So, as many of you know, Tuesday is my awesome shopping day for Walgreen's since they give 15% off for military. That means that everything in the circular that is free after RR's is actually a money maker! Well, walking around in the store, I noticed that the Schick Titanium was on sale for $4.99 after RR. Andy grabbed a BUNCH of $4 Q's at the barber about a month ago, so we jumped at the opportunity! It looked like this:
$8.99 - 15% = $7.64 - $4 Q = $3.64 + tax = $4.02
Then we got $5 RR printed! So we actually made $.98 with every AWESOME razor we bought! We then took these RR's ($60 total!) and went to Walmart. Wags RRs use a universal bar code, not like Rite Aid or CVS rewards, which are linked to your card. This means that you can use Wags RRs at a number of different retailers, including Walmart. We got $64.41 worth of stuff, used some more coupons, and had a subtotal of $1.41 + tax = $3.59 out of pocket at Walmart.
Here's the day in summary (including my original trip to Wags during which I found out about the Schick deal):
Transaction 1:
Zantac 150 Cool Mint 24 tablets
$7.99 - 15% = $6.79
-$2 in-store Q
(This was in the Oct. coupon booklet at the front of the store)
-$5 Q
FREE
Remington King of Shaves 5 Blade Razor System
$4.99 - 15% = $4.24 OOP
Get $5 RR
$.76 MM
Bausch & Lomb Sensitive Contact Solution
$5.97 after 15% off
-$2 IP = $3.97 OOP
Get $5 RR
$1.03 MM
Total OOP (out of pocket, including tax) = $8.48
RRs Received = $10
So, we went home, got our stack of Schick Q's and did this 12 times:
(We would have done more, but you have to do each transaction separately since there is a limit of 1 RR coupon printed per transaction)
This deal worked for the Schick razor, the razor with the trimmer on the other end, and the refill cartridges. These retail for over $10 each!
Schick assorted $8.99 - 15% = $7.64
-$4 Q
$3.64 + tax = $4.02
$5 RR printed
$.98 MM per razor!
As I said we did this 12 times, so the total OOP was $48.24 for merchandise that retails at roughly $120 (Walmart's price, which is cheaper than the drugstores).
We then got $60 back in RR's that we took to Walmart and got all this stuff:
For $3.59!
(Retail $64.41)
So, this is the day in total:
Approx. $213.89 worth of stuff for $60.31, a 72% savings! Not what you'd see on TLC, but still a great buy. We were planning on going to Walmart anyway, so instead we are now set on razors for Andy for a loooong time (one LESS thing to worry about!) and made money for the stuff we needed. Hopefully this post will help you newbies understand the possibilities out there and to be a smart shopper simply by knowing the options available to you. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or contact me. Blessings to you all in your endeavors!!!
PS - You should know that we had to get a manager override at Walmart to use the RRs. There was a minute there where we thought they weren't going to take them, but after the override everything was fine. I would recommend trying this out on a smaller level first to get comfortable. KNOW YOUR CASHIERS! A lazy one who just pushes them through is better than a fine-print scrutinizer any day! Because you've already read the fine print and done your homework, right? :) You will hear all kinds of crazy things like, "This coupon is only for what's pictured." No, the coupon is good for whatever the text says. The manufacturer will usually provide a picture of whatever they're trying to market or whatever is their most expensive product, but if the text says 'any' that is a great coupon that can literally be used for any item of that brand. Be sure to read your coupons to see if you have to buy more than one of an item, or any size requirements.
I have learned that it's a lot easier to plan out my trips beforehand instead of taking my huge binder to the store and trying to matchup on the spot. You can usually find prices of items on the store website. If it's a grocery store, look for services like Express Lane at Harris Teeter that let you shop from home and pick up your order at a designated time. We use this solely for pricing. Also, be sure to visit afullcup.com which is full of all sorts of savvy couponers who post matchups every day for free. I usually just copy and paste the deals I'm interested in to a Word document and plan my trips from there.
PS - You should know that we had to get a manager override at Walmart to use the RRs. There was a minute there where we thought they weren't going to take them, but after the override everything was fine. I would recommend trying this out on a smaller level first to get comfortable. KNOW YOUR CASHIERS! A lazy one who just pushes them through is better than a fine-print scrutinizer any day! Because you've already read the fine print and done your homework, right? :) You will hear all kinds of crazy things like, "This coupon is only for what's pictured." No, the coupon is good for whatever the text says. The manufacturer will usually provide a picture of whatever they're trying to market or whatever is their most expensive product, but if the text says 'any' that is a great coupon that can literally be used for any item of that brand. Be sure to read your coupons to see if you have to buy more than one of an item, or any size requirements.
I have learned that it's a lot easier to plan out my trips beforehand instead of taking my huge binder to the store and trying to matchup on the spot. You can usually find prices of items on the store website. If it's a grocery store, look for services like Express Lane at Harris Teeter that let you shop from home and pick up your order at a designated time. We use this solely for pricing. Also, be sure to visit afullcup.com which is full of all sorts of savvy couponers who post matchups every day for free. I usually just copy and paste the deals I'm interested in to a Word document and plan my trips from there.
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