Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 3

Week 2 of the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge put on by Frugal Follies. You can find her challenge information here.

Here are the rules that I set for myself:
Here are the "rules" I am trying to follow:
1. I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.
2. Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.
3. I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.
4. I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

If you recall, I was already up to $6.73 of the $10 out of pocket for the month challenge.  I blew that with one week left, but oh well, it's been fun.

This week I bought:

1-Renuzit Fabric Freshner Spray--these are on sale buy 1 for $2.99, get 1 free.  There was only 1 left on the shelf so the manager let me have it for half price--I used $1 coupon making it just .49

1- Reach Total Care Dental Floss--on sale for $2.99, used $1 coupon, got back $2 in RR's.

1-Skintimate Shave Gel--on sale for $2.49, used $1 coupon, got back $1 in RR's.

1-Lysol No Touch Hand Soap Dispenser--$11.99, used $3 coupon and got back $7 in RR's.

2-Tuf paper towels--on sale .49 each with Walgreen's coupons (these were my fillers to be able to use my 2 RR's from the previous week)

I had a total of $14 in coupon savings.

In total before taxes, and after coupons came to $6.94 out of pocket.   This isn't bad at all really, especially since I took home a total of $10 in RR's to use next time.

This brings my total for the month so far, out of pocket, to  $13.67.   Do you think I can maybe just not spend more than $15 OOP instead of $10 with next weeks shopping included?

The Lysol hand soap, paper towels, floss, Renuzit, and Skintimate are all packed in a box to move to our new house.


Steve went with me to Walgreen's as we had just been to the realtor's office down the street signing more papers on the house.  He found them to have laptop caddy trays marked half price.  He knew we each needed one for at our new home.  $12.49 each, or a total of $40.48 with tax for 3 of them.  They are staying in their boxes until we move.  I think they will be very cool to have and use with our laptops and work even better than the tv trays we currently move all over the house with us.


Have a great day, and happy coupon shopping!

Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 2

Week 2 of the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge put on by Frugal Follies. You can find her challenge information here.

You can find my week 1 post here.

Here are the "rules" I am trying to follow:
1. I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.
2. Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.
3. I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.
4. I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

My total spent out of pocket last week was $2.76

Today was not a very well planned trip. I had started figuring a list Sunday morning at church. Unfortunately I discovered this morning that I must have left my Sunday paper (coupons and all...youch!) at church, under my pew.
I searched blogs trying to see what was on sale and the deals. I made a list of just 3 items.
Once at the store I changed my mind and this is what I ended up with:

Veripur Hand Sanitizer, on sale for $3.99...$4 back in RR.

Right Gueard Total Defense 5 Body Wash, on sale for $3.99, had $1 peelie coupon on the bottle and I got back $3 in RR.

2-All laundry detergent--on sale buy one for $6.99, get 1 free. I used $1 coupon.(this came about because this is Steve's favorite laundry soap, so it replaced the Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice that I did have on my list.)

I then also used the $9 in RR's that I had from last week.

I paid $3.97 OOP (not including sales tax) and I came home with $7 in RR's for next time.

This brings my running total for the challenge to $6.73. If I'm going to meet the challenge and not spend more than $10 OOP, it's really going to be a challenge over the next 2 weeks.

Walgreen's Shopping 6/27 and FRUSTRATIONS!

Off I went this afternoon for my  normal weekly shopping at Walgreen's.  I had my list ready as usual.  Also as usual, a coupon that was supposed to be out, must not have been in our paper.  I was looking for the Dentyne coupon that was supposed to be in the paper 2 Sunday's ago.  I got 2 copies of the paper that Sunday, but no Dentyne coupon that I could find, and one set of the inserts I hadn't cut yet.  I hate when this happens.

Here is what I ended up getting today:
Blistex Smoothie lip balm 3-pack--on sale for $2.99, got back $3 in register rewards.
AirPlus Aloe Socks--free (see my note below)
2-Twizzler packages, on sale for 2 for $4 with $2 back in register rewards
2-Dixie Plates on sale 2 for $5, used just one .50 coupon that I had--got back $1 in register rewards.
Package of Shrek mrshamallow treats on clearance for .75

I used my $5 and $4.50 register rewards from last week's shopping.

Notes:
I bought the Twizzlers for the kids to have to snack on while we are at camp....the Dixie plates because it's BBQ season and I, honestly, hate to do dishes.


I have had several weeks in a row of frustration free shopping at Walgreen's (minus them never having the $2 vitamins with the $2 RR)  This week seemed to be full of frustrations.
First of all, I asked about the Act II mini bag of popcorn that is advertised for $1 a box.  I had a .40 coupon and figured I would buy it since we are out.  No....I'm told my store doesn't even carry it since there isn't a marker on the shelf for it.
Secondly I ask them about the Airplus socks.  "oh, we have some over here, but we only got 4 pairs on the truck"  There was just one pair left so I grabbed them quick.
Thirdly, I get to the register and the cashier tells me that the register rewards are not printing out for the socks.  So, she can price modify them to 1 cent, then price one of my other items down 1 cent to make up for the $3 RR I'm not going to get.  I decide to go ahead with that.  After all, that made them totally free, not even any sales tax on them.
But, fourthly.....doing that with the socks made it so that I couldn't use my last RR of $2 since they can't be used to cover any of the sales tax.  After all coupons it came to $2.57 and the tax part was .83.

So.....I spent $2.57 out of pocket and got back a total of $6 in register rewards for next time....and I still have the other $2 RR that I wasn't able to use that has to be used by next Sunday.

Regardless of everything, I'm happy with what I got, and what I spent.  I just find it so frustrating how many times you can't find what they have advertised.....or if you don't shop in the day the ad comes out they run out of the product because they got very few in on the truck.

We have no Rite Aid or CVS here, so Walgreen's has to be my coupon deal shopping place.  We didn't even have a Walgreen's until  about 5 years ago.  I didn't get into doing the monthly rebate booklet until just a few months before they ended that and went to the register rewards program.
Rumor has it that they are going to be starting a new rewards program and doing away with the RR's.....does anyone have any info on if it's true, or what it will be all about.

I have found that I love the RR's better than the monthly rebate book.  With the rebate book I only shopped once a month, then had to wait about that amount of time for the refunds to be added to my Walgreen's gift card.  With register rewards, the reward is instant....I can even turn around and go do more shopping while I'm still at the store like so many do.

Enough rambling.......I hope to get some feedback on all of this.
Here's to a great rest of this day,