The Long Checkout

At Walgreens, of course.

Oh the beeping that happens when a coupon is a penny more than the register value!  We all know it and dread it.  And no matter how many times I explain to both the sweet register girl and the manager how to fix the problem (just mark it down a penny), it is forever a fiasco.  Oh the problems of a couponer!

I did this in SEVEN transactions.  Why?  Because I am insane.  But also because the Icy Hot is on sale for $0.99/each.  And produce a lovely $0.99 Register Reward.  I had six $1/1 coupons.  Making them FREE *plus* a $0.99 MONEY MAKER.  But like all things at Wags, they are limit (1).  And if you use the Icy Hot RR to pay for another Icy Hot, it will not produce another RR.  So I had to purchase five of the six by themselves.  The deodorant is Buy One, Get One FREE this week and my store had a TON in stock.  In two locations too.  I only planned to buy two but since they had so much, I figured I'd go ahead and buy a bunch and then give away the excess.  As it is, on the way home I dropped off two at a friend's house who called me a few days ago asking for a deodorant deal.  So the photo is missing those two.  A few more are going to another friend tomorrow.  None of my girlfriends will stink this summer- ha!

Also, I realized that I bought one too many deodorants.  I knew my bill felt too high but at that point it was my last transaction and I wanted to not be the problem child any longer.  I didn't figure it out until just now.  So I will return one of the deodorants and my totals below will reflect it.

The Ecotrin was FREE so it's a donation.  I don't use aspirin but can't pass up FREE medicine for donations to my local food pantry.  I am forever struck by the realization that if someone can't afford food, they also can't afford such "luxuries" as feminine hygiene products, body wash or headache medicine.  I think I will donate the triple calcium too- not even sure what it is.  But it was a $5 MONEY MAKER so it came home with me!  Though not knowing exactly what it was meant that it took me forever and a day to find it on the bottom shelf in my store.  Also note that I didn't pay tax for several items.  I don't know why exactly but it had to do with all the trouble the manager had figuring out how to mark down a coupon one penny.  Sometimes you have to pick your battles and at that point there was no way for them to figure more out than what was actually being done.

Sadly, my store did not have any (I don't believe they even sell them) of the Ritz Crackerfuls.  Disappointing as my dad loves them and they are a $1 Money Maker today and tomorrow.  My store didn't have a few of the other things on my list but I'd say overall, I did pretty well.  I'm most excited about the only thing I really paid more than tax for- the Off Clip Ons!  I don't camp but there are definitely times when I am in the garden or at a backyard dinner when the bugs eat me and only me.  I think these- if they really work- are brilliant.  Now I have two! 

Purchased (in seven transactions)...
(1) Applied Nutrition Triple Calcium  reg. $?, sale $10
(2) Ecotrin  reg. $3.49?, sale $0.99 (in ad Q)
(2) Off Clip On Starter Kit  reg.?, sale $7.99
(6) Icy Hot Naturals  reg. $1.99, sale $0.99
(10) Dry Idea deodorant  reg. $4.49

Minus...
-(1) $5/1 Applied Nutrition from Walgreens June coupon booklet
-(2) $1.50/1 Ecotrin Aspirin product 5/1 RP (marked down to $0.99/1)
-(1) BOGO FREE Off Clip On print coupon
-(1) $2/1 Off Clip On 5/22 SS
-(1) $1/1 Off product from Walgreens June coupon booklet (take off $2)
-(6) $1/1 Icy Hot (marked down to $0.99/1) 5/1 SS
-(5) BOGO FREE Dry Idea or Right Guard 5/1 RP
-(1) $5 RR from two weeks ago
-(5) $0.99 RR from first five individual Icy Hot purchases on last trans w/ no Icy Hot

Total value purchased ... $96.50

Paid out of pocket ... $3.53

Percentage saved ... 96.3%

Earned and not yet spent ... (1) $0.99 RR from Icy Hot and (1) $10 RR from Calcium

FREE Sample

Today's Freebie is a sample of Zantac.  Click image for link.

Have Coupons, Will Travel

So I hardly did any shopping this past week.  And with the travel I have scheduled next week, there won't be much then either.  I have two weeks worth of coupons that I have yet to clip.  But now that I have been couponing for five full months, I realize that's totally OK.  It's OK not to chase down every deal.  Heck, I don't want or have storage for every deal.  Ha.  But I did manage a few things at Pchop and then a two minute run into Rite-Aid too.

When I first started couponing, I was saddened to learn that not all stores are the same.  Specifically meaning that some (in my case) Price Chopper grocery stores will double coupons and some will not.  NONE in the Capital Region will double coupons.  Don't even get me started on how absurd and unfair that is!  On top of that, those that do double coupons, do so differently.  Some double up to $0.50 (so making them as high as $1), some double up to $0.99 (so making them as high as $1.98) and some double up to $1 (so making them as high as $2). 

When I realized that the Price Chopper in Manchester, VT doubles coupons up to $1 (so making them as high as $2), I knew that the next time I was there I would also do some grocery shopping.  Yes, I take my coupons nearly everywhere.  It's crazy, but also great to have them handy in the car just in case I spot a must have deal.

And this weekend happened to be my lucky weekend.  Friday before lunch I was Vermont bound.  Why?  Well mainly to get my hair cut.  Yes, I drive 75 minutes one way to get my hair done.  Which will explain to those that know me in person why I go months in dire need of hair help.  It's a looong drive just to get a haircut.  But you know, we all have our thing in life.  And this is my thing!  I have been to half a dozen hair places in the Cap Region of NY and have yet to find a person even half as fabulous as Patti.  I make a day or weekend of it usually- shopping and eating and sight seeing and sometimes in the summer I do a little berry picking too. 

So after I was done for the day, I popped into the Manchester Price Chopper. 

First, it's teeny tiny.  I didn't realize that it was so small.  Like you could barely get a cart down the aisles.  I mysteriously didn't have one of the main coupons I was hoping to use.  And being so small, they didn't have many items I was hoping to buy.  I swear I circled that store 45 times before just settling on what was in my cart and checking out.  I am just not good at shopping in unfamiliar stores.

Total value purchased ... $56.05

Paid out of pocket ... $19.88

Percentage saved ... 64.5%

Nearly every coupon I used was a $1/1 coupon, doubling to $2/1.  LOVE that!  I suddenly have found tons of coffee creamer deals so they are sitting pretty in my freezer until I need them.  I've never had this brand of rice and it's not really that healthy but I figure it is always good to have quick things on hand.  But all in all, it was a successful trip.  Not quite what I had hoped for but not bad for having to abandon my plan and just wing it in a new place.

Cookies-n-Milk

I read on a blog (sorry but I forgot where) that Rite-Aid had their two pack of Milano cookies up near the register and marked at $1.  And you could use the $1/2 coupons from the 5/22 newspaper to get them for just $0.50/each.  This is not something I would normally run out for but I had $2 in +up Rewards expiring today and hate to see those go to waste.  So I thought I could get four pack for FREE after my coupons and +up Rewards.  My dad is going to be excited when I hand those to him on Monday.  Oh sure, he rolls his eyes at my hobby.  But he knows better than to mock me too much as he gets all sorts of treats out of my coupon craziness.

But when I got there, they were each marked at just $0.99/each AND they each had a yellow Rite-Aid $0.50/1 peelie coupon on them.  Meaning that after the RA coupon and my manufacturer coupon, they would be a penny better than FREE. 

So I got milk too.

Purchased...
(1) Gallon skim milk  reg. $2.69
(10) Pepridge Farm Milano cookies 2-pack  reg. $0.99

Minus...
-(10) $0.50/1 RA peelies from the Milanos
-(5) $1/2 Milano manu coupon
-$2 +up Rewards

Total value purchased ... $12.59

Paid out of pocket ... $0.59

Percentage saved ... 95.3%

Earned ... relief from not wasting store funny money!

FREE Sample

Click the image to request a FREE sample from Target. 

Good Mail

Lots and lot of good mail has come in the last two weeks. 

Baby formula. 
More baby formula.
Diapers.
Hot sauce.
Laundry detergent.
Toaster bag for grilled cheese sandwiches. 
Recipe book.
Feminine pad.
Lotion.
Coupons for FREE dog treats and FREE Zyrtec.
And lots more high value coupons.

The baby stuff all gets donated.  Some gets given away.  Some gets saved for later use.  Some gets used right away because I'm so curious. 

Either way, it makes for a very fun mailbox each week!