Dual Drugstore Deals: $128 for a $3 profit, April spending, and back from a short break

I took a major step back from shopping overall for the month of April - you'll see just how much with the monthly numbers at the end of the post! 

There were two major reasons I pulled back. 
1.  As I mentioned a couple times, we're really very well stocked on the items we use.  There have been some good sales over the past couple weeks, but I've been weighing just how good they are a lot more carefully than before.  If it's not something that we use frequently, I only want to chase a deal if it's profitable.  Have you seen gas prices lately?  Ugh. 
2.  The Extreme Couponing show is having an affect in many areas, mine included.  Stock has been an issue and it's getting worse; combined with isolated reports of new couponers trying to use coupons improperly, it was (still is, really) time to lay low a bit. 

That said, there were some deals that got me moving this weekend!  Let's take a look.

Walgreens - shelf price $70.88
6 Right Guard body wash $4.49ea, BOGO sale, $13.47
6 4pk Noxema disposable razors $3.99ea, $23.94
1 8pk Tuf paper towels $3.99
Subtotal $41.40, less three BOGO Right Guard, less six $2 off Noxema razors
Total $15.93, received back $18 in RRs ($3 for each Noxema razor)

$2.07 profit!!

This was a quick, painless trip.  I would have liked some more of the razors at a $1 profit each, but stock wasn't great so I didn't overdo it.  We'll be stopping back later in the week as Wags has milk cheaper than the grocery store; if they get more razors on this week's truck I'll grab a few more packs.
Some of the razors have a $2 coupon inside the package.  I'd like to touch briefly on the proper protocol for this sort of thing.  The coupon is inside the package, so only open that package if you're buying the product - I'm hearing of some stores that now can't sell any of their razors because people went before the sale started and tore open the packages to take the coupon.  DO NOT DO THIS!!  I took the razors up to the counter with everything intact, and before anything happened I explained that I was going to buy one package and then cut it open to get the coupon right there.  This way everything is on the proverbial up and up; no one is destroying packages before they're purchased, no one looks "shady" cutting or tearing things up in a corner of the store, and everyone is happy. 

Rite Aid - shelf price $57.16
2 Gillette Fusion Proglide razors $9.99ea, $19.98 (LIMIT TWO)
1 Dove for Men deodorant $3.99 (LIMIT ONE)
5 Revlon emery boards $1.49ea, $7.45
3 Revlon tweezers $1.37ea, $4.11
2 16oz bags Red Vines licorice $1.50ea, $3
1 package Easter eggs $.49 (clearance)
Subtotal $39.02, less $5 off Proglide, less $4 off Proglide
Total $30.02, received back $31 in +UPs ($5 for each Proglide, $3 for Dove, $4 for each pair of Revlon (LIMIT FOUR), $1 for each Red Vines)

$.98 profit!!

Revlon beauty tools are on sale for 40% off and you get a $4 +UP back for each two (limit of $16 in +UPs total).  If you can find items in stock which are around $3 or less regular price, you wind up with free or profitable beauty tools - the trouble is finding the items in stock, of course!  I mostly lucked out, though I had wanted a different type of emery board (the type I actually use).  Those had been cleared out before we got to the store by one shopper who, according to the cashier, kept coming back into the store over & over to buy more Revlon.  Holy extra Wellness cards.....

Today's trip

Shelf price $128.04
Total $45.95
Rewards earned $49

$3.05 profit!!

For the month of April

Shelf price $277.44
Total $115.54
Rewards earned $62.98
Out of pocket $52.56

See?  We barely shopped in April!  The biggest expenditures were the perishables - milk, meat & produce. 

I'd really like to see some great grocery deals start cropping up soon.  That may be wishful thinking, what with prices everywhere going up, but a girl can dream.

A weekend off, and March monthly spending

Gloomy weather and a lack of anything desperately needed kept me in this weekend.  There are some good deals this week at Rite Aid and a couple decent deals at Walgreens, but nothing is so fantastic that I couldn't put the shopping off a few days.


I do have to hit both stores by Saturday to roll some expiring rewards which shouldn't be too difficult.

We shopped big in March, and that's brought me to a bit of an impasse.  My goal when starting down the path of extreme frugality was to get by on less; it's in the title of my blog, for Pete's sake.  While I've certainly succeeded in living well on drastically less money, I don't have less "stuff."  As a matter of fact, we have more "stuff" now than we ever have. 

I'm not complaining.  I really enjoy having a supply of free shampoo, or stacks of free pasta, or pounds & pounds of free coffee.  It's just...we're running out of space.  Our food storage is fine, but the various health & beauty stuff is multiplying when I'm not looking and, while it's contained fairly neatly in its assigned shelving area, there isn't much room for more. 

It's time that I get a lot more picky about shopping, at least for now.  That's my goal, at least, and I may not succeed at it because who could pass up getting paid to go shopping?  We'll see how that goes....  ;)

March Monthly Spending:

Shelf price: $1,340.68
Total: $519.65
Rewards earned: $461.47
Out of pocket: $56.18, for a savings of $1,282.50 or 96%!!

Rite Aid Run - $77 for $2, plus monthly spending

Will a couponer buy anything if it's free? 

I think it's safe to say the answer is an unequivocal "yes."  If it's food and free, I don't care what it is; I'll take it.  Since we're not taxed on food, anything we don't care to eat can go straight to the local food pantry.  It appears my local pantry will be getting a bunch of sardines from me. 

Not pictured: 8 more cans tuna, 8 more tins sardines

Rite Aid - shelf price $77.26
8 Airwick room spray - $1.69ea, BOGO sale, $6.76
4 Thermacare back, 1ct - $3.59ea (with 10% discount), $14.36
16 cans Bumble Bee tuna - $1.49ea, BOGO50%, $17.84
14 tins Port Clyde sardines - $1.29ea, BOGO50%, $13.51
1 Snickers bar - $.79 (10% discount)
1 cupcake serving platter $2.50 (clearance)
Subtotal $55.76, less four BOGO Airwick coupons, less four $3.99 Thermacare store coupons
Total $33.04, received back $30.88 in +UPs ($1 for each tuna & sardine, $.88 for Snickers - LIMIT ONE)
Out of pocket $2.16

How cute is that cupcake platter??  It was on clearance for $2.50; this would have been an overall profitable trip without it, but I couldn't pass it up.

The sardines?  Yeah, this is what I meant by couponers will buy anything if it's free.  These things are on sale buy one, get one half off, which works out to $.965 per tin.  You get back a $1 +UP per tin, making better than free when all is said and done.  I figured Chairman Meow would love some sardines as a treat - cats love fish, right?  Not this cat.  I cut one up on a plate for him and, after sniffing at it, he gave me a look that implied I'd just tried to feed him toxic waste.  He won't touch 'em.
I hope someone at the food pantry likes sardines, because they've got at least 13 tins heading their way.

The tuna is all mine, though.  I love me some tuna salad.  We'll be heading back to Rite Aid later in the week after the next delivery comes to hopefully load up on a bunch more.  At ~$.11 per can ($.07 when balanced with the sardine profit), and with expiration dates late in 2013, I'll get a decent amount.

A few days late (it's been a hectic week), but better late than never - February's monthly spending:

Shelf price $888.99
Total $316.01
Rewards earned $229
Out of pocket $87.01, for a savings of $801.98, or 90%!!

I toned down the shopping a bit in February as we were getting critical on space.  With the extra shelving we got, along with donating some of the existing health & beauty items, I can take advantage of some more stocking up if possible. 

I especially need to add to our food stocks.  The increasing grocery prices really cut in to my savings last month, and coupled with sales and coupons that haven't been as great we spent a lot more on groceries than usual.  I'm in desperate need of a great coffee sale, as well as cheese, canned tomatoes, and sugar.

Tomorrow I'll be posting another giveaway, so check back!

Rite Aid Run - $247 for a $42 profit! Plus monthly spending.

Oh Rite Aid, how do I love thee.

Terribly sorry for the picture of our freezer interior, but I didn't want to dig out the ice cream for a photo op with the other goodies.
Not pictured: 5 more Lays Stax.

So, yeah.  Wow.  Poor Andy.  He had to push a cart around Rite Aid full of Stayfree and ice cream.  His only comment: "I wasn't aware I'd be pushing a cart of maxi pads around today...."

Why was poor Andy pushing a cart full of feminine products?  Well, because I was pushing my own cart full of feminine products, nasal spray, and snacks.  We must've made one hell of a confusing picture to the untrained eye.

All the below items were purchased over several transactions at two different stores.

Shelf price $246.57
12 Stayfree $4.39-6.99, BOGO free sale, $36.64 total
8 Afrin nasal spray $5.99ea, $47.92
8 Chex Mix $1.50ea, $12
5 Edy's ice cream $2.99ea, $14.95
4 Colgate Total 4oz $2.99ea, $11.96
4 Jif peanut butter $1.99ea, $7.96
2 Motrin PM 20ct $1ea, $2 (raincheck)
2 small funnels $.89ea ($.80ea with my discount), $1.60
2 medium funnels $1.19 ($1.07ea with my discount), $2.14
6 Lays Stax $6
Subtotal $143.17 - less six BOGO Sayfree $6 max value ($36 total), eight $3 off Afrin ($24), four $.50 off 2 Chex Mix ($2), four $1 Colgate ($4), two $1 Motrin ($2)
Total $75.14
Received back $4 for each Afrin, $1 for each Chex, $2 for each Edy's, $2 for each Colgate, $1 for each Jif, $2 for each pair of funnels, $1 for each Lays = $72
plus
$5 +UP for +UP Your Game promo (buy $15 of select items including Edy's & Lays in a single transaction, this week only, limit one),
plus
Two $10 +UP for Heart Healthy promo (buy $30 worth of select heart healthy items including Afrin & Colgate get $10, buy $50 get two $10 +UPs, does not have to be in a single transaction, 2 month promo, limit one)
plus
$20 +UP for the Winter Rewards promo (spend $100 on select items, receive $20 +UP, does not have to be in a single transaction, monthly promo, limit one)
Total +UPs received $117.

Shelf price $246.57
Total $75.14
Rewards earned $117

$41.86 profit!!!

I'd normally try for some eloquent discussion here regarding my haul for the day, but....
ICE CREAAAAAAMMMMM.  FREE ICE CREAAAAMMMMM!!

*ahem*

Yeah, I'm a bit excited about the ice cream.  If we had a larger freezer, there'd be more Edy's in my possession but it was tough making the 5 cartons fit as it is.  They're $2.99 each with a $2 +UP back, and if you spend $15 on items including Edy's you get an extra $5 +UP.  By buying 5 Edy's and 1 Lays, my total came to $15.95 and I received back $16 in +UPs.  Free.  Deliciously free.  The bonus $5 +UP is limit one per card; the individual $2 ice cream +UPs are unlimited at this point.
Afrin - $5.99ea, get $4 +UP back each, and I had $3 off coupons.  Each bottle was a profit of $1.01, and these count towards the month-long Heart Healthy promo.  By buying 8 of those at $47.92 and one Colgate Total at $2.99 with a $2 +UP and a $1 coupon, I "spent" $50 before coupons to qualify for the bonus $20 +UP.  That's a $28 profit on the Afrin & Colgate.
The Jif peanut butter is a decent price at $.99ea after sale & +UP.  It's not great, but for Andy's very favorite brand I'll take it.  Jif also counts toward the Winter Reward promo, so in the end it works out to free for us.
Stayfree - they're on sale for buy one get one free and I had a stack of BOGO coupons (max value $6).  I tried to get a mix of different prices to bring my total as close to $36 as possible - which is the maximum value of my combined six coupons - and it worked out well!  Only $.64 for all twelve packages.

This was a fabulous trip.  It really couldn't have gone any better, though I do wish I'd grabbed more of the Lays Stax.  Perhaps later in the week.  These, the Chex Mix, and the TGIF snacks from the other week are great for Andy to take to work with him to snack on, and you really can't beat the price!

For the month of January

Merchandise value $1,419.68
Total $488.60
Rewards & rebates earned $395.44
Out of pocket $92.16 for a savings of $1,326.52, or 93%!!

I would have posted this much earlier but I've been dealing with a dead computer all afternoon & evening.  As if it weren't bad enough that Andy had to push around a cart of Stayfree, shortly after we got home his computer died.   
I'll discuss this in a post later tonight or tomorrow - there's a very important frugal tip to be had for everyone reading this.  I haven't fixed the problem(s) with Andy's computer quite yet, but he's currently surfing the web while I get everything sorted out and it didn't cost a penny to get an otherwise dead machine up & running.  I'll explain how in the very near future.

The last shopping trip of the year: $200 for under a buck, plus monthly & yearly spending

Today we took our last shopping trip of 2010.

We received word today that a neighbor of ours had a sudden death in the family.  The spouse and children of the deceased are struggling not just with the emotional trauma, but also with being able to afford everyday necessities like food and toiletries.  I had some shopping I wanted to get done before the end of the year anyway, so I changed up my plan some to look specifically for items this particular family may find a little bit helpful during such a difficult time.

Not pictured: five 2 liters Diet Pepsi, bag of sweet potatoes

First, a quick stop at Giant Eagle - shelf price $41.06
12 Dawn dish detergent $2.50ea, $30
1 can chipotle peppers $2.19
3.4lbs sweet potatoes $2.69
Subtotal $34.88, less twelve $.50 off Dawn (doubled to $1)
Total $22.88, received back three $5 OYNOs ($5 for each 4 Dawn)
Out of pocket $7.88

Then, on to Rite Aid - shelf price $159.74
8 cans Progresso soup $1.50ea, $12
4 Gillette deodorants $4 ea, $16
2 computer mouses (mice?), $2.99ea, $5.98
6 assorted Aussie & Herbal Essence hair care $2.50ea, $15
2 bags brown rice $1.69ea, $3.38
1 bag white rice $1.49
2 Sundown vitamins $3.49ea, BOGO free
5 assorted bottles Excedrin $6.99ea, $35.94
2 Pilot EZ Touch pens $2.29ea, $4.58
5 2 liter Diet Pepsi $1.25ea, $5
Subtotal $102.86
Less $5 off $25, less two $1 off 4 Progresso, less one Buy 2 Get 1 Free Gillette, less three $2 off Gillette, less three BOGO Aussie/HE, less three $1 off Aussie/HE, less two $1 off Sundown, less four free Excedrin ($5.99 max value), less one $3.50 off Excedrin
Total $45.90, received back $53 +UPs ($1 ea for Progresso, $3 for each pair of Gillette, $5 ea for computer mouses, $1 ea for rice, $2 for Sundown, $4 for Pilot pens, $20 for Resolution Rewards)

$7.10 profit!!

I really winged it on this trip to RA.  I had a stack of coupons that expire tomorrow and I just brought the whole lot with me to see if I could find any of the items on clearance.  I also had no idea how stock would be on many items - I struck out with the Old Spice, but hit paydirt on the Progresso.  Win some, lose some!  We just strolled the aisles looking for good deals and in the end it worked out great - even greater because I didn't realize I had "spent" $100 towards the Resolution Rewards to get that $20 +UP.  It was a fun trip and, in the end, my receipt was 85" long - just over 7' of savings and profit! 

Today's totals

Shelf price $200.80
Total $68.78
Rewards earned $68
Out of pocket $.78!!

Let's see how I did for the month of December
Merchandise value - $1,325.43
Total cost after sales & coupons - $466.67
Rewards earned - $397.78
Rebates earned - $26

Out of pocket - $42.89, for a savings of $1,282.74, or 97%!!! 

How about for the "year" (October-December since I just started tracking in October)
Merchandise value - $4,640.75
Total cost after sales & coupons - $1,570.92
Rewards earned - $1,044.92
Rebates earned - $106.45
Out of pocket - $419.55 for a savings of $4,221.20, or 91%!!!

Whoa!!  I must say, that's pretty impressive considering I've only been playing the "drugstore game" for less than three months now and I was really bad at it to start.  That's like...a part-time job's worth of savings there!



On a more serious note, tonight I'm going to put together a few bags of necessities for my neighbor's family including some of the items we got today.  I've talked before about donating items to those in need, and that I do my best to keep my donations in my community.  I think this is probably about the best way I can contribute to both of my goals.

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!

Drugstore Trifecta: $185 worth of health & beauty for $15.50

Today could not have gone any better.  Everything was in stock, we had CVS and Rite Aid completely to ourselves, and there were friendly faces everywhere.  And I got chocolate.

This also wraps up the month of October.  I have a confession to make.  I'm a nerd.  Really.  I'm a nerd.  I have an Excel spreadsheet with formulas and all that good stuff that calculates my spending and my savings.  Once I run down today's trips, I'll share the value of everything I bought this month and how much I paid for it.  I've been tracking it on my spreadsheet all month.

Buckle in, here we go!