Walgreens Trip 3/1/11

Yesterday I went to Walgreens to do a trip for the newbies. Today, I went to Walgreens to do my trip, which is with the multiple coupons that I have from the last 2 months.
Here's what I did:

Total: $136.27. Paid: $11.32. Earned $6.00 in Register Rewards for my next trip!

(Total of 5 transactions)

I don't want to go into details, because most of you probably don't have a stack of coupons from the previous week's, so I'll just make some notes.

Do I really NEED all of this "stuff". No, I really just need the following:

(6) Dayquil/Nyquil, (6) Puffs tissue, (2) Colgate, (2) Tylenol Precise, and maybe I'll use that Glade Lasting Scents warmer, not sure yet. The point is, I only paid $11.32, and got much more than the stuff I need.

Anyways, the reason why I brought this up is because I want to explain why getting this much "stuff" is not really necessary, but if you want to maximize your savings, it kind of is! I know, weird huh, you've got to bring home more if you want to spend less! It's like when you listen to infomercials on TV that state you can lose weight by eating more! LOL. Anyways, Let's take just one example of something I absolutely do NOT need, why I purchased it, and what I can do with it.

What I do NOT need:

Poligrip Denture Cream:

Why I purchased it:

This kind of purchase is what's called a "Money Maker" or "MM". Couponers buy these types of items, because when drug stores like CVS & Walgreens have incentives for buying the item, minus the coupons we hold, we get more back than what we put in.

This poligrip cream was in the ad for $1.99, and gave a Register Reward for $1.99. This reward prints after you purchase the item. Thus, the need to break up your transactions, so you can apply it to the next one. Also called "rolling transactions"

So, the price was $1.99 and I had a coupon for $1.00 off. I paid $0.99 for the item and got $1.99 back to spend on the next item. I MADE $1.00 for buying something I don't need.

What I can do with it:

OK so, this is not just for Poligrip, but here goes, "6 things to do with free items that you don't need".

#1 - Give it away - do you know anyone who needs it? They will love you for giving them free stuff. OR better yet, in these hard economic times, we all know someone who has been laid off or has less income than before. Imagine what a difference you can make if you donated items to your friends and family that are need!

#2 - Sell it - Ebay, Craigslist, have a garage sale, you get the point. You can sell anything these days.

#3 - Donate it - Wouldn't it be cool if you were so good at couponing that you have loads of stuff? You can donate old people stuff to your local Senior Citizens home. For other items like food that you don't want, give it to a shelter or charity. I know I can't afford to send monetary gifts to charity, so why not items that you obtained for free?

#4 - Ship it - Do you know anyone in the military? Maybe not for this item, but for personal care items, like toothpaste, lotion, shavers, some snacks, etc., this would be a great idea!

#5 - Gift it - Again, not for this particular item, but what about baby stuff? Maybe you can save stuff for the next baby shower you are invited to!

#6 - Send it to school with your kids - Ok, again, not for this particular item, but do you know that in Texas, we have to buy our own school supplies for our kids every year? Other than the obvious, pens, pencils, paper, crayons, markers, composition notebooks, there are personal items like Tissue, Baby wipes, Hand sanitizer, etc. that is on our required purchase list. For everyone else, have you noticed I buy a lot of candy? I definately don't EAT all that, nor do I let my kids... I save it for when the school has a classroom party, I can donate a ton of candy!

Hope this helps! Please post a comment if you shopped at Walgreens this week, I'd love to hear what you purchased and how much you saved!

Happy Shopping!

 - Veronica