Grocery trip - $97 for $32 + monthly spending

Oh man.

Ohhhh man. 

There comes a point (several times) in every couponer's quest for savings that they just get kinda burnt out.  It's hard walking past all sorts of good stuff because it's not on sale and you don't have a coupon for it. You want those Pepperidge Farm cookies but they never seem to go on on sale and you haven't seen a coupon in forever.  You have a serious craving for Manwich and it's full price.  You're tired of keeping up with what's on sale which week and all those coupons to lug around and...and....
I haven't hit that point.  Andy has.  And for this evening's trip to the grocery store I said "screw coupons" beyond two specific deals I wanted to get.  It was a bit of a shock at the checkout.  We didn't even get that much stuff which made the total even worse.  But....this is why I do what I do.

Not pictured: 4 more bottles Diet Pepsi, 1 gallon milk

We got all sorts of garbage.  We got the big humungo box of Crispix for $5.89 (!!!) - no coupons.  We got knockoff Bailey's to put in our eggnog for $10 - no coupon.  We got Manwich and Pepperidge Farm cookies - no coupons.  It was $58 when the coupons I did have were scanned through.
*sigh*

Shelf price $96.94
Total $58.56
Rewards earned $7, plus $20 P&G rebate
Out of pocket $31.56

On the way to the car, Andy said "Wow, that was, uh, kind of expensive."
He's apparently gotten just as used to paying $2 cash for a cartload of stuff as me, and I didn't have a whole lot of OYNOs to use this trip.  But what can ya do?  Sometimes you have to go a little nuts.

This trip finished up everything needed for the $20 P&G rebate which makes it a little more palatable and, really, when I look at our monthly spending I'm still amazed.  As always, this covers all trips to the grocery store and all three drug stores.

For the month of November:
Merchandise value - $1,785.89
Total cost after sales & coupons - $652.19 ($467 paid in rewards)
Rewards earned - $488.05
Rebates earned - $75.96
Out of pocket - $88.18 for a savings of $1,697.71, or 95%!!!

This covers not only our daily food consumption (plus adding to the stockpile) and daily health, beauty, and cleaning goods (plus adding to the stockpile); it also includes about 90% of our Christmas shopping.  The only things we have left to get are a couple small gift cards for my niece & older nephew and a savings bond for my baby nephew. 

This month we got $250 more in merchandise for $200 less out of pocket versus October.

Today's trip to Giant Eagle accounted for nearly 30% of our cash spending for the entire month.  Ouch!

I'm expecting next month's numbers to not be quite as impressive; the sales and coupons slow down, there's all the holiday hullabaloo going on, and I might just get lazy once or twice.  That's okay.  I know I don't need to buy any toothpaste or shampoo!

Anatomy of a rebate

This particular frugal method is one I never planned to get involved with.  Rebates.  It seems like such a hassle.  You have to send in your receipts, sometimes the UPC from the product itself, wait for weeks and weeks, and in the end you run the risk of the company rejecting the rebate for some stupid reason.  In addition, usually you have to spend the money upfront to get the rebate and keeping my actual cash spent to a minimum is my main goal.

The only exception to this has been Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate program.  All you have to do is enter your receipt info on their website, your eligible purchases are automatically retrieved to your account, and at the end of the month they send you one check for all the eligible items.  Let's say you buy some lip balm that gets a $1 rebate, some hair spray that gets a $4.99 rebate, and some paper towels that get a $5 rebate.  When the month is over, you get a check for $10.99 from Rite Aid without the hassle of stamps, receipts, and hoping you didn't miss some small detail rendering your rebate useless.

Well, I got sucked in to the traditional type of rebate thanks to the Black Friday sales.  Proctor & Gamble is offering a $20 rebate when you spend $50 on certain brands including Olay, Herbal Essence, and Secret.  I was getting those items due to the sale as it was - and not only was I getting the items, I was getting back more in rewards than the product itself cost.  I figured this was the time to give this rebate thing a try.

Walgreens had Herbal Essence shampoo & conditioner on sale for $2.49ea, and you received a $1.50 Register Reward for each one purchased.  In addition, I had coupons for $2 off each bottle.  I paid $.49 per bottle after coupon and received back $1.50 for each.  I had 4 coupons so I did this four times:
4 x $2.49 = $9.96
- $8 in coupons = $1.96
- $6 in RRs received = $4.04 profit

Walgreens also had Olay bodywash for $3.49 with a $2.50 reward back, and Secret body spray for $3.49 with a $3.50 reward back.  I had coupons for $5 off Olay when you buy any Secret.  I bought 5 pairs of these items for $1.98 per pair after coupon and received back $6 in rewards per pair.
10 x $3.49 = $34.90
- $25 in coupons = $9.90
- $30 in RRs received = $20.10 profit

My amount "spent" totals to $44.86 - this is counted after sale but before coupons - and already I've earned back $24 more in rewards than I'd spent after coupon.  I only need to spend another $5.13 pre-coupon to reach the $50 mark.

Giant Eagle has Olay bodywash & lotion on sale for $5ea, and when you buy two you get a $3 OYNO reward back.  I have coupons for buy a body wash, get a lotion free along with a $1.50 bonus eOffer coupon for each item.
2 x $5 = $10
- $8 in coupons ($5 BOGO, $3 eOffers) = $2
- $3 in rewards = $1 profit

My spending is now at $54.86. 
After coupons, I paid just $13.86 (in rewards, of course!) for the products, and I earned back a total of $39 in rewards; I've already profited $25.14 on these items just from the RRs and OYNOs alone.  At this point, there's zero risk for me to send away for this rebate.  I can't lose any money beyond the cost of a stamp if something goes awry and I stand a pretty good chance of getting a $20 check back on top of everything else. 

Let's geek out a little more here.  The items I purchased have a retail price as follows:

Olay body wash $6.99 x 5 = $34.95
Olay lotion $6.99 x 1 = $6.99
Herbal Essence $3.99 x 4 = $15.96
Secret body spray $4.99 x 5 = $24.95

I wound up with $82.85 worth of merchandise.  Proctor & Gamble is paying me $45.14 (between the coupons they issued, the RRs/OYNOs they reimburse the store for, and the rebate they're offering) to take all that stuff and put it in my now-overflowing linen closet.

Being a crazy coupon lady is nothing but a series of math problems.  Being that I'm not very good at math, I'm honestly surprised I can do this - but that also tells me that if I can do this, anyone can.  I use a spreadsheet to help me plan and track and my calculator gets a serious workout, but even so this really isn't too difficult.

Speaking of spreadsheets, today is the last day of the month which means my monthly totals are on the way.  I'm absolutely stunned at where I stand right now.  It's insane.  And I'm pretty sure I'm about to screw up my amazingly low out of pocket total by making trip to Giant Eagle this evening.  In addition to milk and such, I need to get raisins, mini Oreos and Crispix - no Crispix or Oreos coupons and though I have a coupon for raisins I have no idea how much they cost.  We don't really eat raisins, but we're making Christmas candy with my family this weekend and we always do chocolate covered raisins; that's what I've been assigned to bring.  The Crispix is for Puppy Chow and that stuff is so good I don't care if I have a coupon for it or not! 

Besides, I think we can afford a slightly more expensive than usual grocery trip considering how much I've managed to save this month...

Dual Drugstore Deals: $144 for $19

I was a little relieved that the sales weren't great this week.  After an exhausting two days for the Black Friday deals, I'm ready for a break; thank you for giving me one, drugstores.  I barely got anything and I didn't obsess over coupons (too much!) today.

But!  But!  Undisclosed item!  I got one and Mom won't get a raincheck for Xmas this year!

Not pictured: undisclosed item, 6 newspapers

Wags
6 Dawn
6 newspapers
$25.14 shelf, $17.94 after coupons
Paid in RRs
Out of pocket $17.94 

This trip was solely to burn through some of the $47 in Register Rewards I had left from the Black Friday sale.  They expire 2 weeks from issue and, looking over the upcoming circulars, I knew I wouldn't be able to "roll" them into new deals in time.  Dawn was $.99 with a store coupon and I had six otherwise fairly useless $.99 RRs left from the soda & Advil deals.  I turned those into dish soap.  I also turned five of the $2.25 RRs into six newspapers to get at the great P&G coupon insert this week, paying $.75 cash in the end for everything.
$17.19 in RRs down, $29.50 left to play with. 

Rite Aid
Transaction 1
2 Gilette Pro Glide power razors $18
2 bags holiday Hershey Kisses $5
1 Lindt candy bar, 1 Ghirardelli candy bar - $4.98
Subtotal $27.98; less $5 off $25, less two $4 Gillette, less $1 off two Kisses
Total $13.98, paid $12 in +UPs, received back $12 +UPs (two $5 Gillette, one $2 Kisses)
Out of pocket $1.98

Transaction 2
1 Undisclosed Item $79.99
Less $35 (raincheck), less $5 off $25, less $10 coupon, less $1 store coupon
Total $28.99, will receive back $30 rebate

$1.01 profit!

Today's totals

Shelf $143.97
Total $60.91
Rewards earned $12 + $30 rebates
Out of pocket $18.91

And, well, that's it.
I'm going to hit Giant Eagle in the next couple days to finish my $20 Proctor & Gamble rebate.  They have Olay body wash & lotion for $5ea with a $2 OYNO back, and today's P&G insert has a coupon for buy one Olay BW, get one Olay lotion free.  In addition, there are Giant Eagle eOffers (can be combined with paper coupons) for $1.50 off each.  I'll get those two items for $10 in spending to finish the rebate, less $5 for BOGO, less $3 in eOffers for a total of $2 cash paid, and I'll get a $3 OYNO making a $1 moneymaker. That'll be another $20 back in my pocket.  =D

Walgreens run: $66 for a $3 profit

I had five $1 Crest coupons and one $5 Secret/Olay coupon left once the shopping frenzy yesterday was done.  After lazing about and recovering from our Thanksgiving feast, I decided to make a quick run to Wags to use up the last of my coupons.  We also needed milk so I killed two birds with one stone.

Not pictured: 2 gallons milk

The store was shockingly dead, and there remained tons and tons of stock, even on the free after RR items.  I'm sure that they restocked the shelves at some point after my visit yesterday, but it looked like no one had really bought any of the sale items all day.  The only thing that even approached looking low was the Bic razors, and there were still 5 or 6 packs left after I bought one.

Trans 1
1 Secret body spray
1 Olay body wash
1 Crest
1 A&W root beer
Subtotal $10.96
Total after coupons $4.96, paid in RRs, received back $3.50, $2.50, $3, $.99

$5.03 profit

Trans 2, 3, 4
1 Crest
1 Thermacare
1 Advil PM
Subtotal $6.47
Total after coupons $5.47, paid in RRs, received back $3, $2.50, $.99

$1.02 profit ea, $3.06 total

Trans 5
1 Crest
1 Old Spice body spray
1 Bic Soleil razors
2 gallons milk
Subtotal $15.13
Total after coupons $14.13, paid in RRs, received back $3, $4, $2
Out of pocket $5.13

Total for the trip
Shelf price $66.32
Total $35.50
Rewards earned $38.46

$2.96 profit!!

Minus the milk, this would have been a profit of $8.12, but I'll take free milk!!

As a bonus, I've now spent $44.86 towards a $20 rebate (when you spend $50 on certain Proctor & Gamble products) just at Wags alone. 
This rebate requires the original receipts to redeem.  I have another $7.98 spent on Herbal Essence from my CVS trip yesterday, but I made a bit of a tactical error and purchased those on the same transaction as I did the Renpure items, which ALSO have a rebate.  I need to find out of I can send copies of the receipt for the Renpure rebate; if so, I'll have an additional $20 in profit for my Thanksgiving/Black Friday totals.  If the Renpure needs original receipts, I'll watch for a good deal on the eligible items over the next few weeks and spend another $5.13 pre-coupon to hit the $50 mark. 
Next week CVS has Pantene shampoo/conditioner for $3.33ea and there should be a BOGO coupon in Sunday's paper.  I think my best bet (if I need to buy more) will be to get 2 Pantenes using the coupon for $6.66 in spending, $3.33 my cost.

I counted up all my rewards on hand for the three stores after all this shopping and was pleasantly surprised.
CVS: $34.84
Rite Aid: $25
Wags: $46.69
That's $106.53 total in store credit to buy more stuff!

Drugstore Trifecta: $346 for a profit of...$81!!

My optimism paid off.  Not only did my gameplan work perfectly, it worked out better than I'd expected.

All three stores.  Stock: beyond abundant.  Customers: none in CVS, only a couple in Rite Aid, busy in Wags.  Cashiers: patient, efficient, pleasant.

Loot stack:

Not pictured: 9 bottles soda (5 Diet Coke - Rite Aid; 4 Canada Dry cranberry - Wags), 2 photo collages

Changes from original plan:
CVS - added 1 Gillette deodorant per transaction, free after ECB, used $2 coupon on each
Rite Aid - added 4 boxes of cereal on Andy's card; finished raincheck on Samy hair care (2 items); finished raincheck on Nivea for Men 3-in-1 body wash (1 item).  Undisclosed item did NOT arrive on truck yesterday.  The manager ordered in additional including one specifically for me for the next delivery.  I should be able to pick that up in about 10 days.  *fingers crossed*
Wags: added 4 bottles Canada Dry, 4 bottles Advil PM (both free after RR) - one of the two items to each of 8 transactions

Totals:

CVS

Shelf $57.10
Total $22.54 (paid in ECBs)
Rewards earned $47.82 plus $13.98 in rebates

$39.26 profit!

Rite Aid

Shelf $123.36
Total $30.05 (paid in +UPs)
Rewards earned $35 plus $4.99 in rebates

$9.94 profit!

Wags

Shelf $165.68
Total $65.86 (paid in RRs)
Rewards earned $97.76

$31.90 profit!

Today's totals
Shelf $346.40
Total $118.27
Rewards earned $180.58 plus $18.97 in rebates ($199.55)

$81.28 profit!!!

*ahem*
I GOT PAID $81 TO TAKE ALL THAT STUFF OUT OF THE STORES TODAY!

Pardon me for yelling.  I just now had time to sit down and run all the numbers so this is a bit of a shock.
I still have about $95+ in various reward dollars left and I'll be getting $18.97 in cash (well, check) back on the rebates.
That's a lot of reward dollars, at least for me.  I don't know that I'll be able to successfully roll them into new deals before they expire, so at this moment in time I'm figuring I'll use some towards future deals and use the remaining ones once they near expiration to purchase needed items that aren't often free/close to free such as toilet paper and trash bags.

Wow wow WOW!!!

Rite Aid Run: $52 for a $9 profit

I had planned to stay in today and get all my food for tomorrow started, but I got a call from my mom this afternoon.
"I went to three Rite Aids today to get more nuts and they're out!  Are there any more nearby?  Does your store have any??"
Unfortunately I haven't been given a running inventory at my favorite Rite Aid, so I couldn't answer that question.
But, hm.  Today was truck day, and I was hoping that an undisclosed item was on said truck.

So I offered to go check out my Rite Aid to see if they had any Planters for mom and maybe to get that undisclosed item while I was there.  Andy came along so he could sign up for a Wellness+ card of his own - I was telling him about Kellogg's cereal being $1.99 with a $1 +UP back starting Thursday and he wanted us to get like 10 boxes of Corn Flakes.  He loves Corn Flakes.  There's a (rare, for Rite Aid) limit of 4  boxes per card, though; Andy decided he would just get himself a card and buy himself 4 more boxes tomorrow.

We pulled into the parking lot and it was pretty packed for 2 in the afternoon.  Uh oh.
Except when we got inside, the place was crawling with employees who were maneuvering around and unloading piles and piles and piles of boxes.  New inventory!  Half the employees greeted me like I was an old friend, which I guess means I'm a regular now, and I located my favorite shift supervisor in amongst the boxes.
"Do you happen to know if you got any (undisclosed item) on the truck?"  He laughed a little.  Said he'd gone through about a third of the boxes already looking for said item because he knew I had gotten a raincheck but hadn't uncovered them yet.
Damn.
He said he'd keep looking while we shopped so I hit the Planters aisle for mom's nuts.  Slim pickins, but there were enough to get six canisters.  Another employee saw me looking and said "I've got some more in this box, do you need any that aren't on the shelf?"  She dug out two of a specific type mom was looking for and put them in my basket.  Man, truck day is pretty cool!

We scoped the store for tomorrow's items and it looks like we should (hopefully) be able to get what we need.  I'm assuming there's even more stuff in some of those boxes so I'm optimistic.  While we were looking, I came across some Renpure Organics conditioning treatment - I'd seen these in the store before but none had the Try Me Free rebate tag.  One bottle did, and it was on sale with a $1 +UP back.  And I had a $3 coupon.  Into the cart it went.

6 Planters - $23.94
1 Renpure Organics - $5.99
Subtotal $29.93, shelf price $51.93
Less $5 off $25, less six $1 Planters, less $3 Renpure store coupon
Total $15.93, received back $18 in +UPs ($2ea Planters, $5 bonus Planters, $1 Renpure)
$2.07 profit!
I'll also submit for a $6.99 rebate on the Renpure, bringing that up to a profit of $9.06!!

We used Andy's new card on this order, hence the bonus $5 Planters +UP.

By this point we'd been in the store about 40 minutes and I wanted to get home to get on with the cookin'.  I found my shift supervisor guy and explained that I had to get food in the oven, but I'd be back tomorrow and was there any way he'd be willing to hold (undisclosed item) for me if he found them?
He agreed and had my write my name & number on a slip of paper so he could tag said item and put in the office for me if they got any.  We'll see how it goes!

I called mom from the car (Andy was driving!) and told her I'd scored her more Planters.  She was thrilled, and as we chatted for a minute Andy took a corner a little too hard and the bag, which was by my feet, toppled over.  "Crap, my nuts are rolling around on the floor, hang on!" I said.
"EXCUSE ME?!?" she yelled. 
Andy burst out laughing.
The jokes write themselves, folks.

Walgreens free photo collages: now live

Walgreens is offering their 8x10 photo collage for FREE again.  I got one about a month ago and it's really very nice.  Pair it with a cute frame for a great holiday gift!

This time around, you can get TWO for free with the two coupon codes available!

Just go to the Walgreens site, register a free account if you don't have one already, and upload your photos.
Create your collage and choose in-store pickup.  When you check out, use coupon code THANKSGIVING or BFCOLLAGE to bring your total to my favorite number: $0.00!  When you choose store pickup there's no shipping charged so you'll only have to worry about any applicable sales tax.  I wasn't charged tax last time, but be prepared to pay a few cents just in case.

You may have to place two separate orders to be able to use both codes. 

Tiny Prints - on the free Thanksgiving cards deal

Last week I posted about a giveaway TinyPrints.com was running on their line of Thanksgiving cards.  There's good news and there's bad news.

The good news: my first order arrived this morning.  These cards are GORGEOUS.  I'm absolutely stunned that they sent these completely free with no strings attached.  The card quality is as good as, if not better than, the cards you buy in the store; better yet, even at regular pricing this is a better deal than Hallmark.  Since the cards can be completely customized with photos, names, and your own words - AND mailed directly to the recipient for the cost of a stamp - with just a few clicks, the value involved blows store-bought out of the water.  A Hallmark is, what, $2 in the store?  You've got a limited choice of images, a limited choice of sentiments, and you have to address and mail the thing yourself.  For the same price or less, TinyPrints.com takes care of the mailing in addition to printing the exact card you want with your images and your words.  Their site is bookmarked and I'll be using them to send birthday and other greeting cards from here on out.

The bad news: people see "FREE" and they go apeshit.  TinyPrints.com posted a blog entry yesterday explaining how their generous offer went horribly wrong.

First, it was disheartening to find out how many customers took advantage of the offer in an abusive way. It wasn’t even close to the majority of our customers, but enough people abused the offer to really sour the spirit of what we were trying to do. In just one of several disappointing examples, we had someone try to order 20,000 free Thanksgiving cards with the intent of reselling them.

 Uggggh.  Twenty thousand cards.  TWENTY THOUSAND.  That's $40,000+ worth of product that some jackwagon expected TinyPrints to eat just so they could turn around and sell the cards to put money in their own pocket.  Being a small business owner myself, I understand the need to get the best deal possible when considering business expenses.  That isn't getting a good deal for your business.  Trying to order 20,000 promotional greeting cards for resale is stealing from another small business' pocket to put money in yours.  It makes me sick.

I trust that you, my dear readers, were human enough to only order a reasonable number of cards last week.  My rant isn't directed at you. 

If you took advantage of TinyPrint's promotion and are pleased with the quality of the cards, consider using them the next time you have a birthday card to send.
If you didn't, I'm giving them a ringing endorsement that these cards are well worth spending actual money on.  Give 'em a shot.

To contact the company:
TinyPrints.com
Like them on Facebook
(877) 300-9256

Drugstore deals: My plans for Black Friday

I broke out the Excel spreadsheet to figure this out.  I am such a nerd.

Yup, getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to go couponing.  My rational mind is slightly horrified, but my cheapskate Id is frothing at the mouth.  The ads call it "Black Friday" but, as mentioned, I'm going on Thursday with a shred of hope that hordes of other crazy people will be too busy Thanksgiving-ing to be out couponing at the drugstores.

Long breakdown under the cut:

Grocery trip - $68 for $24

It's two days before Thanksgiving.  I can't believe I went to the freakin' grocery store.  It was a MADHOUSE!! 

My excuse is that I got my hands on some more Swiss Miss coupons and we needed ground beef.  Tomorrow is the last day of the sale on the cocoa and I have cooking & baking to do for Thanksgiving all day, so it was tonight or miss out on the free cocoa.

Not pictured: 1 gallon milk, 1 20oz Diet PepsiMax

1 box Triscuits - $2
1 gallon milk - $2.58
8.66lbs 92% lean ground beef - $17.24 (raincheck for $1.99lb)
5 Diet Coke - $5
1 Diet PepsiMax - $.99
12 boxes Swiss Miss cocoa - $12
Subtotal $39.81
Less $1 off Triscuits, $1 off four Coke products, $.50 off PepsiMax (doubled), six $.50 off 2 cocoa (doubled), $1 mystery eOffer
Total $29.81, received back two $3 OYNO (one for each 6 cocoas)
Out of pocket: $23.81, shelf price $68.01

I have no idea why an extra $1 came off my total.  It's listed on the receipt as $1 eOffer; eOffers are bonus savings loaded on Giant Eagle's loyalty card.  Nothing I purchased today was eligible for any of the available eOffers and those are always listed by item name on your receipt (i.e. $4 eOffer Sinex).  I mean, I'll take the extra buck, I just don't know why I got it.  Maybe it's from my complaint about the crappy cashier and poor stock at the other store?

Considering the regular price on just the beef is over $30, I'd have to call this trip a huge success.

Dual Drugstore Deals: $150 for $5.50

Another raincheck.
*sigh*
At this rate, my mom is going to get a raincheck for Christmas.

In spite of that, all went very well today - even better than I'd planned thanks to another impromptu, off the cuff deal.  This time the deal was at Rite Aid and I can cross some more presents off my list.

CVS
4 Playtex Gentle Glide - $21.76 (they only had one of the $5.29 type on the shelf, so three of them were $5.49)
Subtotal $21.76
Less $4 off $20 purchase, less two $2 off, less two $1 off
Total $11.76, received back $10 ECB for $20 in Playtex purchases, $1 ECB for Green Bag Tag
Out of pocket $.76!!

For whatever reason, the $10 ECB didn't print when my receipt printed.  If there's one store you want this sort of thing to happen, it's CVS.  They can manually print it out for you in just a few seconds and they shouldn't give you any trouble over it.  When I only got the $1 tag ECB and nothing else, I showed the cashier the ad in the circular, she glanced quickly at my receipt to verify that I had really purchased $20 worth, and with no hassle typed a few keys on the register and handed over the $10 that printed with a smile and an apology.
$.76 for four boxes of Playtex.  That is so worth an extra 30 seconds at the checkout.

Rite Aid
I went in to the store ahead of Andy while he finished his cigarette in the car.  He found me in the undisclosed item aisle staring morosely at the shelf.  Empty.  The sale tag was there, all bright yellow and taunting.  I checked to make sure they didn't have any in the back, and continued on with my trip.
After loading up on the Planters nuts - tons and tons of those available! - I wanted to glance at two more potential deals.  If you buy $10 in Burt's Bees items, you receive a $2 +UP back.  I wanted to get some of this as a gift, but the coupons out there aren't great.  We decided to go ahead and get it anyway since it was still a decent price after +UP and, y'know, it's a gift and we don't have to get everything for free.  I added an $8 lotion and a $3 lip balm (!!) to the basket.
I then went in search of photo frames.  They were advertised as "starting at $6.99" and you receive a $3 +UP for each one purchased.  With the free photo collage I got from Walgreens a few weeks ago, and another free one coming up on Thursday, I wanted to get a frame or two to go with the prints if the price was right.  Boy was the price right!  Most of the 8x10 frames were in the $10-15 range, but tucked in the corner was not only a $5.99 frame, but also three frames marked at $3.  Each had the $3 +UP tag under them, meaning all four frames were $2.99 total after +UP!  Between the frames and the Burt's Bees items, my total was over $25 meaning I could use an additional $5 coupon to bring the prices on everything even lower.

Transaction 1
3 8x10 photo frames - $9
1 8x10 photo frame - $5.99
1 Burt's Bees lotion - $7.99
1 Burt's Bees lip balm - $2.99
Subtotal $25.97
Less $5 off $25 purchase, less $1 off lotion
Total $19.97, received back $14 +UPs (four $3 frames, one $2 Burt's)
Out of pocket $5.97

Transactions 2 & 3
7 Planters nuts (various) - $27.93
Less $5 off $25, less seven $1 off
Total $15.93 each, $31.86 for both, received back $33 in +UPs (fourteen $2 Planters, one $5 Planters bonus)

$1.14 profit!!

Shelf price $129.33
Total $51.83
Rewards earned $47
Out of pocket $4.83

Fourteen cans of nuts (including 3 cashews, YUM!), four photo frames, and some very fancy Burt's Bees items for under $5.  Wow.  Wow.

I also got a raincheck for the undisclosed item.  My favorite cashier rang us out today and when I asked for the raincheck she offered to call some other stores to see if they had any.  I thanked her and said that I'd rather spend my money at THIS store.  Coupons or not, the more sales the store gets, the more hours the employees get and the better the store does overall.  They treat me very well and in return I'll pour my coupons into their sales totals.  She gave me the raincheck and the heads up that more are coming on the truck Wednesday.  We shall see if I can score this item then.  ;)

And now the totals for the day

Shelf price $151.09
Total $63.59
Rewards earned $58
Out of pocket $5.59, a savings of $145.50 or 93%!!!

Sunday Gameplan for 11/21

I know we've all heard of Black Friday.  Did you know drugstores do it too?  I was shocked when I discovered that.  I've never gone out shopping the day after Thanksgiving once - not ever!

I won't this year, either.
But I will be going out on Thanksgiving.  Before dinner, I promise.  While all the other crazy people go to Best Buy or Target or wherever they go, I'll be snug at home having already taken my deals at Walgreens.  And Rite Aid.  And CVS.  I may have some sort of mental condition.


(image hat-tip xkcd)

Anyway, there are two sales to worry about at each store this week.  Sunday I'll only be worrying about CVS and Rite Aid; Walgreens doesn't have anything great that I particularly want until Thursday.  I actually was going to skip CVS as well, but I did find one pretty great deal and since it's on the way to Rite Aid, it's totally worth a stop.

CVS
4 Playtex Gentle Glide - $5.29ea
Subtotal $21.16
Less two $2/1 coupons, less two $1/1 coupons, less $4 off $20 purchase
Total $11.16, receive back $10 ECB (spend $20 on any Schick, Edge, Skintimate, Playtex products)
$1.16 for four boxes of Playtex.  That's a damn good deal!

Then, on to Rite Aid
For my first trick, I will attempt to locate a very expensive item, use coupons, and receive a rebate to make this expensive item FREE.  Since my effort to locate a different, but similar, undisclosed expensive item last week did not pan out, I'm going to see if I can find a (better) substitute at Rite Aid.  Please have it in stock, Rite Aid.  I want to get my mom a nice Christmas present.

Then I'll get a little nutty.
7 Planters NUTrition - $3.99ea
Subtotal $27.93
Less seven $1/1 coupons, less $5 off $25 purchase
Total $15.93, receive back seven $2 +UPs and a one time $5 bonus +UP for spending $25 on Planters

Repeat the above transaction once more exactly as above, but I'll "only" get $14 in +UP back.
For 14 cans of nuts - many are Christmas gifts for my Grandpa (it's what he asked for!!) - I'll turn a profit of $1.14.  The total will be $31.86 (paid in +UPs), and I'll get $33 in +UPs back.  Nice.

Grocery trip - $150 for $14

The good thing about buying stuff in mass quantities is that you can pretty easily skip a week at the grocery store if you want, which is exactly what I did last week.  I just didn't feel like going and none of the sales were quite good enough to entice me in. 

But Thanksgiving is nearly here and I needed some things to make my requested Thanksgiving dishes, so off we went tonight.  A Friday night at the grocery store.  We are so living on the edge.

Not pictured: 5 bottles Diet Coke, 2 gallons milk, 1 large disposable roasting pan.  Sorry for the terrible photo quality. 

So tonight's trip was mostly geared towards what I'll need for Thanksgiving as well as a few items for my sister & aunt's birthday party this weekend.  We also took advantage of some good sales and splurged on a couple bottles of wine.  ;)

I FINALLY FOUND MY RICE IN STOCK!!  Good lord, I've been looking for weeks!  Fortunately it was still on sale for $1 and I carried those $.50 coupons with me everywhere just in case.   Yay free rice!

In total we've got 5 2 liters of Diet Coke, the roasting pan, 2 loaves of bread, 6lbs rice*, 2lbs sausage, a big ol' pork roast (about $5 after coupon), 6lbs apples, 3lbs onions, a bag of cranberries, 2 dozen eggs, 2 cartons sour cream, cupcake baking papers, a bottle of peppermint extract, 4lbs powdered sugar, 1 bag chocolate chips, 2 bags shredded cheese, pomegranate lemonade, 8 bottles Bailey's coffee creamer ($.50ea after coupon!), 2 boxes Triscuits, 2 boxes Wheat Thins, a box of graham crackers, 3 boxes popcorn*, 6 boxes Swiss Miss cocoa*, and my ever-present Diet PepsiMax*

Shelf price: $150.32
Total: $20.17
Earned rewards: $6
Out of pocket: $14.17

We used a $30 gift card that Andy got as part of his Thanksgiving bonus at work.  I wasn't sure if that counted in the "savings" column, but he rightly pointed out that since it wasn't money out of our bank account, it's just like a coupon.  LOL

The Swiss Miss is on sale for $1ea and I used $.50 off two coupons to bring them to $.50ea.  For buying 6, we got a $3 OYNO back, making those items free!  I'd wanted to get 12, but there were exactly six boxes of the sale kind in the store.  *sigh*  We'll try again this weekend to see if we can find the rest.
The popcorn is on sale buy one get one, or $1.79ea.  I had $.50 coupons which doubled, making them $.79ea or $2.37 total.  For buying three, we got ANOTHER $3 OYNO back, making those a $.63 moneymaker.

So now we're all set for the big feast on Thursday.  I'll be bringing my cornbread & sausage stuffing (hence the purchased bread - I'm lazy and don't want to bake bread on top of everything else!), an apple bread pudding (more bread), a ridiculous amount of mashed potatoes, a cake, and Andy is making a spicy pomegranate-cranberry dipping sauce.
Sunday we're having a little birthday shindig for my sister and aunt.  I shall be making two types of cupcakes for the birthday girls to go with snacks and ice cream.  I love family get-togethers!!

Ohio readers: save $3 off fresh pork

This is an unusual coupon, but you won't hear me complaining!  It's rare to find a coupon for fresh meat (or fruits & veggies), so these are always worth grabbing immediately.

Go to OhioPork.org, enter your email, and receive a coupon good for $3 off any purchase of fresh pork (as in, from the butcher/meat department).  With pork frequently on sale, this is a great way to save a few bucks off a roast or some chops!
Giant Eagle has several types of ham on sale this week ranging from $1.99-3.49lb.  If you're serving ham on Thanksgiving, consider this an extra pound's worth for free.

Free Thanksgiving/fall greeting cards - limited time!

**OFFER EXPIRED**

Over at TinyPrints.com, they're offering FREE customized Thanksgiving cards including FREE shipping to you.  Not sure how long this deal will last, so it'd be worthwhile to jump on it now.

Go to TinyPrints.com and choose one (or more) Thanksgiving/fall themed card from this collection.
Customize the text how you want and add any photos.
Adjust the quantity to the number you need.  Don't go overboard, people.  You don't need 500 cards.  Be reasonable with this generous offer.
Verify everything is okay and proceed to checkout.
At checkout, select the option to have the cards sent to you and add the promo code FREETHX which will take your total to zero.
Complete checkout and hope you ordered in enough time to receive them!

I ordered a few to place on the Thanksgiving table, and I placed a second order for a set of different cards (Fearful Foods) which I modified a little to act as our holiday cards this year.  

I've not ordered from TinyPrints before, but since no credit card was required to take advantage of this offer I felt fine about trying them out.  If I don't get the cards, I'm not out anything.  If I do get them, I'll have some fantastic freebies! 


EDIT: Did a little more digging.  This offer is good through 11:59PM tomorrow, 11/19/10.  Customer service verified that this is a legit offer and that they'll be sending the FREE cards to those who order (within reason).  There's technically no upper limit on the number that can be ordered but, as always, please be reasonable! 
You can also have individual cards sent to individual addresses for a cost of $.44ea, the cost of a stamp.  Consider this option if you have friends or family out of town.  What a nice surprise this would be in their mailbox!
I also checked some reviews of TinyPrints' products and according to those reviews these are nice quality items on heavy card stock.  I'm really looking forward to receiving mine!

Drugstore Trifecta: $237 for $7 and enough shampoo to last a year

Today was nearly a 100% success!
The undisclosed item was, indeed, not in stock.  Worse yet, my particular store doesn't even carry said item so a raincheck would be useless.  I spoke with the store manager about it and he said they can't even order them in.  What I'll do is check with some other area stores to see which ones, if any, carry said item and I'll try to get it elsewhere.

CVS wasn't a wash, though.  I abandoned my carefully laid out plan and winged it due to a couple surprises and wound up with a fantastic deal off the cuff.

Let's begin.

Not pictured: seven 2 liters of Diet Pepsi.

CVS
6 Skippy peanut butter $10
1 Herbal Essence conditioner $2.99
7 Diet Pepsi $6.93
1 package 6 mega roll Scott paper towels $4.99
1 bag Godiva truffles $4.99
Subtotal $29.90
Total after coupons $13.40, received $9 ECBs ($3 Skippy, $2 HE, $4 Xmas book)
OOP $4.40

Shelf price: $47.32
Total: $13.40
Rewards earned: $9
Out of pocket: $4.40 for a savings of $42.92 or 91%!!

Look at the bottom of the loot stack photo - you'll see a CVS catalog with "100s of gifts under $10" on the cover.  There were stacks of these in the rack with the sales circulars in store as well as a stack at each register.  Inside each catalog is a store coupon to receive a $4 ECB when you spend $20.  You should grab one catalog for each CVS card you have.  If you only have one card, it will probably be worth it to have your spouse (or child, or dog) sign up for a new one so you can use that $4/$20 on each card.

I got a $5 off $25 coupon from CVS in my email this morning (good for today only!) which I was very excited about because it would work perfectly with the trip I had planned.  Due to the undisclosed item being unavailable at my store, everything was thrown off.  I had $12.99 worth of stuff in my bag - the Skippy and the conditioner.  Andy and I pondered over the sale circular back by the clearance section, trying to figure out if we could make something work.  After a minute, he said "Ummmm," and pointed behind us; Pepsi 2 liters on sale for $.99ea.  The lightbulb flickered on.  We buy the stuff anyway - if we got 7 of them and a small filler, we could use the $4 ECB back coupon.  And since that would bring our total to about $20, we could find a $5 item, use the $5 off $25 coupon and get that for free.  Right on the front of the circular was the Scott paper towels on sale for $4.99.  We were down to our last two rolls so they were desperately needed.  I went to find the towels, Andy grabbed a cart and loaded it with 7 Diet Pepsis, and I suggested we find some cheap candy to make up the $.09 to get us up to $25.
"If we're gonna get candy let's get the good stuff," Andy insisted.  The coupon kiosk (aka the Magic Coupon Machine) had spit out a $1 off coupon for Godiva truffles.  Those were on sale for $4.99 and that's what he wanted to get as our filler.  If we'd gone with a single cheap candy bar our out of pocket on this would have been under a buck, but what can ya do?  $4.40 for 6 jars of Skippy, a bottle of conditioner, 7 bottles of soda, a big pack of paper towels, and a bag of fancy chocolate is alright by me!

Walgreens - exactly as planned yesterday.

Sunday Gameplan for 11/14

Assuming stock is decent tomorrow, it's shaping up to be a big haul at the drugstores.  We did a little recon at Wags tonight - we drove right by our usual store while out and about and stopped in to grab a couple more free Reach flosses.  While there, I scoped out the two items we're most interested in and stock looks good.

I'm a little nervous about Rite Aid, though I can get rainchecks if needed.  That's gonna be the big trip, though, and rainchecks disappoint me a little.  I want my free stuff NOW, dammit!


We'll begin at CVS.
6 Skippy peanut butter $10, get $3 ECB back (limit 1)
1 undisclosed item*
1 Herbal Essence shampoo or conditioner $2.99, get $2 ECB back (limit 1)
$1.52 profit!!
*undisclosed item is not disclosed due to the holiday season approaching.  I can't even break this one down because the price & ECBs back would give it away. 

The undisclosed item stands a good chance of not being in stock given the sale.  I would like it to be, but I'm expecting raincheck city.  *sigh*

Then Walgreens
Transaction 1:
2 Nyquil liquid $10
2 BC powder 24ct $3.98
1 bottle Gain dish soap $.89
2 packages paper plates $1.78 (filler)
Subtotal $16.65
Less two $1.50 Nyquil, two $1 BC, $1 Gain
Total $10.65, receive back $5 RR (Nyquil)
OOP $5.65

Transaction 2:
2 Nyquil liquid $10
1 package paper plates (filler)
Subtotal $10.89
Less two $1.50 Nyquil
Total $7.89, receive back $5 RR (Nyquil)
OOP $2.89

This is a higher out of pocket ($8.54 total) than I'd usually go for at Wags, but it is what it is.  The Nyquil is $1/bottle after coupon & RR, the BC powder is $.99ea after coupons, and we need paper plates so for $.89ea that's a great filler for us. 

We'll wrap it all up with (hopefully) a monster trip to Rite Aid

Grocery week, part 2: $85 for $21

So 92% lean ground chuck is on sale at Giant Eagle this week for $1.99lb.  This is a fantastic price, and I was all set to buy up 10lbs or so - except there was none in the meat case.  And though the meat department was open, there was no sign of any employees present.  Well, crap.  We were in a hurry so I grabbed everything else we needed and stopped at customer service on the way out.  I said "This is kind of a strange thing to ask, but can I get a raincheck for the ground beef that's on sale?  There's none out and no one in the meat department."  The gal got the raincheck pad no hesitation and snickered as another employee who'd heard the exchange muttered "Meat department ignoring customers?  What a surprise..."

Yeah, there's a reason I do the big shopping trips at another store that's a bit farther away.  Between weird lack of stock and yet another frustrating cashier issue, I'd prefer to use this store for a quick gallon of milk and not much more.
So I got my raincheck for as much meat as I want at $1.99lb and we went on our merry way.  We'll stock up at our leisure and avoid that store as much as possible in the future.  

Not pictured: 1 gallon milk, produce, another free 20oz Pepsi Max that I'd already consumed

So I got more coffee.  It was really hard not to when there's a good sale.  For the coffee, peanut butter & jam it was $25.97 after sale & coupons and we got $15 in OYNOs back because the regular shelf price of those items is $45.43 - $5 back for each $15.  $10.97 for 3 big canisters of coffee, three peanut butters, and two jars of jam is a fantastic deal, so I took the plunge!

Shelf price: $85.35
Total: $40.74
Earned OYNOs: $20
Out of pocket: $20.74, a savings of 76%!!

I got an extra $2 OYNO back that I wasn't expecting and I still can't figure out how it happened.  The Green Giant veggies are on sale for $1, and they're part of the "spend $10, get $2 OYNO" deal.  Based on their shelf price I determined that I could buy six, use my $.60 off 3 coupons (doubled) and get $2 back - making them $.27 per box.  Now, the cookie mixes are also included in this deal, but supposedly that's based on the sale price of $2 per package.  I wasn't going to get another set, but this store had a handful of the pumpkin cookie mixes left (I've been having trouble finding this flavor) and, ashamedly, I really like those.  Since I have a stack of $.50 off 1 coupons left, making the mixes $1ea, I decided to get four and grab ANOTHER free cookie sheet.
Those are the only two items I bought today that were part of that deal, and I didn't figure I'd spend enough to get two $2 OYNOs - but I did.  I have no idea why.  The only thing I can figure is either the shelf price of the GG veggies are higher (but the receipt shows the shelf price of $1.79 which is exactly what I was calculating) or that the sale is tracking the cookies on shelf price.  Maybe it was just dumb luck to make up for the not-so-pleasant cashier we had.

So the cashier issue.  Amusingly enough, I avoided a certain line at this grocery store today because I recognized the cashier working it as one I'd had previous problems with - twice.  She's a nice lady, but she has serious issues scanning coupons.  She just can't get them to work.  It's tortuous; you wait in a slow line, wait for your items to be slowly scanned, and finally hand over the coupons only for this cashier to manage to get three or four of them scanned then have to wait for her to call over a front end supervisor to fix everything else.  It takes forever, so I avoided her line today.
Except I got in the line of a self-appointed officer of the coupon law.  I'd heard of the coupon police before but I'd never encountered one in the wild.  I'm still shaking my head over this one.

Maxwell House International Cafe flavored coffee drinks were on sale for $2.99 this week, and for each two purchased you receive a $1 OYNO back.  Well, I had two coupons for $.75 off and two coupons for "Buy ANY two Maxwell House coffee, get one Maxwell House International Cafe free."  If I were to get six, it would work out to $5.96 for all after coupons and OYNOs.  I figured it would make a nice gift for my coffee-lovin' sister for Christmas, so I loaded six in the cart.  The cashier had other ideas at checkout.
"You didn't buy the Maxwell House."
I blinked at her.  "Yes, I have six International Cafes."
"It says you have to buy Maxwell House."
"MAXWELL HOUSE International Cafes - I have six of those."
"No, you have to buy Maxwell House to use these coupons."
I took a tin of the stuff out of the bag and pointed to the MAXWELL HOUSE printed on the label.  "This is Maxwell House."
Well, she refused to budge and, as mentioned, we were in a hurry.  And, frankly, I was in a terrible mood as it was and didn't want to make a scene.
"Please take four off my order, then, and I'd like my coupons back.  I'll contact corporate for clarification tomorrow."

Poor Andy had no idea what was going on as I asked him to dig all but two of the blasted coffees out of the bags.  After we got our raincheck and left the store, I showed him the coupon and explained what had happened and he said "But it IS Maxwell House...!" 
Yup.  But whatever.  Fortunately the next nearest store is less than 10 minutes away.

I'm pretty sure that's everything for the week.  There are other good sales, but not on anything we really use so there's no screaming need to get anything else.  We have more freezer space than I thought so mayyyyyybe we'll get some more Green Giant veggies before the sale ends.

Totals for the week

Shelf price: $204.88
Total: $84.49
Earned OYNOs: $34
Out of pocket: $50.49, for a savings of $154.39, or 75%!!

Not bad at all considering this was a stock up week for butter and ibuprofen!

Dual Drugstore Deals: $145 for $8

Another fun morning getting all sorts of good stuff for dirt cheap!  Today: Rite Aid & Walgreens.  Nothing at CVS was calling my name this week, and with my ECBs good 'til later in the month I didn't even stop in.

Wags had some good sales on the whole, though not many were items we particularly wanted or needed.  I can't complain, though! 

Transaction 1
2 Reach Crystal Clean toothbrushes - $1.99ea
1 Reach floss - $1.99
2 oven mitts and a 2-pack of kitchen towels - $1.99ea
1 4-pack Schick Xtreme3 razors - $5.99
Subtotal $17.93
Less three $1 off Reach brush/floss, $3 off Schick razor, three $1 off Reach store coupons, three $1 off oven mitts/kitchen towels store coupons
Total $5.93, paid $3 RR & cash
Received back $3 RR (Schick)

Transaction 2
1 Reach Crystal Clean toothbrush - $1.99
2 Betty Crocker cornbread mix - $.50ea
3 Clabber Girl double acting baking powder - $.99ea
1 2-pack kitchen towels - $1.99
1 4-pack Schick Xtreme3 razors - $5.99
Subtotal $13.94
Less one $1 off Reach brush, two $.75 off Clabber Girl, $3 off Schick razor, one $1 off towels store coupon, three $.49 off Clabber Girl store coupon, two $.26 off cornbread store coupon, $1 off Reach store coupon
Total $4.45, paid $2 RR, $1 RR & cash
Received back $3 RR (Schick)

Shelf price: $32.05
Total: $11.38
Earned rewards: $6
Out of pocket: $5.38

$3.96 of my OOP went directly towards my oven mitt & kitchen towel obsession, so $1.42 for all the rest of that stuff works out to be pretty awesome!

 Next, we went to Rite Aid for the huge deals on Garnier products:

Grocery week, part 1: $120 for $30

Quick trip today to take advantage of a few of the good sales this week.

Not pictured: 10lbs butter, 2 gallons milk

10 Philadelphia cream cheese - $12.50
10 Land o Lakes butter - $25.00
4 Betty Crocker cookie mix pouches - $8
Wilton cookie sheet - $5.99 (free after promo)
5 bottles Franks Red Hot hot sauce - $5 (free after coupon)
1 Tide Stain Release powder - $6
3 store brand ibuprofen - $11.97
2 bags candy - $1.98
2 gallons milk - $4
Subtotal $80.44
Less two $5 off 5 Kraft products, five $.50 off two LOL butter (doubled), four $.40 off 1 cookie mix, one $.50 off 1 cookie mix, five $.50 off 1 Franks Red Hot (doubled), $2 off Tide, $.50 off 2 candy (doubled), $3 off Tide eOffer, $.40 off cookie mix eOffer, free cookie sheet promo (when you buy 4 participating products - cookie mixes)
Total: $43.85, paid for ibuprofen with $11 in OYNOs from Sinex & Colgate deal, the rest cash
Received back $14 in OYNOs

Shelf price: $119.53
Total: $43.85
Earned OYNOs: $14
Out of pocket: $29.85

This sale week is kind of crazy in that there are two very useful OYNO promotions running.  I decided to do the biggest chunk of one of them in one trip, and take care of the rest in another.

Certain products geared towards Thanksgiving have a special where if you spend $10, you get a $2 OYNO back.  This includes the butter, cookie mix and cream cheese in the transaction above, and most of the items are being tracked by shelf price.  The butter is normally $4.29/lb (!!!!!), so 10lbs of it means I "spent" $42.90.  By adding in the four cookie mixes at $2ea, that brought my total "spent" up to $50.90, which then gave me five $2 OYNOs back.  The cream cheese is $2.09 normally, so 10 of those gave me another two $2 OYNOs back - to make it even sweeter, I had two $5 off coupons which brought my cash paid on the Philly to $2.50.  After receiving $4 back in OYNOs, they paid me $1.50 to take it out of the store!

Free toothbrushes and floss at Walgreens next week

Starting Sunday, 11/7, Walgreens will have Reach Crystal Clean toothbrushes and 55yd Reach floss on sale for $.99 with the coupon you'll find in the weekly circular.  There's a limit of 3 items per transaction.

Go to coupons.com to print out coupons for $1 off any Reach toothbrush and $1 off any Reach floss.  On the left side of the page, choose "Personal Care" and you may need to click forward to page 2 or three to find the coupons.
You can print two of each coupon per computer; if you've got multiple computers, print two of each from each computer!

Go to Walgreens any time next week.  Pick up a sales circular from the front of the store on your way in - pick up a couple if you're doing more than one transaction.
Get your toothbrushes and floss.  Remember, three items per transaction at the $.99 price, though you can do as many transactions as your store allows.  Make sure you grab the right items - get the 55yd floss and the Crystal Clean toothbrush, don't go messing around getting other types.  They won't work.
When you check out, hand the cashier the $1 coupons first, then hand over the $.99 Walgreens coupon from the circular.  $1 will come off each item, then when the store coupon is scanned it'll take off the difference between the regular price and $.99 for each item.  You only need one Walgreens store coupon per transaction. 
Free stuff!  You only have to pay any applicable sales tax.

There will also be a store coupon for $.99 holiday themed oven mitts and kitchen towels.  I'm particularly excited about that because I'm weird and I collect oven mitts.


As always, if the brushes and/or floss aren't in stock, get a raincheck!  Make sure the raincheck reflects the $.99 price.  The Reach coupons I printed don't expire until 2/11 so you'd have plenty of time to take advantage of this deal!

A bit of the loot stack

Twenty four tubes of toothpaste.  All were free or at a profit.

General health & beauty shelf

Lotion, soap & bodywash along the left and the top left.  Cough, cold & sinus up front (8 Alka Seltzer, 9 Dayquil Sinex, 10 Nyquil Sinex, 3 Sinex sprays, 2 full bottles Nyquil).  Deodorant behind the meds.  Cough drops & shaving items in the upper left.  Toothbrushes lower left, normally go on top of the toothpaste.  Most of this was free.

Misc household shelf

Bags to the left, dish soap center back, air fresheners back right, laundry front left, haircare front center, Swiffer thingies and a sad little lightbulb front right.  This area needs work - both in filling it up and organizing it better.  Wow, do I need shampoo.


There are a few items not pictured because I've already set them aside to be donated.  I'm working on the toothpaste, which is about where I was when I stopped for a photo shoot, and after that I'm going to pull some of the nonperishable food as well.  A local pantry is having a drive this weekend so I'm trying to get a bag or two together to take over for that.

I'd show you the food loot stack, but it's not very photogenic at this point being scattered in various shelves and cabinets.  =)

$120 worth of toothpaste, OTC meds, and shampoo for a profit of $9.90

Well this certainly worked out well.

Tonight we went to finish the Sinex deal.  I had ten $4 coupons remaining and after some back & forth I decided that the best way to do this would be to split my transactions between Giant Eagle and Walgreens.  Both stores have the Sinex at two for $10.  At Giant Eagle you get a $4 OYNO when you buy two; at Wags you get a $5 RR when you buy two.  Seems like an easy decision, right?  Walgreens, it's a buck more back in rewards.

Except Giant Eagle is offering another bonus coupon that can be loaded on to your store loyalty card for $4 off a Vicks Sinex product.  This bonus can only be used once and it stacks on top of your paper coupons.
So I did some figuring.  If I get 4 Sinex at Giant Eagle it would be $20 on sale, minus $16 in coupons, minus $4 bonus coupon - that equals FREE!  The remaining six will come from Wags for $1ea cash.