Free Colgate; Cheap Trident & Vasoline Lotion at Rite Aid

I love, Love, LOVE shopping days like this one! I knew that I wanted to get into Rite Aid for some Vasoline Body Lotion because it was on sale this week for only .99¢ once you consider RRs. I could definitely stock up on some for that price! And, I had $9 RRs from last week to roll. I only needed to spend another $11 to earn my $20 Winter Rewards RR. That meant that I only had to spend $2 out of pocket to earn $20 towards next month's purchases. Sweet, right??? I thought so. It gets better, though.

Rite Aid paid me $4 to buy 4 packages of Colgate Total Toothpaste. Here's how: each Colgate was on sale for $3.50. I used (4) $1/1 coupon from last Sunday's insert to make the price $2.50 each and I earned back $3.50 on each one. Net result= profit $4.00.

Trident Gum is on sale for $1.29/package with a Buy One, Get One sale. That makes them only .66¢ each. I bought six packs and used (2) $1/1 coupons to make the price $1.87 for all six packs or only .31¢ each.

I started today with $9 in RRs. My $21.74 in merchandise reduced to $11.87 with sales and coupons. I paid with $9 RRs and $2.87 cash. I earned $34.00 RRs! (4) $3.50 RRs and (1) $20.00 RR.

I did not wind up getting the .99¢ lotion because they were out of stock, but I was too excited to care. The sale is good through Saturday.

Did anyone else stock up at Rite Aid this week?
Sonja ♥

Sales for January 8th-12th

Walgreen's
I found a few interesting items for Walgreen's this week. Some of these are not yet combined with its coupon match up, (if I can find a coupon for them), but it is a start...

I am planning another stock up for both Bugles and Chex Mix. These are on sale for 4/$6 with an in store coupon for $1 off 4. 4/$5=$1.25 each. There is a $1/2 coupon in this week's everyday saver coupon insert. Using two of them brings the price to 4/$3 or .75¢/bag.  I found a coupon HERE at coupons.com for .50/2 Chex Mix, bringing the cost to $1/bag. You can print these twice. Bugles are $1.25 each bag.

Eclipse and Orbit gum is on sale for .79¢ with an in ad coupon on page 4. Limit 4.

Butterball Chicken Broth 14.5 oz cans are on sale for 2/$1 with in ad coupon, also on page 4. Limit 4.

Domino Sugar 4 lb bags are on sale for $2.49/bag with in ad coupon on page 5. Limit 5.

Reach Total Care Floss 30 yards on sale for $2.99. Print a $1/1 off any coupon HERE to bring the cost to $1.99 and earn a $2 RR on your next order. You can print two times. Two FREE Reach Total Care Floss Yards.

Kids Omega Smart Ultimate Fish Oils 60 ct with DHA on sale for $10 with a $10 register reward, which makes it like getting it for FREE. Limit 1 per transaction.

Blistex Lip Balm on sale for .99¢ with in ad coupon. There is a $1/2 off any Blistex Lip Care Products coupon that expires on 1/31/12. This brings the price to .49¢ each.

Tom's of Maine Unscented Deodorant, Cool Mountain Mint Mouthwash, and Toothpaste are each on sale for $3.99 with a $3 RR for use on your next purchase for a cost of .99¢ each.

Syntha-6 Meal Replacement Bar on sale for $1.89 with a $1.89 RR for use on your next purchase making this like getting it FREE.

Rite Aid:

Kellogg's Raisin Bran is on sale with a Buy One, Get One Free. I printed two copies of the .70¢/1 from coupons.com last week. These can be combined to get $1.40/2. The price of these is not listed, so I will have to check that before I decide to buy at this price. The ad mentions there being a $1/3 coupon in Sunday's paper, but I didn't see it. I will have to look more thoroughly.

ThermaCare Heat Wrap on sale for $3.00 with a $3.00 RR for your next purchase makes this FREE. Limit one per card.

Shaw's:

Land O Lakes Margarine or Spread is on sale for $1.69. Use the .75/1 coupon from 11/13/11 Smartsource, which doubles to $1.50, making each only .19¢. Our family prefers butter, but it would be good to have some of these in the freezer for cooking or to have on hand in a pinch when the butter prices are higher.

Wet Ones Wipe is on sale for $2.49. There were links to coupons.com for a .75/1 printable coupon, but I could not find it when I checked today. If you already printed the coupon, this would double to $1.50, bringing the cost to .99¢ each.

Coffee Mate Flavored Creamers are on sale for $1.99. Use the .75¢/2 printable coupon HERE to make the sale price $1.24 each.

Pennsylvania Dutch Noodles on sale for $1.00 are perfect for stews and soups to warm my family's bellies on cold, winter nights. Print your facebook coupon HERE for $1/2. Final cost $1.00 for 2 bags.

CVS:

Suave Invisible Solid is on sale for $1. You can use the .75¢/1 coupon from this week's Red Plum insert to make these .25¢ each.

According to a post by BargainBrianna today, All laundry detergent is on sale for $2, not $4. You can use the $1/1 coupons in last week's paper to make them only $1 each!!! You may be able to download a printable $1/1 coupon HERE. They will go fast, though. Great price, right? Additionally, it qualifies for the $10 CVS Gift Card when you spend $30 special this week. Gotta love that!

More to come as I scan through Walmart, Target, and Hannaford sales for the week. So, check back again.

Goodnight, Friends.
Sonja ♥

Despite Hoards of Last Minute Shoppers, Target, Walmart. & Rite Aid Today

I didn't relish the prospect of the inevitable crowds completing their last minute shopping sure to crowd the stores, but I had prepared this week's grocery coupons, matched carefully to the store's sales. My trusted and valiant chauffeur at my side, I ventured forth to see what deals I could find~ both to replenish my sad stockpile and also in anticipation for the coming wedding of my eldest daughter to her wonderful fiance scheduled for March.

Our first stop was the Rite Aid in Hampden. The crew there is awesome. Always knowledgeable, always ready to share a tip on upcoming sales or news. They understand coupons and how to use them to the best advantage. It is for these reasons that I gladly drive 15 minutes farther than the Belfast Rite Aid located closer to my home. I did not have many things to get this week. I needed to get some Chex Mix, though; our youngest daughter being near to mutiny if we did not get some soon. And, I have not been wearing nylons since my fall. If you think they are troublesome putting on with two working hands, try getting your bottom in them with only one. I have needed to replace the ones with runs, but I had been waiting for a good sale before doing so. Rite Aid had these on sale for $4.49 with a Buy one, Get one 50% off AND a $3 RR when you buy 2. It cost me $7.07 out of pocket and I earned $3 RR. I misunderstood the sale for the Chex Mix and now can't think what I was trying to do. I bought them for $1.60 each- much more than I would normally pay. I thought there was an RR for these, but none printed, so I must have mixed up something. I would have returned them, but was in fear of returning home without them.

She knows where I sleep.

At Walmart, I had a larger list. Armed with coupons and new binder in hand, I shopped. I purchased: (6) boxes Chex cereal on sale for $2.28/box. I used (3) $1/2 coupon to make them $1.78/box. (4) Whisker's cat treat bags at $1.07. I used $1.50/2 coupon to make these .32¢ each. (1) Idahoan Instant Potatoes were .98¢ each, but I had a coupon which was for one FREE bag, so it cost me nothing. (6) Clif Bar for my future son in law at .98¢ each. I used (3) B1G1 Free coupons to make these .49¢ each. (4) cans Dole Pineapple on sale for .88¢ each. I used (2) .50/2 coupons to bring the price down to .63¢ each. (2) Betty Crocker cake mixes were on sale for $1.25 each and (2) Betty Crocker frosting were priced at $1.64 each. I used a two $1/1 when

you buy both to make them $1.89 for both or .95¢ each. My husband spotted the Olivari olive oil on sale for $4.88 with a $1/1 peelie on the neck to make it $3.88. (2) Johnson & Johnson brand butterfly band aid boxes were priced at $1.52 each and J&J 10 ct gauze pads were $1.56/box. I used three $1/1 coupons to buy these for .52¢ each and .56¢ respectively. (In this house, I always keep a stock of first aid supplies handy! Besides my broken arm, my daughter Kristen sliced open her elbow to the bone and my husband punctured his nose with a screwdriver at work fighting with a hostile kitchen sink. We resorted to "bubble wrapping" my youngest as a preemptive measure. Back to shopping...) I purchased (4) Pillsbury Grands! biscuits on sale for $1.50 and used a $1/2 coupon to make these $1 each. (1) Hood sour cream priced at $1.66 with a $1/1 coupon became .66¢. Fleishmann's Pizza Yeast was marked to $1.06 and I used a .40/1 coupon for a price of .66¢ each. Celeste Tea was on sale for $2.18/box. I bought four and used (4) $1/1 coupons to cost me $1.18/box. I was running low on Excedrin and purchased (4) boxes for $3.24 each. I used (2) $4/2 coupons to bring the price to $1.24/box. My husband could not resist the "Oops! We Over Baked Rack" and snagged himself a cake for $3.74, which was my only unplanned purchase. The total came to $78.04. When my coupons were scanned through, my total came to $54.72. This was higher than I thought it should be; I expected it to be around $45, but with long lines behind me, I was not going to hold up the Customers behind me to dissect it there in line, item by item. When we returned home, my husband and I went item by item through our receipt and realized what happened. My (2) $4/2 Excedrin coupons were not scanned. That was $8.00 I was missing! I called the store and talked with Alison who took down my receipt information to forward to the accounting department. I will update you with what happens, once this is resolved.

Finally, at Target, we wrapped up our shopping for the night. I found some great coupons for Keebler and Nabisco crackers, which will come in handy for use in Bridal parties and gatherings in the coming months. We purchased (2) Keebler Townhouse crackers on sale for $2.50. I used (1) $1/2 Target coupon stacked with (1) $1/2 manufacturer's coupon to make them $1.50/box. Nabisco crackers were on sale for $2/box. I used (3) $1/2 coupons to make the six boxes of Nabisco crackers $1.50/box, also. (2) Boxes of Lipton Tea, on sale for $1.19 became .69¢ each using a $1/2 coupon. Pillsbury all natural chocolate chips cookies were marked at 2.50 each. I stacked a $1/2 Target coupon with a $1/2 manufacturer's coupon to make the price $1.50 each. Lastly, I bought (3) Swiss Miss hot chocolate boxes on sale for $1.19 each. I stacked a .50/2 Target coupon with a $1/3 manufacturer's coupon to make them .70¢. The total retail for my Target purchases was $34.86, but I paid $21.82 out of pocket. I saved $13.04 with coupons.

Clearly, this was by no means the MOST EXTREME COUPONING trip I have taken, but after being out of the saddle for awhile (catch the pun?), I was happy with my modest results. I should have saved a total of $60.85 and I didn't do anything really exciting to get there; no series of multiple transactions to make, no complicated mathematics to figure. So, ponder this. Take this average trip's savings and multiply it by 4.5 weeks in a month. Could you find other things to do with an extra $273 in your budget each month? Or consider it in a years time of modest couponing, could you think of anything to use $3,000 on instead of groceries? I get asked often if clipping coupons is worth my time. My answer is always, "Yes."

Goodnight, Friends,

Sonja ♥

Ooops, I did it (again)...

...but I am determined to be back in the saddle soon!

Farm life is wonderful, to me. Really, Really. Even taking into account the daily rituals of cleaning several feeding and watering dishes and buckets, mucking various stalls, cleaning critters who often much prefer their originally dirty & stinky state. Even in the rain. Even with the worries of the impending snows of winter. Even with goats who possess a wondrous Houdini-esque ability to defy metal "cow" fencing supplemented with electrified taped ribbons. Even with the Fractured Neck of my Left Humerus bone I managed to sustain corralling my daughter's Quarter Horse, Jasmine, about 10 days ago. Thankfully, I broke my fall with the left side of my face (mostly my forehead and left eye area) and, obviously, my left shoulder and upper arm.

My youngest on Jasmine 2010

This latest injury- remember the torn right Anterior Talofibular Ligament in March sustained in an unprovoked attack from my dear Brother and Sister-In-Law's newly purchased home that I was assisting to paint, followed by totalling my pretty little brand new 2010 Nissan Versa in April which left me with a pinched nerve from a compressed C4/C5 disk in my neck?- has left me with very little ability to type with any amount of comfort physically, and mentally, in no condition to search for sales and compare coupons. In addition, being couch bound, drugged (legally, obviously), vision blurred, dazed and confused creates less than ideal circumstances for any planned shopping for Sonja. I am right handed, but having my left arm strapped across my torso, completely immobilized has been... let's say, inconvenient and uncomfortable (read that: experiencing bouts of extreme pain if I dared to move, followed by periods of dazed stupor). I am not the best patient. And, I cannot give enough thanks to my friends Cherie C. and my sweet niece, Micayla B. for sitting with me for hours, Kami H. for providing my family with a delicious meal, Helen H. for providing food stuffs for our family, and the act of kindness which touched my heart the most was that of Richard B, who taped the part my daughter had at a Christian meeting, which I was physically unable to attend. I am so blessed to have each of you and the many, many others like you in my life.

To add insult to injury... I can't find my coupon binder. I will admit, on days one through seven, I did not care- at all. Day eight? I started to completely freak out! I can deal with being out of work for a couple of weeks, doubling (at least) the time it takes to accomplish any household task, the forced inability to drive myself anywhere (still) or dress myself unaided, or the uselessness of attempting to put a ponytail in my hair one handed... but, this just will not do! I called out the troops, also known as my family to hunt high and low for it. It is nearly neon green; how hard can it be to spot? No success. I try to always look to the good in any situation, but I was hard pressed to find it here! Eventually, (and this is a work in progress) I am attempting to convince myself that most of those coupons probably expired at the end of October. And, that this is an opportunity to revamp my coupon binding sorting system. I still had 4 sets of inserts from the last weekend in October because I had not gotten the time to cut and file them, so they were still living in my desk. And, my kind and understanding friends come to my rescue in this, too. Mrs. Nancy R. brought me at least 6 insert sets from the November 5th paper. And, my most wondrous husband, Sean brought me 5 sets of this weekend's paper. These are all living in a plastic bag on my kitchen table at the time of this posting, but I have hope that more troops will rally to help me to get these sorted and filed properly.

My husband has done some shopping for our family this week. He shopped Rite Aid. All in all, he spent $8.72 to buy one package of Stayfree for free and 6 packs of Trident gum for .31¢ each. He made .50¢ on each of the eight tubes of Colgate toothpaste he purchased. He even found some with bonus packs of Colgate Dry Mouth Solution attached to four boxes of the Colgate. He purchased 2 bags of Candy Corn for .38¢ each and 1 bag of Cotton Candy for .25¢ on the clearance table. Lastly, he found five- 1 gallon buckets (new feed buckets for the goats), a dog brush, a dog travel water dish, and a bag of dog treats in the $1 section aisle, which became .90¢ each because of the 10% off level on our Wellness Card. Today, at Rite Aid, he picked up 6 packages of Orbits gum for free.





Ellie & Pepper in back. Leah & Rachel in front. Jedi on the right.

There are more sales on the horizon and though I may be slower these days, I will start posting again regularly. I have missed blogging and talking with all of you. In closing, I just have to include a picture of my completed goat herd. Miss Ellie (the black LaMancha doe) is pregnant already. We are anticipating the possibility of twins in the Spring and with them, milk for soaps, lotions, and homemade Cheeses! Twin does, Miss Rachel and Miss Leah (both white/tawny in color) and Miss Pepper (the brown doe) will all be attempted to be bred to Master Jedidiah next season. He is a good lad and we are sure he will throw handsome kids for us to sell next year after they are weaned.

Jedi ♥s cardboard boxes.

What has been going on with you all?
Sonja ♥

Free Organic Cold Medicines at Rite Aid this week



(3) Duract Cough Quick Melt Tabs, (3) Organix Defense Cough Drops, (3) Blistex Cold & Flu Lip Balm, (3) Sucrets, (1) Similasan Kids Cold & Mucus Relief, (3) St. Joseph's 81mg aspirin, (1) Saline Soothers, (3) Fun Size Candies (These were "fillers" and sadly, they suffered some casualties on the drive home.) ALL for a total cost of $6.06.

So many people I know are interested in using all natural, organic foods and medicines for their families. The complaint I hear often, though, is that these items are more expensive, there are not coupons for them, and they rarely go on sale. These things are not true. At least, not entirely. I will admit that coupons for organic foods and medicines are more rare to come across than their counterparts, they are not entirely lacking. I was pleased to see that Rite Aid is carrying a larger selection of these items AND are offering them on sale, with RRs, and with Single Check Rebates (SCR). Because of the limits imposed on this sale, I called in some family and friends and with 3 wellness cards in hand, consider me ready.

My shopping trip today, as usual, took many transactions to complete. I was glad to be in Bucksport. The crew there is just wonderful. I hate to inconvenience other shoppers, so I try to give some advance notice to the store about my check out needs. When I let the manager know that I was going to check out in nine multiple transactions, she opened a register herself to assist me. This is the way they do at Bucksport's Rite Aid, every time.

I began with $2.50 on RRs from last week. In order to use as little of my out of pocket money, I started with purchasing (1) Organix Defense Cough Drop and (1) Blistex Cold & Flu Lip Balm for $2.99. I paid with $2.50rr and .64¢ cash. I received $1.49rr and $1.50rr. Next, I bought (1) Sucrets for $2.99. I paid with $1.49rr and $1.50rr and .15¢ cash (for the tax) and I earned $2rr. Then, I purchased (1) St. Joseph's 81mg aspirin for $4.99. I used $1/1 coupon from Sunday insert, $2rr and $2.24 cash and I received $4rr. Finally, I purchased (1) Duract Cough Quick Melt Tabs for $6.00. I paid with $4rr and $2.30 cash and I received $6rr. Total out of Pocket equalled $5.33 and I ended with $6rr, which gave me a net profit of .67¢. So far, so good.

At this point, I switched to a second card. Because I now had $6rr to work with, I did not need to make as many small transactions. For my first exchange, I purchased (1) Sucrets for $2.99, (1) Blistex Cold & Flu Lip Balm for $1.49 and (1) St. Joseph's Aspirin for $4.99. I used a $1/1 coupon for the aspirin, the $6rr, and $2.95 in cash. And, I received back $4rr, $2rr, and $1.49rr. Lastly, I used those RRs to purchase (1) Organix Cough Drops and (1) Duract Cough Quick Melt Tabs. I paid .39¢ cash and I received $1.49rr and $6rr. Total out of Pocket for this set of transactions totaled $3.34 and I now had $7.49rr. One last card to use to complete my shopping.

On the third card, I began with purchasing Sucrets, St. Joseph's Aspirin, and Organix Cough Drops. I flipped the $6rr and $1.49rr from my last purchase, a $1/1 coupon for the St. Joe's and added $1.46 cash from my wallet. I received $2rr, $4rr, and $1.50rr. This is where I needed a filler item. The last two items I planned on purchasing were going to cost me $7.49, so I would either use more money out of pocket and keep some RRs, or bring my total .01¢ over the RRs I had available to spend. The Twix were on sale for $1. This was not the cheapest option available, but Twix are absolutely, addictively, delicious, and that is what I opted to buy. I purchased (1) Duract and (1) Blistex Cold & Flu Lip Balm and (1) Twix "fun size" candy for $1.52 cash and my earned RRs. I received $6rr and $1.49rr back. The net total for this set of transactions was $2.98 cash and I finished with $7.49rr.

My RR shopping complete, all I had left to buy were items that would be free after the Single Check Rebate. In planning my shopping trip today, I had intended to buy (1) Zarbee's Natraflu Nighttime Cough & Sleep Drink ($6.99), but the store was out of stock on them. I was offered a rain check, which normally, I would accept, but I did not need this medicine immediately and I will be near another Rite Aid tomorrow, so I will check there first. I did buy the $1 Saline Soothers Moisturizing Nose Wipes and Similisan Cold Relief for Children for $3.99. The Saline Soothers was a complete freebie and I had a $1.75/1 Similisan coupon which made this item a .76¢ money maker.

I love SCR. It is a great way to turn coupons and RRs back into cash. Rite aid mails me a check each month for my rebates. I only use the single check rebate program on items I am getting free. Additionally, I use any left over RRs to pay for the cost to purchase the items and because I have also used a coupon when making the original purchase, most of the time, these become better than FREE. I just happily deposit the money into my checking account each month. Gotta love that!

I am waiting for the first sign of scratchy throat complaints to use the Organix Defense Cough Drops. They are sugar fee, gluten free and all organic. I am tempted to try the New Mint Chocolate flavored ones now- cold or no cold. Maybe, I better just have a mini Twix and call it a night instead.

Good night, all.

Sonja ♥

Rainy Day $20 Gift Card Give Away

Good Morning, Friends!

I woke this morning at 6am to find it still raining. It looks to clear tomorrow, but for now, it does not make the body feel much like being up and about, ready to take on the new day. I don't care for dreary days. So, I said to myself, "Self, we are going to need to do something special today."

I got a little excited about the Shaw's possibilities starting today, and organizing my sale strategy for that helped brighten my mood a bit, but then I thought... how about a contest???? There truly is more happiness in giving than receiving. I would love to give every reader an extra $20 to use for their shopping needs, but that would not be realistic. So, the next best thing is this:

I am entering every "follower" (aka Member) of this blog into a contest to win your choice of one $20 gift card to either Shaw's, Hannaford, Rite Aid, or Walgreen's.
To enter the contest, all you must do is this:

1. Simply scroll down and watch the right hand side to find the "Members" list. Click the "sign in" link and complete the easy sign in instructions. If you are already a member, no worries: no need to sign up, go on to step 2.

2. Once you are a "member", comment your choice of which gift card you would prefer to win in the comments section of this blog.

3. To gain a second chance to win, comment your gift card choice on our facebook post, also.

For complete contest rules, Please visit HERE.

Have a Happy Day, Everyone!
Sonja ♥

Rite Aid: Free Cold and Flu Medicines

Rite Aid has been very kind to me lately. Last week, it was the awesome deal on Dove line hair care products. Read about that HERE. This week it is the place to go for cold and flu medicine, sore throat spray, cough drops, chapstick and hand sanitizer. And, most of it is FREE.

My husband, Sean and I, are a team when it comes to couponing, finding sales and saving money. When it comes to the actual shopping, though, it is usually me at the register figuring out in what order to buy things and how to group my transactions to use the least amount of cash possible. I don't mind that because it can get confusing when more than one mind is trying to put things on the counter and keeping track of RRs. But, yesterday, I challenged Sean to go to the Bucksport Rite Aid solo and come home with the best deal he could find. He did GREAT! With no coupons to use and no RRs to start with, he brought home this: (4) bottles of Hand Sanitizer, (1) Burt's Bees Cough Drops, and (1) box Cepacol Sore Throat Drops. He spent $2.85 and brought home $3.50 in RRs for a PROFIT of .65¢. I'd say he successfully completed that challenge!

Transaction #1:
He bought (2) Hand Sanitizers for $1.00 each, with tax, cost out of pocket= $2.10. He paid with cash and earned (2) $1 RRs. Total cost .10¢.

Transaction #2:
He repeated this purchase exactly, except he paid with $2 RRs. Cost out of pocket= .10¢ and he earned (2) $1 RRs. Net cost. $1.90 money maker.

Transaction #3:
He purchased the Burt's Bees Cough Drops for $1.49, with tax= $1.56. He paid with $1RR and .56¢ out of pocket and earned $1.49 RR. Net cost= .93¢ money maker.

Transaction #4:
Sean bought the Cepacol Sore Throat Drops for $2.50. He paid with $1 RR, $1.49 RR, and .09¢ out of pocket and earned a $2.50 RR. Net cost= $2.41 money maker.

He paid a total of $2.85 out of pocket and left with $2.50 RR and $1.00 RR, so he made a profit of  .65¢ buying his items. I will gladly admit it: he did better than me! I spent money on my shopping trip, but I am still pleased with the overall results.

I purchased (6) bottles of Hand Sanitizer, (2) Chloraseptic Sore Throat Spray, (2) Defend (liquid) Cold & Cough Relief, (3) Comtrex: Cold & Cough, Severe Cold & Sinus, and Cold & Sinus, (3) Burt's Bees Cough Drops, (3) Cepacol Sore Throat Drops, (3) Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment, and (1) Zarbees all-natural Children's Cough Syrup.

When I reviewed the flyer online, I knew that I was going to want to stock up and that my friends and family may need some of these products in preparation for winter's cold season. Most of these items had a limit of one, except the Hand Sanitizer (which had a limit of 4 per reward card) This meant that I needed to call on my friends and family to see if I could use their reward cards. This saved them from having to shop and allowed me to stock up on more than the limit allowed. With four reward cards in hand, I was ready to visit the Broadway, Bangor Right Aid. I was going to have to be very careful to keep track of which cards and items I used together.

I started with a $5 RR (from Dove last week). My shopping was broken into seven transactions that went like this:

Transaction #1
I purchased one Defend Cold & Cough Relief for $5.99. I paid using my $5RR and $1.30 in cash. I earned a $5 RR. Total cost out of pocket $1.30.

Transaction #2
I purchased one Chloraseptic Throat Spray for $3.99 and one box Comtrex Severe Cold/Sinus  for $3.99. I paid with $5RR and $3.38 out of pocket and I earned (2) $3 RRs.

Transaction #3
I bought three Hand Sanitizers at $1 each, one Blistex Lip Ointment for $1.49, one box Cepacol Sore Throat Drops for $2.50, and one bag Burt's Bees Cough Drops for $1.49. I paid with (2) $3RRs and $2.91 out of pocket and I earned: (3) $1RR, (2) $1.49 RR, $2.50RR. (Total RRs $8.49.)

Transaction #4
I bought one Chloraseptic Throat Spray for $3.99 and one Defend Cold & Cough Relief for $5.99. I paid with the $8.49 RRs from the previous sale and $1.98 cash out of pocket. I received $5 RR and $3RR.

Transaction #5
I purchased one Comtrex Cold & Cough for $3.99, one Blistex Lip Ointment for $1.49, one Cepacol Sore Throat Drops for $2.50, and one Burt's Bees Cough Drops for $1.49. I paid with $5RR and $3RR and $1.95 out of pocket. I received $3RR, (2) $1.49RR, $2.50RR.

Transaction #6
I repeated transaction 5 for items purchased. I paid with $3RR, (2) $1.49RR, $2.50RR and $1.47 in cash and I earned $3RR, (2) $1.49RR, $2.50RR again.

Transaction #7
I purchased three Hand Sanitizers for $1 each. I paid with $3RR and .15¢ out of pocket. I earned (3) $1RR.

When I had completed my purchases, I had spent a total of  $12.68 out of pocket. I left the store with (3) $1RRs, (2) $1.49RRs, & $2.50RR =$8.48 RRs total. My net cost was $4.20 for everything I purchased.

These are the items which cost me NOTHING to purchase, I only had to pay the tax on them.

I also bought a Zarbees all-natural Children's Cough Syrup for $5.99. This item has a Single Check Rebate of $5.99, so it was free, too.

We are all stocked and ready to go for cold season. I sincerely hope that we avoid the flu again this year, but if we become ill with a sore throat or a cold/cold & sinus thing, we will have the medicine on hand to combat it.


One additional thought that I wanted to share. I had seven transactions to complete. I was not the only Customer in Rite Aid shopping. When another Customer was ready to check out their selections, I paused and moved aside and waited for them to complete their purchase. Did I have to do that? Wasn't I a Customer, too, and in line first? Well, yes, you could reason that way. But, I consider this to be in a similar vein to NEVER clearing a shelf at the store. Read more about it HERE.  It is just good manners and it is the right things to do. Most Customers are coming in for a couple of items and need to get on their way. I, too, don't want to be in the store longer than necessary, but I also choose to save money by breaking things into smaller transactions, so I can roll my RRs and use them to the best advantage. Please, readers, be considerate to others.

One additional perk to kind behavior: in my experience, the cashiers really appreciate it and I cannot repeat this enough, you WANT them on your TEAM.

Sonja ♥

Dove @ Rite Aid Makes Me Happy, Happy, Happy

Dove Shampoo/Conditioner on sale for 2/$7. Now, you know if you have been reading my blog, that I would NEVER again pay this much for shampoo or conditioner, even if I love the product, as I do with the Dove line. But, throw in a $5 RR when you spend $15 in Dove products and a Buy One, Get One Free coupon from 10/2/11 RP insert and you have my attention. Completely.

Here's the Math:
Buy (6) at 2/$7= $21.00
Less (3) $3.50= $10.50
Earn (1) $5.00RR= $5.50 for 6 or .92¢ each.

I also took advantage of the Ricola sale 2/$3 and earn $1 RR when you buy 2, which was like paying $1.00 each. But, I also had a Buy One, Get One Free coupon from the same insert. The Math looks like this: Buy (2) at 2/$3= $3.00. Less (1) B1G1 coupon ($1.50)= 2/$1.50. Earn $1 RR. This made them only .25¢ each. I was able to pick up these two bags and have a "rain check" for 6 more bags.

Today, I have had an epiphany regarding the Dove deal. I love Dove shampoos/conditioners and I want to pick up more of them, but I have already used my stash of coupons. So, I turned to Dede.  I ordered (9) B1G1 Dove at a cost of .12¢ each. This is why it made sense for me to do so. The math:

Transaction #1
Buy (6) at 2/$7= $21.00
Less (3) $3.50= $10.50
less $5RR= $5.50 for 6
Earn $5RR= .50¢ for 6 or .09¢ each.

Transaction #2 and #3 (Use a friend's card and repeat twice)

Total Purchased: 9 bottles of Dove shampoo & conditioners
Total Retail Value: $63.00
Total Spent Out of Pocket: $16.50 with a $5 RR towards next week's purchases.
Total Net Transaction: $1.50/18 bottles

I'll let you know how it goes!
Sonja ♥

$26 in Products, Spend only .20 cents, Using 6 RRs?

My Plan: On Sunday, I am heading to Rite Aid

 to Purchase:

     3- BK Bagged Snacks,

     3-Lays Stax,

     3- Combos Bagged Snacks,

     3- TGIF Bagged Snacks,

     and 4 Nivea Lip Care Chapsticks

and Spend a Total of .20 Cents Cash

Transaction 1:

Buy 3- BK bagged snacks & 3- Lays Stax, Cost $6.00

Pay with 3- $2 Register Rewards = FREE

Earn 6- $1 Register Rewards

Transaction 2:

Buy 3- Combos snacks & 3- TGIF snacks, Cost $6.00

Pay with 6- $1 Register Rewards = FREE

Earn 6- $1 Register Rewards

Transaction 3:

Buy 4- Nivea Lip Care Chapsticks, Cost $4.20

Pay with two- $2/2 Nivea coupons and .20 cents

Total Cost .20 Cents

I will post pictures and let you know if this works as I am hoping it will.


Sonja ♥

Welcome, Friends!

My name is Sonja Twombly and about a month ago I started using coupons. (Why do I suddenly feel like I just joined a 12 step program?) If I am going to do this, I guess you might like to know a little about me and what this blog is going to be about. To that end...

I am a mother of 4 children and the wife of a husband I adore. As a christian wife, I have tried to be capable and to honestly assist my husband in managing our household funds. I have used coupons on and off for years, but never the right way- the way that saves my family 60-75% off our groceries, each trip, every week. When I stopped using coupons in the past, it was because I didn't see a return for the valuable time I spent searching for, clipping, and organizing my coupons. Also, I did not understand that I needed to change my philosophy about shopping. My opinion changed after seeing a program on TV about some extreme couponing. Now, I am not building storehouses or investing in a garage to house a stockpile of products, but I did think, "I can use some of those techniques to save my family some money." And, I have. After many prayers, some personal money saving successes, some "newbie" mistakes, and many friends encouragement to start a blog about my adventures, here I am.

My intention is to use this blog to give fellow Maine shoppers a "heads up" to local upcoming sales, discuss matching coupons with sales, and share my- hopefully many- shopping successes and -hopefully less frequently- mistakes with other savvy shoppers. I welcome your comments and encourage your participation in upcoming sales or coupon/sale match ups. I am looking forward to continuing this adventure and sharing it with you.