Walgreens Shopping Trip 12/30/09

I keep hearing that there are just no good deals out there on Toilet Paper, and when there are, it's for some awful TP that no one in their right mind would purchase. As for myself, I'm a Charmin girl! I don't want those "soft as sandpaper" toilet tissues touching my, um, err, tush.

The very unfortunate thing is that Charmin generally only puts out these 25¢ coupons and the packages are always about $4.00 or so. So then, you're thinking, "well, $3.75 instead of $4.00 isn't much of a savings now, is it?" And you're right. So today was 25% employee discount day at Walgreens. Remember, my daughter works at Walgreens, and moved back in with us last summer. (Yippee! I may never let her leave!) Charmin was on sale for $3.49 for a 6 Big Roll Packs, and with the discount, that made the only $2.62 per package, minus my 25¢ coupon, I'd only be paying $2.37 a 6 Big Roll Pack. But they have a deal that when you buy $30 in Participating Proctor and Gamble Products, you get a free 50 ounce Tide (8.99 value). And, as it turns out, I also was almost out of paper towels, so I needed to get Bounty as well.

So here's what I did:

Transaction #1=
3- boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch = 2/$4.00 = 6.00 = after discounts 4.50
1- Gallon Milk = 1.99 (no discount)
3- 42 count boxes Prilosec OTC = 18.99 each = 56.97 = after discounts 42.72
2- Glade scented oil candles (I bought the wrong ones, oops!) = 3.79 each = 7.58 = after discount 5.68
Total Value =
72.54 = after discounts = 54.89
Minus:
General Mills Cereal Coupon = $1.00/3 = 1.00
Prilosec OTC coupons $3/1 x 3 = 9.00
Glade candle coupon $2/2 = 2.00
Total Out Of Pocket= 42.89
Recieved Back:
$10.00 Register Rewards from buying 3 packs of Prilosec
$2.00 Register Rewards from buying 2 boxes of General Mills Cereal and 1 Gallon Milk


Transaction #2:
4- 6 Big Roll Packs of Charmin = 3.49 ea. or 13.96 = after discount.. 10.48
4- Bounty 8 Roll Packs = 6.49 ea. or 25.96 = after discount.. 19.48
1- Dawn Dish Detergent= 99¢ = after discount.. 74¢
12- Soft Soap = 1.00 ea. or 12.00 = after discount.. 9.00
2- Sharpie Pens 2 packs = 2.50 ea. or 5.00 = after discount.. 3.74
1- penway portfolio = 39¢ = after discount.. 29¢
Total Value: 58.30 = after discounts.. 43.73
Minus:
4- 25¢/1 Charmin Coupons = $1.00
4- 25¢/1 Bounty Coupons = $1.00
1- 25¢/1 Dawn Detergent Coupon = 25¢
12- 35¢/1 Soft Soap Coupons = 4.20
2- Walgreens Sharpie Coupon for 69¢ = 2.70
1- Walgreens School Supplies Coupon for 19¢ = 15¢
1- $10.00 Register reward (from Transaction #1)
1= $2.00 Register reward (from Transaction #2)
Total Out Of Pocket:
22.43
Received Back:
Free Coupon for 50 ounce Tide




Transaction #3
50 ounce Tide = 8.99
Used Coupon from Transaction #2 = 8.99
Total out of Pocket = 0.00



So in total today's value was $135.33 or $107.61 (after discounts)
and I only spent 65.32 (just a little over the cost of just the Prilosec!)

I've been away!

Wow! I've been gone for quite a while. My business picked up dramatically at the end of October and kept that way until the 19th of this month. My business is really only this busy during the holidays. Wondering what I do? Check it out at www.GourmetMixMarket.com. Yup, I have to get to updating the site as well! But that's what January is for!

So what's taken me so long to get back to posting? The sad fact is, I didn't have my coupons in order. I had kept up with buying newspapers, but did not keep up with clipping and filing them.

So on Monday morning I set to work. First purging the coupon keepers of all the expired coupons. When I was done, the keepers were just SO empty. And then I began clipping the new (many of the new ones were expired too. It was all very depressing!).

By Tuesday afternoon I had them all filed and ready to go. That did not mean, however, that I had any idea of what was out there... on sale or otherwise! So, I began by going off to my favorite couponing site www.afullcup.com and seeing what the ladies had been getting into over there.

I saw that there were a few deals for soda, crackers, and avocados at Albertsons, and margarine, sour cream, paper plates, and plastic cups at Safeway. (There was also a much better deal at Safeway for the same crackers that Albertsons had, but I didn't see it until AFTER I used my coupons at Albertsons. This is what you get for being out for 2 months.) So I ran over to Albertsons and Safeway on Tuesday to get my goodies! I felt really good about my trip too! I saved 57%. It's not quite the 60% that I aim for, but hey, I've been out of practice for two months! (Hmmm, I wonder how long can I use that excuse?)

Today I went to Walgreens and did about the same. 54% or so. Not bad. But I'm SO excited to get back to saving money! I made so much this past couple of months and I want to hang on to it, not spend it on Groceries! Uggh! But wouldn't you know it? Today while I was out and about, I forgot to go by Safeway and Albertsons to get their new flyers. Oh, no! See? That's what happens when you're out of practice. But, Tomorrow I need to take the dogs to the vet for their checkups and on the way home I'll stop by and grab the flyers. In the meantime, I'll be checking out www.afullcup.com and going to www.safeway.com and www.albertsons.com to see what I can find!