At what point do you feel it is time to slow down on your visits to CVS & Walgreens? I mean, I am no where near the “cherry picking” stage in my stockpiling but I am beginning to get funny looks when I walk in the house with more shampoo or feminine hygiene products. We only have 10 shampoos, 10 conditioners, 9 body washes, 9 packages of razors, 9 packages of pads, 10 tubes of toothpaste, numerous lotions, deodorants and several bars of soap. We don’t exactly have the space to be stockpiling but somehow I find the room each time I come in loaded down with virtually free stuff! Our full sized stand up freezer that went out last Summer has become a pantry…I knew there was a reason we didn’t have someone come haul it off!! I’m telling you, it works!! I have to say though, I would rather have a working freezer again but I am glad to have put it to use for something. Our laundry room has room for the washer, dryer, hamper and a shelving system I bought from Target a few years back. It doesn’t hold much but again, it works. I can’t seem to use “we have no more room” as an excuse to stop. I won’t listen if my kids tell me that we have enough shampoo or toothpaste because these are things we will always need. I know that I will never as long as I am able, pay full price for another bar of soap or razor again in my life! Why should I? I mean, as long as the wonderful manufacturers keep putting out the coupons, who am I to turn down cash money? That IS what it IS!
My last trip to Walgreens is the perfect example of this. As I am in line with my purchases the cashier is ringing up the following:
4 Dove Shampoos @ $4.99 each = $19.96 (printable coupon here) also in the 10/4 RP – Earn $10.00 RR’s when you purchase 8
4 Dove Conditioners @ $4.99 each = $19.96 (printable coupon here) also in the 10/4 RP
1 Dove Bar Soap @ $1.39 each – 10/4 RP
1 18ct. pkg Always Infinity Panty Liners @ $5.29 each – free from BeingGirl.com mailer
1 22 ct. Carefree Panty Liners @ $1.49 each – .99 with WAGs in ad coupon and $1.00 off 8/30 SS
1 10ct. Zantac 75 @ $4.99 each – (printable here)
5 pkgs of Royal Gelatin @ .62 -.69 each = $3.34 (I used a coupon that I had received over a year ago that had no expiration date)
1 Chapstick @ $2.99 – earn $3.00 RRs
1 Dulcolax @ $7.00 – $3.00 coupon on bottle plus $4.00 RRs back
1 gallon of Milk @1.99
Walgreens Toilet Paper 6 roll @ $2.99
I watch as the total drops from $77.28 minus the B1/G1 on the Dove to $51.43. Then I hand my coupons to the cashier and watch it drop to $23.15…wow! It was at this point that I went for the $21.00 in Register Rewards I had from my 1st Wags trip…(I still have $8.00 left over) and heard the cashier say “your total is $2.15″…dang! I said, “now that is how to shop!”. The cashier didn’t say anything but as I was leaving I heard the man behind me say “she’s right, that is how to shop”.
Now, I ask you, when is free too much? Is it considered greed if I go back and get that free after RRs – Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion or the free after printable coupon – Zantac? These are things I am always going to need or use so why wait until I absolutely have to have it to pay full price? It doesn’t make sense to me to wait. No, I don’t consider it greed…I consider it being smart – and for those of you that say you don’t have time for coupons, I say it’s worth it to make a little time. The resources are out there all over the Internet. You are reading this aren’t you? Grab a pen and paper and write down my scenario then grab your coupons and start clipping or printing. In no time, it will become easy and then you will realize just how an hours worth of time it. In my case it was worth $92.13 for an hour and a half. That’s $77.23 worth of merchandise minus the $2.15 out of pocket plus the $17.00 in Register Rewards I earned for my next trip…
I will continue to make room for these deals and as fast as they get used up in my house, not a chance of you ever seeing me on the tv show about people that hoard things…LOL!
