Deals & Steals

As I mentioned in an earlier post, couponing has become sort of a hobby for me. I guess I shouldn't call it a hobby, because that indicates something that costs money and provides pleasure. My version of couponing (not buying too many things I won't use, etc.) doesn't cost me, but saves big time on the things I ordinarily have to buy.
I have always hated spending money on things like deodorant, diapers, toothpaste, all of those things that are so important but seem to cost so much! I would much rather spend my $ on new clothes, hobby items, or Biggby coffee...seriously. Having 4 kids and a life, though, often dictate the opposite. :)
The cool thing is that I never thought I would see the day where quality and expensive brands, with a little coupon savvy, would be almost free.
That day is here, and I'm taking advantage of it while it lasts!
I was telling a friend about a deal I had recently found, and she asked why I wasn't posting them on this blog. I guess I just figured there are about a bazillion couponing blogs out there, and if someone wants to find a deal they have all sorts of outlets for learning. This week, though, there are several awesome bargains which some of you may find very valuable.
Rite Aid - I haven't ever really been a huge fan of this store, basically because I'm not into rebates. I'm not good with making sure all of the paperwork is in on time, and tracking my rewards. Some people can do it, not me. At least I'm not into making myself. Recently, though, they have begun an UP Rewards program, which is similar to CVS Extra Bucks. There is always a limit of one per transaction, but you can do multiple transactions and roll them over. Most deodorant sales mean little to me because Greg uses the same brand, and it is an expensive one...Old Spice Red Zone. There are cheaper Old Spice deodorants, but this one works for him, and smelling good is worth whatever $ you must pay. :) His deodorant is about $3.77 or more at WalMart. Last night I assembled my P&G coupons, and went to Rite Aid for their Old Spice sale. I ended up spending just over $10, and received $4 back in UP rewards, meaning I can go back and use the $4 on anything I want with no minimum purchase. Here is my deal:

Regular price was over $55. In case you can't see the products clearly, I snagged 4 of the deodorants, 4 body wash, 4 body spray, and 1 Butterfinger (needed a 50 cent filler item to use one of the coupons, so a 50 cent candy bar makes a great filler...lol). By the way, with 9 and 10 year old boys, you can never have too much body wash!

WalGreens - Pampers Wipes on sale 2/$5, two $2 off coupons from P&G, my total purchase was $1.33 (including tax).

CVS - I usually get great deals with the CVS Extra Bucks program, but this particular trip was mostly made up of clearance deals. I went in for a 50 cent BAN deodorant, and came out with this:

4 tubes Colgate Total Whitening toothpaste, 1 Ban Deodorant, 1 Huggies body wash, 3 tubes Oragel, 3-2 pks. of Nuby pacifiers, 2 pks. Pedialyte strips, 2-4 pks. Pedialyte singles, 2 Pedialyte 32 oz., 2 pkgs. GoodNights Pull Ups (Huggies), 3 pkg. Playschool hand wipes, 1 pkg. cotton cloths moist wipes, and 2 bottles Aveeno Baby Wash for sensitive skin. The funny thing is that these items originally ranged in price from $1.49 each (the hand wipes) to $13.99 (Good Nights) with most items falling at around $5 - $6 bucks a piece. My total was right at $35 plus I received $2 extra bucks. That may still seem like a lot of money to you, but if you are out of Pedialyte when the kids get sick 75% off sales aren't to be found! These items can be useful in baby shower gifts, or in our case my own kids or my neices and nephew.
One more deal to pass along...I know most of us either hate or refuse to wear pantyhose, but in my case they are a necessity some of the time. And with my build, support is a necessity, as well. :) I religiously wear one of the better labels from No Nonsense...Great Shapes, Sheer Endurance, or something like that. They run $4.99 a piece regular price at Meijer, Walmart, etc. I try to always have a good supply because paying that price is killer, especially when some of them are known to explode after just one wear...haha. Meijer and WalGreens run bogo specials every couple of months, and at the last WalGreens bogo sale I was floored to see that the manufacturer had put out double packs...so even at regular price I was already getting one free. Add the bogo to the deal, and I purchased 78 bucks worth of pantyhose for like $17. Amazing. This week Walgreens is doing the bogo sale again, and one of my good bargain buddies alerted me that they still have some double packs. I have tons from the first sale, so I will probably leave the bargain to other needy souls! If you like good pantyhose at an awesome price, head to Walgreens soon.

Since I don't have my teaching income in the summer (it's not a huge income obviously, but it does help cover household necessities), I have created a huge stock in my laundry room. It looks like a very unorganized, small scale, Sam's Club. My goal this week is to reorganize and free up cabinets to simply house my almost free deals, thus avoiding those last-minute, unplanned, non-coupon purchases which tend to eat our $! By the way, a trip to WalMart is completely rare for us anymore. And I love it! Woo Hoo!