Life isn't perfect, so there's Walgreens

I've mainly focused on my grocery store savings, but you can really score some AWESOME deals at drugstores, too. They tend to have different kinds of deals than grocery stores, so today I'll explain how to maximize your dollars at Walgreens. I know people are reading this from all over - if you live near a CVS or an Eckerd or a Rite Aid, they all have similar types of programs, but since we don't have those in Tulsa, I don't know the deets. Actually, that leads me to a major coupon savings tenet I haven't discussed yet: know each store's policy on coupons. You'd be amazed at how different they are (here's a hint - WalMart stinks), and some of them allow things you'd think would never be allowed.

Which brings me to Walgreens. First off, Walgreens has some pretty great sales every week (and their weekly circulars are available online on their website), so it is easy to score some deals by following couponing policy 101. For instance, this week they have Chinet paper plates on sale 2 for $3 (they are normally $1.99 each). By combining that sale with 2 $1 off coupons, I got 2 packs of Chinet plates for $1 - 50 cents each! This will allow me to look good on the 4th of July when Eddie's family comes over for a cookout - I get to whip out the "fancy" paper plates, and I won't have to do dishes when it's all over. Since looking good & not doing the dishes are two of my favorite activities, I especially loved this Walgreens deal.

But it gets better! Walgreens is famous for doing B1G1 sales [pop quiz! Remember what that stands for? "Buy one, get one free"]. But even with these B1G1s, they still allow you to use two coupons on the items! Crazy good deal! Example: last week, Wags had the big 8 ounce tubes of Banana Boat sunblocks B1G1. They cost $9.99, so getting one free is a pretty good deal from the start. But, I had two $2 off coupons! So I got two giant tubes of sunblock (one was the kind for babies) for $5.99. Keep an eye out for the B1G1s, because the bottom line with these deals is that you get one item free, and the other one double-couponed.

Okay, are you ready for your Walgreens PhD now? Wags has a program called Register Rewards. How it works is that when you buy certain items, you'll get a coupon (a CAT, specifically) that can be used like cash at your next visit to Walgreens. These items are clearly identified in their weekly circular, so you know what you are looking for. I personally like to use the Register Rewards [RR] for stuff I was going to buy anyway - that way I can get that stuff plus whatever my original purchase was for free. Here's my illustration: early last week I bought some Colgate that was on sale, and I got a $1.50 Register Reward for it. I went back later & bought a birthday card for my friend with my RR. Register Rewards make sense for Wags, because it gets you in the habit of coming back to store - obviously something they want to encourage. But if you are a smart shopper, they can make money sense for you, too.

Now that I've outlined all the good deals at Walgreens, I finally get to tell you about the Triple Crown of couponing that I achieved at Wags yesterday. I was able to use ALL THREE of the concepts I've just discussed to score the Holy Grail of couponing - an overage! Here's how I did it: Walgreens had 45 count Ecotrin aspirin tablets on sale for $2 (good sale). I had an Ecotrin coupon for $2 off (good coupon), making the aspirin free. BUT.... I also got a $2 Register Reward for my next trip! A $2 overage on that purchase! Do I use Ecotrin? No, I do not. But my mother-in-law does, so I get the added bonus of helping her out with my bargain hunting.

Wags is fast becoming my favorite place to shop - let me know what kind of great deals you find there!