The Walgreens saga continues...It appears that you all enjoyed the "new" featured store, as my little blog had over 300 views in the first 24 hours on my last post ;) Yippee!  This morning I awoke to an inbox filled with questions regarding Walgreens shopping, transactions, and the Register Rewards program.  Again, I have done my best to answer all that I could, however remember that I am learning too. If you find out new information please share as we are all learning together on this one.  This morning I decided to head out again to face the challenge.  I need to be reaaallytight with money this month, so I needed to score some great deals or free items.  I re-watched the video that I posted in the previous blog entry twice last night, and read a few more coupon blogs to hopefully make my shopping experience go smooth. You can find a copy of the Walgreen's coupon policy HERE. Well, I am happy to report that it was a perrrfect shopping day (not to mention the weather too, we even had lunch at the park).  All of the items below were purchased in M-U-L-T-I-P-L-E transactions. I must admit that the checkout process at Walgreens isvery nerve-wracking to make sure that all of the deals go off as planned...lol, I am talking like this is rocket science here.   I got this match-up from Wild for Wags (awesome website for Walgreens newbies).

**I have listed the transactions below, and a few of them were done 2 and 3 times.

MPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THESE TRANSACTIONS

-) Blue are manufacturer coupons, Red are store coupons & don’t count in your total.

-) You can’t have more MQ than items!

TRANSACTION #1 BUY

(4) Reach Crystal Clear Toothbrushes $1.59 EACH

(2) Right Guard Body Wash 13.5oz $4.49 EACH B1G1 FREE

Total = $10.85

USE

(4) -$1/1 Reach Toothbrush or Floss PRINT or – 10-10-10 RP or 01-09-11 SS 
(1) -FREE Right Guard Bodywash or Deodorant (up to $4.49) wyb (1) Right Guard Product, any 3-13-11 RP

Total = $2.36, (Get Back $4 Register Reward Reach)

TRANSACTION #2 BUY

(2) Irish Spring AP/Deodorant 2/$6

(1) Royal Gelatin Reg. or Sugar Free 5/$1 (w/in ad Q)

Total = $6.20

USE

(2) - $1/1 Irish Spring Deodorant PRINT or PRINT 3-13-11 SS x4/13

(1) – In ad Q for Royal Gelatin

(1) – $4 RR Reach

Total = $0.20, (Get Back $4 Register Reward Irish Spring – Colgate/Palmolive)

TRANSACTION #3 BUY

(1) Dial Nutriskin Lotion $4.99

(1) Royal Gelatin Reg. or Sugar Free 5/$1 (w/in ad Q)

Total = $5.19

USE

(1) -$1/1 Dial Nutriskin Lotion PRINT (Thanks Frugalbengal!) or 03-13-11 RP x4/30

(1) – In ad Q for Royal Gelatin

(1) – $4 RR Irish Spring

Total = $.19, (Get Back $3 Register Reward Dial)

TRANSACTION #4 BUY

(1) Purex $4.99

(1) Royal Gelatin Reg. or Sugar Free 5/$1 (w/in ad Q)

Total = $5.19

USE

(1) -$2/1 Purex any Complete Crystals Softener 03-13-11 RPx4/30

(1) – In ad Q for Royal Gelatin

(1) – $3 RR Dial 

Total = $.19, (Get Back $2 Register Reward Purex)

Transaction#5

(1) – Clearasil Daily Face Wash Sale Price $2.99

(1) – -$1/1 Clearasil Product 01-23-11 SS or 03-13-11 SS x5/13

TOTAL = $1.99, Get Back $2 Register Reward

= FREE! (I did this transaction 3 times and used the milk/taffy as my filler items).

TOTAL PAID: 10.86!!! 

(5.00 was the Milk and the rest was SALES TAX and MINOR OVERAGE ON THE MULTIPLE 

TRANSACTIONS)

Total SAVED: 85.99!!

~Has anyone tried the new Purex Crystals?  I am kind of excited they get excellent reviews!

~This is what a "Register Reward" looks like, it prints as a Catalina coupon after you pay.

I also picked this booklet up (she mentions it in the Walgreens video that I posted in the previous blog).  It was located at the fron of the store by the weekly ad.

___________________________________________________________________________

Target Deals Worth mentioning this week:

FREE $5 Gift Card wyb (5) Select Glade Seasonal Care Items Listed 2/$5*

Visit totallytarget.com to see the rest of the deals this week.

DEAL IDEA: Buy 5 Glade Spring Collection including 1 Room Spray = $12.50

- $4.00 (use two $2/2 Glade Spring Collection Air Care Items HERE

-$1/1 Glade Premium Room Spray 9.7 oz 2-27-11 SS x4/2
= $7.50 - $5 Gift Card Back wyb 5
= $2.50 for 5 or .50 cents each after coupons and Gift Card. Even better if you still have a $1/1 Glade Target Coupon to use (no longer available)

John Frieda 8.45 oz Full Repair Shampoo $5

-$3/2 John Frieda Full Repair Hair Care ETS Target Web Coupon x4/9-

$1/1 John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo or Conditioner 3-6-11 SS x4/30

-$2/1 John Frieda Full Repair Styling Aid ETS 3-6-11 SS x4/30

-$2/1 John Frieda Product, any 3-6-11 SS x4/30

=$1.50 each after a stack with two $2/1 manufacturer’s coupons

Per the request of my wonderful readers I am branching out my shopping to other stores ;)  Yes Target is my go to for most items, and Kroger for produce/main grocery items.  However, there are tons of great deals at the drugstores!  I also have limited my shopping to a few stores, because I was finding I overspent when I was going to multiple places.  I now stay really focused at my two stores and honestly spend less than 2 hours a week shopping.
Sunday mornings are such a great highlight of my week.  I usually am up early (before both of my kiddos) flipping through the weekly ads with a hot cup of coffee.  This week I noticed some pretty great deals at Walgreens on items that I had coupons  *just waiting to be used* in my binder.  I have previously stayed away from Walgreens because it seemed so complicated and confusing.  To be honest, it still does and I am still learning.  Here is a great video explaining the Walgreen's coupon process from the Krazy Coupon Lady.


There was an in-ad coupon (expires 3-12-11) for $5/1 Pedia Care item.
Walgreen's in ad coupons are store coupons they can be stacked with a manufacturer coupon.  
I used (2) $2/1 Pedia Care product from HERE
Here is how it played out:
Pedia Care Allergy $6.99 
Pedia Care infant drops 5.99
Total: 12.98-10.00 (in ad coupon discount) =2.98 -$2 Manufacturer coupon = .98****
*This is where it got tricky my balance went to $.98 and I still had (1) $2 coupon to use I had to buy a FILLER item b/c Walgreens doesn't adjust coupons or allow overage.  

So if you've been following the blog or if you're new, I challenged myself and my family this month to a tight ($200) budget. I had already done some shopping earlier this week for fresh produce, milk, and bread. I knew before this shopping trip that I would have to do some major planning because there were some pretty good sales on some toiletries that we use daily and I wanted to stock up on those, but also wanted to be able to eat the rest of the month ;)  So since I "grocery" shop at Target and Kroger only, I scoured the ads this week for sales, closely watched coupon blogs, and clipped and organized the coupons carefully.



Need a few of the items... or just curious on how to save? Check out my Kroger shopping list below.  If you are new to the blog you might want to check out the "Coupon Lingo" sheet HERE.

1. Shaving cream (10)
2. Old Spice Deodorant (9)
3. Men's body wash (4)
4. Frozen Pizzas (9)
5. Pizza Rolls (6)
6. Pillsbury Rolls/Biscuits (8)
7. Excedrin (4)
8. Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (10)

~It’s all about shopping with coupons while a product is on sale- and STOCKING UP so you don’t have to buy something when it’s not cheap or free.
**Now there is a difference between a BUY price and a STOCK-UP price.  Here is a resource to help guide you on both of those.  
                                                   
                         PRINTABLE STOCKPILE PRICE LIST HERE

So since my last post I have received tons of messages and emails about couponers that had an awesome shopping trip this past week.  So thanks!  I love to hear how others are doing. Don't forget that since it is a new month all of the coupons online have RESET, which means you will be able to print them again :) I have a few questions/concerns that keeping popping up so I thought I would try and address them this week.


How do you find the time to coupon? I just don't think I have the time...
Realistically is anything great effortless?  So, Yes you will have to put forth a little time and effort.  Of course you are going to spend more time preparing for the actual trip than that of shopping for the goods. You will also need to allocate 1-2 hours per week to sorting, clipping, organizing coupons. I typically do this while I watch a movie or TV ( I am most definitely going to be the little old lady in the nursing home that the staff will be giving washcloths to fold, I personally just keep busy). How valuable is your time?  If you save $800 a month and give 1 hour of your time a week, is $200/hr worth your time?  :)

• Don't let anyone pressure you into jumping on board the "coupon craze."  As women we often take on too much due to feelings of obligation, constantly striving to do more and be more.  
• Although I am confident that anyone can find the time if they really WANT to.  For me it means working my job, coming home to my kids, staying up past their bedtimes for clipping/sorting, and heading out to shop once they are sweetly tucked in :)  However, most of the time I have both kids with me during shopping trips, social interaction and a lesson in economics never hurt anyone.  

People who use coupons end up buying items they didn't need anyways.
FALSE!!  To be honest if you are just starting out, you may not see a huge difference in your budget, however the main difference should be that you are spending the same amount of money that you normally do but you are getting 6 of everything!  Once you build your stockpile (I suggest 6-8 weeks worth according to sale cycles) you should be able to remove that from your budget for a while depending on the item.  Someone asked me this week if I have storage shelves in my basement for all of these items! Uh, No!  I keep my 8 bottles of Laundry detergent above the washer and dryer, and I keep my 8 bottles of dish soap under the counter.  There is absolutely NO POINT in having 100 toothbrushes, unless you plan to donate of course.  Don't buy what you don't need.  I don't have a walk-in pantry (although mine is pretty stuffed), and I do have a garage freezer.  One of the biggest lessons that I have been learning is that I used to make a shopping lists and "find" coupons based on what I was used to buying.  I now look at the type of item (regardless of the brand), and find a sale and coupons to stack with it.


How do you deal with checkout and all of those coupons?
This is my ongoing challenge.

• Let's start with getting organized:  Make a list of the exact items you will be buying and the exact quantity.  I tend to type mine up, so it looks neater.  

Something like this:
(6) Skippy Natural Peanut Butter 16oz
(20) Propel 24oz Waters
(3) Excedrin extra strength (20ct or higher)
I also have all of the coupons I am using already pulled in a labeled envelope according to what store I am using them at (Target, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS).  ** I do however bring my binder with me... as I never leave home without it!

• Choose the time of day wisely.  I like to go late at night or early in the morning.  These are typically the most quiet times. Don't go at RUSH HOUR!! Also, if you take your kiddos, plan around nap time for the best possible experience (also ask the bakery if they give out free goodies for your little ones!).  
• Cashier Profiling:  I finally saw the TLC "Extreme Couponing" episode, and she talks about this, but it is SOO true!!  Profiling...such a harsh word, but let's be honest we all do it.  Judge me if you must, but I am NOT getting into the checkout line with an 80 year old checker.  I made this mistake 2 weeks ago (actually I had no choice).  I was at a Target in mid-morning and they only had 1 check-out available.  She was elderly and critiqued EVERY coupon, and I had a TON :(  It was a sheer nightmare, she even made a comment to me that you weren't "supposed to save that much."  Enough said... this nurse doesn't need to re-hash the event and sky-rocket her blood pressure.  The younger male checkers are typically low maintenance and easy going, and I actually find that most younger males get both of my kids smiling and laughing the entire time.  My son recently had the most hilarious conversation with a male checker about Batman.