Great Buy This Week . . .

Today's Rite Aid purchases turned out to be better than I had planned.  Out of pocket, I spent $10.78 after coupons for my first transaction (4 Nivea body washes and 2 Little Colds) and received $11.00 in UP rewards, and will get $2 in single check rebates.  Then my second transaction (2 pkgs. Scott Toilet Paper, 3 Dixie plate pkgs., 2 Lysol wipes and 2 boxes Mr. Clean erasers) totaled $6.46 after coupons and rolling over the UP rewards from the first transaction, and I received a $10 UP rewards to use next time.  

So, after spending $17.24 out of pocket, I have $10 in UP rewards and expecting $2 in SCR.  That equates to $5.24 for everything!  (And we really needed toilet paper!)

All items were on sale.  Here are the coupons I used:

1st transaction:
$3 off $15 purchase (from bottom of last weeks receipt)
(4) $3 Nivea manf. coupons
(2) $1 Little Remedies manf. coupons

2nd transaction:
 $3 off $15 purchase (from bottom of another receipt)
$5 off 3 Dixie plates - a Rite Aid Video Values from last month
(2) $.75 Magic Eraser manf. coupons
(2) $1.00 Scott tp manf. coupons
(2) $1.50 Lysol printables (like it on facebook)
$1.00 Lyson - a Rite Aid VV from this month
$11 in UP rewards from 1st transaction

Our Friendly Rite Aid Store

Today we used coupons to purchase the following at Rite Aid. Total cost was $2.35, but you might could do better with additional coupons! Some items, like the men's Nivea body wash, cereal and toothpaste, printed out Up Rewards which were used for two of the three transactions. Two packages of rite aid brand invisible tape (three in each pkg.) didn't make it into the photo. We really needed some tape, so I was happy for these. These last three tubes of toothpaste were moneymakers and helped me to qualify for a $10.00 RA gift card that I should get in the mail soon (Oral Care Rebate #560 which runs through 09/25/10).

It's great to get free stuff from RA,
and it's even better when they pay you extra
for taking home enough of it!

If you would like to purchase any of these, here's what I did:

Note: You must scan your Wellness Card at the beginning of each transaction!
These deals are good through Saturday ~ exception ~ the oral care rebate runs till 9/25. I began with $3.00 in UP rewards.

1st transaction:

1 Ace athletic tape $3.99
1 Total Advanced tpaste $3.00
1 RA Tugaboo Trial size diapers $0.89
2 Kell Corn Flakes $4.00
2 RA 3pk invs. tape BOGO free $3.49
Total before q's $15.37

LESS Coupons used:
Weekly RA flyer in-ad q for Ace $4.00
Colgate manf. q $1.00
RA Tugaboo q found in trial size package $1.00
Kell cereal when you buy 2 manf. q (Food Lion printout) $1.00
RA video values q on 2 pkgs tape $1.00
UP rewards $3.00

Total OOP (out of pocket) incl. tax $5.04

Up Rewards Received for use on next purchase:
for Colgate $3.00
for cereal $1.00




2nd transaction:

1 Ace athletic tape $3.99
1 Total Advanced tpaste $3.00
1 RA Tugaboo Trial size diapers $0.89
2 Kell Raisin Bran $4.00
Total before q's $11.88

LESS Coupons used:
Weekly RA flyer in-ad q for Ace $4.00
Colgate manf. q $0.50
RA Tugaboo q found in trial size package $1.00
Kell cereal when you buy 2 manf. q (Food Lion printout) $1.00
UP rewards applied $4.00

Total OOP incl. tax $1.77

Up Rewards Received:
for Colgate $3.00
(It should have given me an additional $1.00 for the cereal,
but this RA didn't actually carry the 15 oz. in Raisin Bran)




3rd Transaction:

2 Nivea men's bwash at $1.99 each $3.98
1 Total Advanced tpaste $3.00
Total before q's $6.98

Coupons used:
Nivea manf. q wyb 2 (online printable) $4.00

*Total OOP incl. tax $3.54

Up Rewards Received:
for Colgate $3.00
for Nivea $2.00
*I didn't use my $3.00 upr because total before tax was $2.98 so I still have another $3.00

Several weeks ago, I bought one trial size Tugaboo diapers for 99 cents. It had a $1.00 q inside.
Each time I visit RA, I purchase one with the old q, then take out the new q for next time. After I receive the $3.00 SCR for the invisible tape, my total w/ tax will amount to $2.35! Plus, I now qualify for the $10.00 Oral Care Gift Card!

Good Deal on Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and other *ahem* items

If you are in the market for a new printer, you may want to check the prices of the ink cartridges and find out how often they need replacing before making a decision on what brand of printer to buy. Our printer is a bit frustrating at times. It uses 4 individual cartridges, and when one color runs out the printer stops working. Unfortunately it uses up color ink even when we print black and white. So, we often replace blue, magenta or yellow ink even though we primarily print b/w. That is the case right now ~ magenta and black cartridges are running very low, so I was happy to find that Office Depot has a $10 off $25 purchase coupon for this week.
Here's what I purchased:

ink ~ $13.99
*Purell ~ $4.99
**Expo markers ~ $5.29
***Post-It's ~ $0.99

Subtotal ~ $25.26
Coupon ~ less $10.00

Total out-of-pocket with tax ~ $16.48

*Purell Mail-in-Rebate ~ $4.99
**Expo Mail-in-Rebate ~ $5.29

Total with tax after Rebates ~ $6.20

A 55% savings - not too bad for ink, considering the other "freebies."

*The Purell mir is a limit of 5, but all must be purchased in the same transaction.
**The Expo rebate will print out with your receipt when you purchase it. Limit 1.
***The regular price for these Post-It's was $5.99, with an instant $5.00 rebate. I printed out a $1.00 coupon from moneysavingmom.com, but Office Depot says they do not accept any manufacturer's coupons.

You might note that the $10 off $25 cannot be used for HP ink and some other items listed on the coupon.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now for a very interesting transaction at Rite Aid. Before you ask any questions, I'd like to say that I'll make at least $15.00 on this deal after receiving my mail-in-rebates, and I also have a $7.00 Up Reward to use towards my next purchase!

I hope you get a good laugh out of the photograph ~ one of my lovely daugh . . . someone with a very good sense of humor snapped it for me and even loaded it onto the computer so as to save me time, and I very much appreciate it! Btw, laughter has wonderful benefits, some of which are listed below.

The following is quoted from about.com.

• Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.

• Physical Release: Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.

• Internal Workout: A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.

• Distraction: Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress, and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.

• Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter connects us with others. Also, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more! : )

Now, after all that, I would be very embarrassed if you didn't have a good laugh.

Total before coupons ~ $32.36
Dollar amount of coupons used ~ $23.50

All of the items were on sale. After coupons it was ~ $10.65
Mail in rebates total ~ $25.98
Up Reward for next time ~ $7.00
So actually, a $22.33 money-maker!

These two boxes of Kleenex will come in very handy until a great toilet paper deal comes along (I just can't make myself pay full price!) A trial size bag of Tug-a-Boo diapers didn't make it into the picture, although it would have been very appropriate, considering. And, I won't give any hints, but I'm pretty sure I know someone who could use this Cryostat. Is there anyone out there who is interested in the Zegerid or Dulcolax?

Greetings!

Perhaps there is someone out there interested in my Rite Aid purchases pictured here. If so, you might like to know that I spent a total of $7.49 on these items, plus the final transaction (there were three in all) included a coupon for $10 off my next purchase! My girls weren't too happy with me though ~ only because we never made it to JoAnn's tonight. I had all my coupons clipped, list in hand, and it didn't take long to gather the items. But, checkout was a different story. The young man who checked me out (very nice and helpful gentleman) explained that Rite Aid was currently making changes in their coupon policy. Apparently, many people are cheating the system - photocopying coupons, using expired coupons, etc. So, he very carefully examined each of my many coupons, which took some time. Plus, I had a return and and an exchange. Thankfully, there was another cashier to help the other customers! Well all of my coupons worked except for one. News flash - - - you can only use one UP Reward coupon per transaction. (The UP Reward system is new and I haven't learned all the ropes yet.) Another news flash - - - UP Rewards won't pay for tax, so if you have an item worth $9.99, you can't use a $10.00 Up Reward to pay for it, unless you throw in another item. The cost before tax must be equal to or more than the UP Reward.

This past Sunday's paper included several BOGO free coupons, and paired with Rite Aid's sale of BOGO free for those same items, many were free! (Well, I still had to pay tax! That really adds up fast . . . ugh.) So, all 12 feminine products and 6 bags of m&m's were free. (Yes, I know there are only 4 bags in the picture . . .) Because I used a $5 off $25 dollar coupon for each of my three transactions, I ended up with some extras ~ a pair of earrings and a cute top for Lil, and an octopus clip for Eady. Baby girl got to eat m&m's on the way home! And you'll never guess what she told her sister's while they waited so patiently in the check out lane! "When we wake up in a mwoning, I wanna go do Wite Aid!" That's my girl!

In all, my total before coupons was $95.84, and the final cost with coupons was $7.49! Keep in mind that several items were By One Get One free, so the total cost would have been much more without the sale. That's a savings of over 92%!

Baby and I *heart* Wite Aid!