What's the Deal: Walgreens

There is one and only one deal worth doing, in my opinion, at Walgreens this week.

Go inside. Buy eight Skippy peanut butters or Ragu pasta sauces at 1.66 each for a total of 13.28. The register will spit out an eight dollar register reward. Your cost for Skippy and Ragu is .66 per jar after the register reward. You must buy eight total in the same transaction, but can buy any combo of Skippy or Ragu you want.

This is a stock up price for peanut butter. Go get 'em!!

Yesterday's Red Plum = Free Aussie Hair Products at Walgreens starting September 20

Yesterday, you should have gotten a Red Plum insert with your weekly grocery flyers which contains a coupon for two dollars off two Aussie hair products. Clip and save it for September 20, when Walgreens will have Aussie hair products for 2.99 each with a $2.00 register reward for each one. Buy two, give the nice cashier your coupon, spend 3.98, and get back $4.00 in Register Rewards. You can also print more coupons for these products at www.aussie.com. I recommend stocking up -- who can't use free shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling products? And even if you don't prefer this brand, consider "buying" and donating to a women's shelter.

What's the Deal: CVS and Walgreens September 8-13, 2009

There isn't that much going on this week at Walgreens and CVS.

At Walgreens this week, the best deals I see are the Starbucks deals. Buy $15 worth of Starbucks ground coffee, coffee drinks, or ice cream, get $5 in register rewards. There are coupons for $1/1 Starbucks ice cream here; you can print up to four. Also, small Glade soy candles are 2 for $4, with a $1 register reward if you buy two. There was a free coupon for one of these candles in the newspaper a couple of weeks back, as well as a $3/2 coupon, which makes them free. There is also a $3/1 Glade candle coupon here. Aquafresh and Sensodyne are $1.99 after register rewards, and there are still $1/1 printables at smartsource.com. This is only a good deal if you need toothpaste or prefer these brands; if you can wait, there will be other free deals out there.

At CVS, the best deal is Dove chocolate, buy $10, get $5 in Extra Care Bucks. There are $1/1 coupons from the newspaper a few weeks back. Also, Aussie stylers are .99 after ECBs, limit 3, through today. Gold Emblem spices are .88 each, which is not bad if you need spices of any kind.

What's the Deal: Walgreens August 30-September 5, 2009

FREE this week after Register Rewards:

Rembrandt toothpaste (a moneymaker if you have a 1/1 Rembrandt coupon, they are available here) (5.00)

Carefree Ultra Protection Plus pantiliners (go to www.smartsource.com for a 1/1 printable to make a little money) (1.99)

Colgate ActiFlex Toothbrush (2.99)

Six Blade Razor (6.99)

Also, go to kraftbacktoschool.com to register for a booklet with a ton of coupons and two, count'em, two rebates for $20.00 when you buy 20 participating products - one good until 2009, and one good beginning January 2010. Basically, your rebate will give you 1.00 off each item. If you can get the items for 1.00, they are free after rebate. If you can get them for less than a dollar, you will make money on the rebate.

Five of these products must be Easy Mac cups. Easy Mac cups are on sale this week at Walgreens for .89 with an in-ad coupon. Buy five and you are 1/4 of the way to a $20.00 rebate.

What's the Deal: Walgreens August 26-29, 2009

If you go here, you can get a coupon for five dollars off a 25 dollar or more purchase at Walgreens today through Saturday, August 29. The 25 dollar minimum must be met AFTER coupons: however, there is a scenario that will work for this coupon.

Buy 2 select Kellogg's cereals at $2.50 each

Buy 4 Keebler cookies or club crackers at $2.50 each

Buy 4 more Kellogg's snacks or cereal of your choice at $2.50 each

Buy 2 Listerine Cool Blue for Kids at $4 each

Buy 2 Benadryl Itch Relief Products at $3.99 each

Use 5 $1/2 Kellogg's coupons here, here, or from the 8/2 insert

Use 1 B1G1 Listerine Cool Blue coupon from the 8/2 insert

Use 1 $1/1 Listerine coupon from the 6/14 insert

Use 1 $1/1 Listerine coupon from Kids Coloring Book (will deduct $2)

Use 2 $1/1 Benadryl coupons from the 8/2 insert

Your total should now be $26.98. Use the $5/25 coupon and that will bring your final total down to $21.98 plus tax.

Then, you'll get back a $2 Register Reward for purchasing the Kellogg's cereal, a $5 Register Reward for purchasing the Keebler snacks, a $3 Register Reward for purchasing the Listerine, and a $5 Register Reward for purchasing the Benadryl.

Your total after the Register Rewards will be $6.98.

Then, if you haven't done so already, submit your receipt for the $10.00 Fuel for School Rebate and you'll get everything for free plus make a small profit!

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this scenario.

What's the Deal: Walgreens August 23-29, 2009

A few good deals this week!

Kellogg's cereals are 2/5.00, with a 2.00 register reward when you buy two, making the boxes 2/3.00. Use a 1.00/2 coupon to make these cereals one dollar per box.

Keebler crackers, cookies, and CheezIts are 4/10.00, with a 5.00 register reward when you buy four, making them 4/5.00. Use two 1.00/2 coupons to make these 4/3.00, or .75 each!

Goody hair accessories are 2.99 with a 2.00 register reward, making them .99 each.

Buy 2 Benadryl creams at 3.99 each, get a 5 dollar register reward. To sweeten the deal, use 2 1.00/1 coupons to make these very cheap after register rewards.

All 2X laundry detergent 96 load containers are 9.99 each, limit 3. There are 2.00/1 coupons from newspaper inserts making these 7.99 each.

What's the Deal: Walgreens

Not too super much this week: The school supply deals are beginning to taper off. If you need a hairbrush, Conair brushes are .99 after register rewards.

Next week is looking better though: get ready for cheap All detergent, Benadryl cream, Keebler crackers and cookies, and free scotch tape.

What's the Deal Wednesday: Walgreens (cheap Huggies baby wipes!)

You need one of these coupon booklets; inside is a $2.00 off any Huggies wipes, size 64 or larger. It is a Walgreens coupon, which means you can also use a manufacturer's coupon along with it; there were .50 off coupons in weeks prior, and will be more in this week's inserts. Walgreens has Huggies buckets for 3.29. So, use the $2.00 off with a .50 off coupon and get buckets for .79 each. The cool thing about the $2.00 coupon is that you only need one coupon for multiple buckets -- so if you buy 4, the coupon will take $8.00 off your order.

Also, recall that there is a 1.00/1 Sharpie highlighter coupon here, which you can use at Walgreens to make a penny.

There's a Listerine/Reach deal which I posted about here, as well as a Band-Aid/Neosporin deal. And also, Colgate Total Enamel Strength toothpaste is free after register rewards this week.

If you are a newbie, start with the Colgate; pay 2.99, get 3.00 back. You can then use the 3.00 register reward to offset your out of pocket costs for the band-aid deal, which will net you 4.00. Then use that register reward to offset your out of pocket on the Listerine/Reach deal. You will end up with toothpaste, band-aids, toothbrushes, mouthwash, and floss for far less than normal, plus you will have a six dollar register reward at the end of all of it to do the next deals, or use to buy things you need but have no coupons for.

A Couponing Primer: or, Today's Haul: Walgreens

When I first started the coupon thing lo these many years ago, it seemed a little . . . overwhelming. But I want to show you that it is doable, and to teach you how to maximize your time and effort in couponing. Here's how.

First: see that list of blogs on the right hand side? You must go see Money Saving Mom right now. Crystal is a wonderful blogger and has her finger on the pulse of so many great deals out there. I highly recommend going to visit her blog and reading the CVS or Walgreens 101 posts. They are very good at explaining how this all works.

So go read, and then come back.

Done? Okay, great. I'm going to show you an example of how to use lots of different kinds of strategies all together to maximize your dollar at Walgreens. This week, there is a great register reward deal; a register reward is a coupon that spits out of the register when you buy the right combinations of goods. This week, if you buy three Reach toothbrushes or floss or 500 ml Listerine at 3/$9, you get a $6.00 register reward. All on its own it is a good deal; pay $9.50, get $6.00 back, making the items about two bucks each. However, There is a three dollar off three Reach/Listerine coupon from last week's newspaper inserts and you can use it to take three dollars off the total. What this means is, if you use that coupon, instead of $9.50, you pay $6.50 out of pocket, and get back $6.00 to spend on other things, making the cost per item effectively .13 each.

With that $6.00 register reward, you can then purchase other things that spit out other rewards. I used mine to get the following: ten packages Sharpie Accent highlighters, for which there are $1.00/1 Sharpie Accent highlighter coupons here (print as many as you like, I did ten); these highlighters are .99 this week, making them a .01 moneymaker. I also bought two packages of band-aids, using a .50 coupon on each. And I bought 6 packs of Bic pens, using a $1/2 printable coupon available in the blue bar on the right and in the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts. And finally, I used an in-store coupon for $2.00 off a package of Huggies wipes. I also used a weekly Walgreens coupons to buy memo books for .19 each (I use these for tracking my billable time and noting the weekly deals in the ads. After all coupons (printable, in-store, flyer, and newspaper) and the six dollar register reward I got from the Listerine/Reach transaction, I paid a little over five dollars for everything in the picture below. That wouldn't be bad all on its own, but then! Because I bought two Band-Aid boxes, I got another $4.00 register reward.

What will I do with all of this stuff? Use it, or donate it to my local elementary school.

If I were so inclined (and I might be), I could take the $4.00 off register reward, and do another Listerine/Reach deal, making my out of pocket $2.50 and getting me another $6.00 register reward. Which I could then use to do another Band Aid transaction.

It seems complex, but start small. What do you need this week? Highlighters? Then go, and get some free ones! Toothbrushes? Then go, pay six dollars, and get six dollars back to spend on other stuff you need!

What's the Deal: Walgreens August 2-8, 2009

*ahem. I would be posting a picture, except that my camera has absconded.

Anyhoo, here's the big score for Walgreens this week. Who doesn't need peanut butter? (those with allergies excepted, of course). Who doesn't use pasta sauce? This week at Walgreens, when you buy 8 of selected Unilever products, you get a $10.00 off your next order register reward. Skippy peanut butter and Ragu pasta sauce is on sale this week $2/4. Thus, even without coupons, if you spend $16.00 on any combination of Ragu and Skippy, you get a $10.00 register reward back. That is like paying six bucks for eight jars, or 75 cents per jar! Not bad.

If, however, like me, you have four coupons for 75 cents off 2 Skippys or 2 Ragus (which came in this weeks' Wednesday coupon mailer), your total will be three dollars for eight jars, which is (drumroll please) thirty eight cents per jar.

So that's just what I did.

Transaction one:

4 Skippys
4 Ragus
minus .75X4

$13.00 out of pocket, $10.00 back.

Which I then spent on:

5 jumbo Elmer's glue sticks (school supplies)
2 packages Crayola markers (school supplies)
2 decks playing cards (ditto)
a 2 pack of toothbrushes
and a bag of M&Ms (to get the total over 10 dollars).

total 11.03, minus the 10 dollar register reward =
1.03 out of pocket.

So, look at it this way. I spent $14.03 out of pocket for $27.00 worth of goods. That is almost a fifty percent savings. It took a few seconds to clip the coupons, and a trip to the Walgreens, which took five to ten minutes of my time. I saved $13.00 in that 10 minute trip -- and so, my hourly savings rate is $78.

Do you make $78 per hour? Tax free? Me neither. Ben Franklin was right -- a penny saved is more than a penny earned.

Also this week at Walgreens, Vitamin shampoo and Gum toothbrush 2-packs are free after register rewards.

Today's Haul: Walgreens School Supplies

Took myself to the Walgreens to get the crazy cheap school supplies. The haul:

10 two-pocket folders (.90)
1 package Pilot G2 gel pens (1.00)
4 packages Bic highlighters (.49X4-2.00 in coupons) (-.04)

total out of pocket $2.08 (tax included)
with a $1 register reward for buying Pilot pens to use next time I go -- which will be tomorrow, when I spend the $1.00 register reward on 6 packages of Papermate mechanical pencils and spend less than a quarter out of pocket.

What's the Deal at Walgreens

Couple of good things here if you need them.

Bic Comfort 3 disposable razors, 4 pack, $2.99. Use a $2.00 off 1 package coupon from last week's paper to get them for .99.

Pocket folders, fun pencils, posterboard, and highlighters are .09 (yes, nine cents) this week. Stock up for the school year. Limit 12.

Papermate mechanical pencils, 5 ct, are .19 (yes, nineteen cents). again, stock up. Limit 6.

Pilot g2 gel pens are FREE after register rewards. Limit 1.

What's the Deal at Walgreens July 12-18, 2009

This week was pretty "meh" at Walgreens. The only real deal I saw was the Huggies/Pull-Ups deal. If you need diapers/pullups this week, buy 2 jumbo packs for $10 each, and the register should spit out a $5.00 off your next order coupon. If you use 2 $3.00/1 package coupons available here, your total for two packs of diapers/pullups after the coupons and the $5.00 coupon for your next order is 9.00, making them $4.50 per package.

That's the deal at Walgreens this week.