Spending Freely at Walgreens

When I am asked what my secrets are to saving my family so much money every month, shopping at Walgreens is one of the first things that pops in my head. This post is dedicated to sharing with you how you can make the most out of your Walgreens shopping experience.

First of all, there is the Walgreens EasySaver Rebates program. Every month, Walgreens puts out an EasySaver catalog which lists several products that are FAR (Free After Rebate), products they will give you partial rebates for, and IVC (Instant Value Coupons). These catalogs are located at the front of the store with the weekly flyers.

1. FAR (Free After Rebate) Items - Every month, there are several products that Walgreens will give you a full rebate for (you cover the tax). For example, this month you can purchase Loreal foundation, Loreal lip gloss, Garnier Fructis shampoo or conditioner, and a couple of other items and receive a full rebate back. The best part about the FAR items, is that you can actually "earn money" by combining a coupon with the rebate item. You will receive the full price of the item back as a rebate, so any coupon you use with it will actually allow you to earn money on your purchase.

Example:
Purchase a Revlon Creme Lip Gloss for $10.00 (February Free After Rebate Item)
Use a Revlon $2.00 off manufacturers coupon (from 1/11/09 Smart Source Coupon Flyer)
Pay $8.00 OOP (out of pocket)
Receive $10.00 back from Walgreens
You just earned $2.00!!!

2. Partial Rebate Items - Every month the Walgreens EasySaver catalog also lists a number of items that you can receive a partial rebate for when purchased. This month, there is a $1.00 rebate on many cleaning items such as the Windex Glass & Surface Pre-Moistened Wipes. These rebates are best when they are on sale and when you can combine them with a manufacturers coupon. One thing to remember on these items is that they each have a limit of rebates you can claim per offer. For example, the rebate limit for the Windex Glass & Surface Wipes is four, meaning the most you can claim a rebate for are four of these items.

Example:
Purchase Windex Glass & Surface Wipes (on sale for $2.50)
Use a $1.50 off Windex Wipes printable coupon (located here)
Receive $1.00 back from Walgreens (EasySaver Rebate #30)
Final Price = Free

3. IVCs (Instant Value Coupons) - These are Walgreens-specific coupons that are found in the EasySaver catalog each month. They are only good for the month in which they are issued. The best thing about these and other Walgreens-specific coupons, is that they can be combined with a manufacturers coupon.

Example:
Purchase Schick Men's Razor or Cartridges 4 pack for $8.99
Use a $3.00 off (February IVC coupon, page 17)
Use $2.00 off manufacturers coupon (from 1/25/09 Smart Source insert)
Final Price = $3.99

Submitting Your Rebates -
To submit your rebate, you simply go to the Walgreens website, enter the information from your receipt(s), and submit it. You can enter several receipts throughout the month and wait to submit everything until the end. Every month there is a date that all your receipts have to be entered by, or you will not receive your rebate.
You can choose to have your rebate sent to you in the form of a check or in the form of a Walgreens gift card. Walgreens will give you a 10% bonus if you choose a gift card, so I always choose that option. You will have to wait 4-6 weeks for your first rebate, but if you choose the gift card option, it only takes 2-3 weeks for all subsequent rebates.


Walgreens Weekly Ad -
Another great way to save at Walgreens is through the weekly ad. These can be found in your Sunday paper and/or at the front of the store. Besides the weekly sales, these ads also contain Walgreens-specific 7 day coupons. Once again, because Walgreens allows you to combine a Walgreens coupon and a manufacturers coupon, these can turn out to be great deals!

Example:
Use a Walgreens 7 day coupon for Progresso Soup (4/$5.00)
Use a $1.10 off Progresso Soup printable coupon (located here)
Final Price = $ .15




Register Rewards -
Walgreens weekly ads also list several products that offer Register Rewards. These are coupons (good for your next purchase) that will print off at the register when you purchase certain products. Register Rewards can be used like cash. They usually expire within two weeks. Once again, by combining these deals with manufacturers coupons, Walgreens coupons, or both, you can come out "earning money." Some things to remember regarding Register Rewards: You must buy the exact items advertised, you can not receive more than one Register Reward for the same deal in one transaction, be aware at checkout (if your RRs don't print, make sure you either return the items that you purchased, or you contact the Catalina company that prints the RRs 1-888-322-3814).

Example:
Purchase a Gillette Fusion Razor (On sale for $8.99)
Use a $4.00 off manufacturers coupon (from 2/8/09 Proctor & Gamble insert)
Receive a $6.00 Register Reward at checkout
You just "earned" $1.00!

Hopefully, this will get you started on your Walgreens adventure. I plan on keeping this site updated weekly with the deals that are offered each month in the EasySaver catalog, as well as the weekly deals. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Have fun spending freely!