Planning My sopping trips

I probably take the long route when I plan my trips, but hey, it works for me =)

When I buy my papers on Sunday morning I take out the Coupon inserts and the store ads.  Now I go to 5 stores a week, Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, Meijer, and occasionally the local grocery store if they have something cheaper than Meijer.

So anyway, I take the store ads and separate them in to two piles, one set is for my fiance, we go through the ads and circle the things we want and need.  After that I make a list for him and a list for me and compare them. Then I go back through his with him and cross off something that he may WANT but not need or something he can wait for.  I do the same with my list.

THEN I go through and see what I have coupons for.  After I have all that done I make a "Master List" for each store.  I paperclip my coupons by store and put them in my accordion file so that they don't get mixed up.

I do scour the internet for other deals and steals that I may have missed or that weren't advertised, but I don't always find things.

I also go to Wal Mart once or twice a month because sometimes they have better deals than other stores and I can get overages that I can use for meat or produce.

I also take my binder into the store with me, so if I see a deal that I missed I can grab it and check if I have a coupon. =)

Rite Aid Shopping Trip

Let me just say first that I NEVER got Rite Aid, I would always do really well at CVS and Walgreens but when it came to Rite Aid I wouldn't do very well.  I don't know if it was just my planning or what, but I didn't understand it.

Now however, I do, and I LOVE Rite Aid.

So here is my Saturday Shopping trip! =)  I went two separate times, so this really isn't a typical split transaction.

Trip 1:

Bought:
2 Gillette Mens Body Wash- 2/$8
2 John Frieda Full Repair products- BOGO 50% off
5 Gatorade- 5/$5
2 Jergens Natural Glow- $2.49

Used:
BOGO Free Gillette Mens Body Wash
(2) $5/1 John Frieda
(2) $2/1 Jergens Product
$7.38 in UPs+ Rewards

Total Out Of Pocket: $11.78
Saved: $35.81
Got Back $13 UPs+

Trip 2:

Bought:
5 Gatorade- 5/$5
2 Jergens Natural Glow- $2.49
4 John Frieda Products- BOGO 50%
4 Gillette Body Wash- 2/$8

Used:
(2) $2/1 Jergens
(4) $2/1 John Frieda
(2) BOGO Free Gillette
$13.00 UPs+

Total Out Of Pocket: $15.87
Saved: 48.91
Got Back $20.00 UPs+

Ok, so if you DO NOT know what UPs+ Rewards are read on:

Rite Aid has a customer loyalty program called wellness+, It is free to sign up and there are several perks to being a wellness+ member.  One of my favorite perks is the UPs+ rewards.  When you look through a Rite Aid ad certain Items will look like this:

What that means is that if you have a wellness+ Card you will get $2.00 back to use on your next purchase.  You will  NOT get $2.00 off your purchase of the Colgate, but at the end of your transaction when you get your receipt at the bottom there will be a part that says: +UP Reward $2 off from the purchase of Colgate. These rewards can only be redeemed at Rite Aid, but they are great to have, they can REALLY lower your Out Of Pocket Cost. =)

Do you enjoy shopping at Rite Aid?
Have a Great shopping Trip you would like to share?

Share it Below!

Have a great Day!!

Woo Hoo!!!

So Ladies and Gents!

I have been having such a good time couponing and saving money that I want to share it, and what better way to do that than to create a Blog!

First, let me say that I don't consider myself an "Extreme Couponer" I DO NOT buy 100 of the same item, and I do not clear shelves (I HATE SHELF CLEARERS.) Plus that show is making it harder and harder for those of us who use coupons correctly.

Second, I DO buy stuff I don't have coupons for.  My family is very "brand specific" and sometimes we need something that I don't have a coupon for.  That is fine with me. Plus we eat a lot of fresh foods and not to many processed foods.

Third, These are my REAL savings.  I may not save a ton, but even a few bucks here and there count. =)

Fourth, I AM a member of CVS and Rite Aid customer loyalty programs.  So when I buy certain Items at CVS I get ECBs( Extra Care Bucks) and at Rite Aid I get UP Rewards.  Those are equivalent to money at that store so it can be used for your next purchase.

Fifth, Normally I try not to break my trips up into to many transactions, I try to stick with one big one, but sometimes you can only get a certain deal if you do smaller transactions, so I do. =)

And I think that's about it!
Welcome to my blog!! =)