of $2.44 in profit! Not too shabby! I hope this gives you some ideas and be sure to check out my CVS and Walgreens shop suggestions before heading out! Happy shopping!
Alli is a Chicago based wife and mother of two children. She has turned money-saving into a game and enjoys searching out the best deals to help you save money! Alli shares her insight, tips and up-to-the-minute deals for local and national retailers and brands. Her hope is that you will play the game and learn to save money at the same time!