This was a strange shop week for me. The truth of it is that my stockpile is pretty well set and everything that was on sale for $.50 or so weren’t things I needed. I did have a few free Snickers coupons that I needed to use (won from the Snickers sweepstakes we saw a few months ago) as well as the free Ban Refresh coupons that expire 4/30. My intention was to only shop at Walgreens this week (I’d used all of my Almay coupons and there was nothing else at CVS that piqued my interest), but Walgreens was out of the Ban, so I ran over to CVS to get those (and they only had two left). Also, I had planned to get some Nivea lotion, but since they didn’t carry any items less than $4.99 at my store (meaning that they would have been 2/$1.50 after coupons and points), I didn’t get them. Lotion is one of those items that I am pretty stocked on at the moment, so it wasn’t worth spending money unless they were going to be free or a moneymaker for me. Here’s what I did:
Walgreens
2 Crystal Light Canisters 2/$4 (Used 2 $1 Crystal Light coupons)
2 Snickers Squared (Used 2 Free coupons from sweepstakes)
Paid $2 plus tax, Got 1,000 points
Final Price: $1
CVS
2 Ban Refresh Wipes $3.49 each (Used Free Ban Refresh coupons from 4/13 SS)
Final Price: 2 Free!
All in all, my shop this week was really tiny, but the truth of it is that if you don’t need it, don’t buy it!! Just because you see a good deal (and there are many this week!) doesn’t mean that you need to spend money (including tax) on it. Do what’s best for your household and your budget. 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!