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Saturday, February 14, 2009

A Peek at Next Week's Walgreens Deals

February 15-21, 2009
First of all, if you are new to Walgreens, please check out my post here. It explains how to get the most deals from your Walgreens shopping trip.

Thanks to Hot Coupon World, we can go here and check out next week's deals.

If you have not purchased your FAR (Free After Rebate Items), here's the match-ups:

Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Shampoo, Conditioner or Styling Product
$4.29
-$1.00 (1/4 Red Plum coupon)
= Free + Earn $1.00 after coupon and rebate!!

Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer or Spa Foundation
$9.99
-$2.00 (1/11 Smart Source coupon)
= Free + Earn $2.00 after coupon and rebate!!

Revlon Creme Lip Gloss
$9.99 (on sale for B1G1 free!)
-$2.00 (2/8 Smart Source coupon)
= Two Free + Earn $2.00 after coupon and rebate!!

ThermaCare Trial Size Neck, Shoulder or Wrist Heat Wrap
$2.49
= Free after rebate!!

Walgreens Multi-Purpose No Rub Solution 4 oz.
$1.99
= Free after rebate!!

Zucol Cold Care Lozenges 18 pack
$7.99
-$2.00 (2/1 Smart Source or Printable Coupon here)

Here's a few other coupon match-ups for next week:

Airwick FreshMatic Kit
$8.99
-$4.00 (printable coupon here)
-$3.00 (EasySaver Rebate #34)
=$1.99 after coupon and rebate!!

Select Kellogg's Cereals
$10.00 for 4
-$1.50/2 (1/18 Red Plum coupon)
-$1.00/2 (printable coupon here)
-$3.00 (Register Rewards wyb 4)
=$4.50/4 Boxes of Kellogg's Cereals

Walgreens Brand Diapers
$8.99
-$3.00 (Walgreens weekly ad coupon pg. 6)
=$5.99
*I have been very pleased with these diapers - the green packages seem to work the best.

Colgate Toothpaste 4.6 oz.
$.99 (on sale)
-$1.00 (2/1 SmartSource coupon)
= Free after coupon!!

For a complete match-up of all of the Walgreens deals for next week, check out Moms By Heart.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Where Do I Find My Coupons?

One of the top questions that I am asked when people see my large binder filled with coupons is: "Where do you find all of your coupons?" Here is a list of the top locations that I have found for coupons.

1. Sunday Newspaper Coupon Inserts

Of course, one of the best sources for manufacturer coupons is the Sunday paper. The following are the coupon inserts that you may find in your paper: Smart Source, Red Plum, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, and Kelloggs.

The amount of inserts varies from week to week and from paper to paper. I typically go to a gas station that I know carries several major city newspapers (Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit) so that I have the best selection of coupon inserts. Then I stand there and look through each paper to find out which ones have the most coupons.

You can also go to this site to get a sneak peak of what coupons will be in the paper for the upcoming weekend (available Thursday evenings). You may want to purchase several papers if you see a lot of coupons that would be of value to you.

2. Printable Internet Coupons

Printable manufacturer coupons are one of my favorite ways to save. Many times you can find coupons online for $1.00-$2.00 off of products! There are several sites that offer a collection of coupons that you can print. Try here and here.

One very helpful thing to remember about printing coupons from the internet, is that you can almost always print two of every one! Simply hit the back browser button until the print screen appears again. Usually, however, the maximum amount you can print is two. Two other sites that offer a list of many printable coupons from all over the web are here and here. You will probably want to bookmark these sites so you can come back to them often.

3. Request Samples

Another great way to get manufacturer coupons is by signing up for free samples. Companies will often offer free samples of their products, and with them, will also send coupons for cents off or for free products. I have so much fun checking my mailbox every day. I have gotten samples of anything from trash bags to diapers to granola bars.

4. All You Magazine

This is a magazine that is available at Walmart, and is usually packed with manufacturer coupons. Towards the back of the magazine is an index with a list of all of the coupons that are featured in that issue. I usually check the index before I purchase it to make sure that it has coupons in it that I would use.

5. E-Mail the Company

Go through your pantry and bathroom cabinet and see what products you use frequently that you can not find coupons for. Then, e-mail the company telling them how much you enjoy their product, and ask if they could send you coupons for their product. I have only been turned down a couple of times - frequently, I get more coupons than I can use! It also pays off to e-mail a company when you are disappointed with their product. For example, I recently received a trash bag sample that tore as soon as I tried to take the garbage out. I e-mailed the company letting them know that I was disappointed with the free sample that they sent me. They immediately sent me a coupon for a free box of trash bags!

Other options include coupon trading (there is a trading forum at Hot Coupon World) and paying people to clip coupons for you (one of the sites that offers this is Coupon Clippers). I have not tried either of these options, but it might be something that you would want to look into.

Walgreens Deals for This Week - 2/8-2/14

After writing a post on how to spend freely at Walgreens (located here), I thought I would show you an example of my Walgreens trip for this week.
My Shopping Cart -

Gillette Fusion Razor
$8.99 (on sale)
-$4.00 (2/8 Procter & Gamble coupon)
-$6.00 (Register Rewards at checkout)
= I "earned" $1.01!!
Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Razor
$8.99 (on sale)
-$2.00 (2/8 Procter & Gamble coupon)
-$6.00 (Register Rewards at checkout)
= $.99
Colgate Toothpaste 6.4 oz.
$1.50 (on sale)
-$1.00 (2/1 Smart Source coupon)
= $.50
2 Progresso Soup
$1.25 (on sale)
-$1.10 (printable coupon here)
=$.15 each
2 Fantastik Cleaner
$2.50 (on sale)
-$1.00 (printable coupon here)
-$1.00 (EasySaver Rebate #30)
=$.50 each
2 Windex Wipes
$2.50 (on sale)
-$1.50 (printable coupon here)
-$1.00 (EasySaver Rebate #30)
=FREE
Revlon Spa Foundation
$9.99 (on sale)
-$2.00 (1/11 Smart Source coupon)
-$9.99 (EasySaver Free After Rebate Item)
=I "earned" $2.00 after rebate!
Revlon Creme Lip Gloss
$9.99
-$1.00 (1/11 Smart Source coupon)
-$9.99 (EasySaver Free After Rebate Item)
=I "earned" $1.00 after rebate!
Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves Shampoo
$3.49
-$1.00 (1/4 Red Plum coupon)
-$3.49 (EasySaver Free After Rebate Item)
=I "earned" $1.00 after rebate!
2 Glade Sense & Spray Air Fresheners
$8.99 (on sale)
-$8.99 (Buy One Get One Free printable coupon here)
-$4.00 (2/8 Smart Source coupon)
-$6.00 (EasySaver Rebate #28)
=I "earned" $1.01 after rebate!
For a complete listing of Walgreens deals, check out Lori's blog (Mom's By Heart) here.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

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!

Why Am I Doing This?

Over the past couple of months, I have been gradually learning more and more about ways to save money with coupons, rebates and freebies. Each week, I have been shaving money off of our grocery budget through the methods I have learned. Friends, family and even strangers have been asking me to show them how to spend less...how to get things free...so my blog, "Spend Freely" has been born.