Is there a 12 step program for this???

I'm totally addicted! Totally! I wait anxiously for the paper on Wednesday morning so I can scour the Dillon's ad for deals. And don't get me started on the Sunday paper. Do you know what gems are in there?? The Walgreen's ad is a diamond in the rough. Ok, enough with the stupid cliches. But, seriously, there are deals to be found out there.

I used to hate Walgreens. The selection seemed small, I could never find the advertised products, and it just seemed more expensive. I reserved my trips there for last minute items that I just had to have and it was the closest store around. AND THEN. I learned how to shop there. How to use the weekly ad as well as the Easy Saver book, rebates, manufacturer's coupons...and I started saving money, big time!!

Here's my latest find. All of the items in the picture below SHOULD have been purchased with NO out of pocket money. But, I screwed up (hey, I'm still learning, too) and whipped out my credit card to pay for one item before I remembered I had a WG gift card. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Check out the photo, and then I'll give you the rundown.


Ignore the half eaten Zone bar, I got hungry on the way home. =)

Ok, let me start off by telling you that I had a gift card to Walgreens with $26+ on it -- that gift card is from rebates at Walgreens using the Easy Saver booklet you can find in the store. If you redeem the rebates on a WG gift card instead of a check, you get a 10% bonus.

I purchased the above in 2 transactions. The reason for that is because I got Register Rewards (RR) on the first transaction, which is just like cash, that you can use on your very next transaction...and I wanted to use it before I forgot I had it.

Transaction #1:
Gillette Fusion Gamer Razor - on sale for $8.99 and I used a $4.00 off coupon from the paper, THEN I got a $4 RR to use on transaction #2. Note: this is where I screwed up and used my credit card for the $5.56 total - I SHOULD have used my gift card.

Transaction #2:
4 Zone Bars - on sale 2 for $3, so $6 total. I had a coupon for buy one get THREE free = $1.59 (seems like it should be $1.50, but it's the way the "2 for" deal rang up. Go get that coupon HERE!!

Huggies Natural Care Wipes (216 ct) - on sale for $6 and I used a $5 off coupon I found on coupons.com (not sure if it's still available, but go look anyway!) There's a special at WG this week that if you spend $25 on huggies products (BEFORE COUPONS), you get a $10 RR - I decided not to do it.


Crest Pro-Health toothpaste - on sale for $2.49 and I had a $1 off manufacturer coupon pluse I got a $1 RR, so the total was $0.49. (I should have done this in the first transaction so I could use the $1 RR on this trans)


Aquafresh toothpaste - on sale for $0.99 with a Walgreens coupon from the weekly ad PLUS I had a $0.75 off coupon. Total was $0.24.

Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste - regular price $3.49 and I used a $2.50 store coupon from Easy Saver book plus a $1.50 manufacturer's coupon from the March All You magazine. Total was a MONEY MAKER! That's right...I made $0.51 on this deal.

I also purchased those bra things, y'know, so your straps don't show. My mom wanted them. They were on sale for $9.99, and I had no coupons for them.

I used the $4 RR from my first transaction, so the total was $10.03. This time I remembered my gift card, so there was NO out of pocket. plus, I got the $1 RR from the Crest to use on my next visit to the store. If I wouldn't have bought the bra things, I would have had to throw something else in my basket (gum, candy, whatever) or else my total would have been negative! Crazy, eh??

AND (yes, there's more), while I was there, I transferred a prescription so when I pick it up this afternoon, I'll use this coupon and get a $25 gift card. Not bad, huh?

It's a little daunting and frustrated when you first start, but it's SO worth it. And of course, I have 3 different brands of toothpaste that we didn't always buy before, but they'll work just fine!