Holy Smokes I Think I've Got It

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I think this whole arrange your transactions to pay the least amt of money thing has finally "clicked" with me. Although I'm gonna tell you right here and now......that sure doesn't make it faster for me to do. But calculator in hand (a necessity if I hope to have the math right) I poured over my plan for walgreens tonight like I was planning a major battle, I swear. We're talking hours here folks.

But this is the plan..........IF they have all the products it will be awesome. If not, it's not really any skin off my nose as I don't need any of it, it's just getting added to the stock pile. I will use it, the need is just not urgent.

I plan to buy 125.26 worth of products (sale prices so it's really much higher) Out of pocket cost for the first 2 transactions will be a total of 30.46, which is darn good all by itself the 3rd transaction will be totally free paid for by register rewards from the first two transactions..........with 11.00 worth of RR left over for next week for a total savings including those RR is 83.80!! Don't ask me the percentage because I can't do those. lol

Now........I might just use that 11.00 on toilet paper as if you get the Cottonelle 12pk for 5.00 they have 1.00/1 cpn in their august booklet......and easy child swears we have a cpn for .75 cents off too, but I dunno. I think I'll save it for next week as it cuts down on out of pocket costs.

What stinks about this is..........before planning this one out, I spent 4 hrs working on what I *thought* was this weeks ad, but was actually last weeks ad (and omg that one would've been out of this world) so I had to start all over again. :groan: easy child said that just means I got more practice at it. I wanted to smack her. lol

And now that I know how to do it this way, even with the hours of work setting those transactions up so the pay off is higher and out of pocket is lower, I'm not going back to the just make a list and go for it thing I was doing before. I was saving a ton before, but not like this. This is the 3rd time I've set it up this way........if you count earlier this evening when it didn't count (I swear I nearly cried).

Before when I was getting the occasional 70-90 percent and above savings, while I was thrilled, it was not always intentional. This will be my 2nd or 3rd time planning it out before walking out the door and doing it intentionally.......figured down to the penny so I know what I'm going to spend before hand ect. So hopefully this will cut down on the moment of panic I sometimes get at the register when I see all the stuff in my cart.

I'll see tomorrow how it works out............
 
Last edited:

1905

Well-Known Member
Go early! You'll be able to get everything if you get there when they open. I've been known to go to CVS at midnight when the new sale starts- and others are there as well. It's a 24 hour store.

This is only your 3rd or 4th time of planning it? How did you do that? You must be really good...I have to plan everything or I'll forget, lose coupons, and be stressed.

Have fun going "free shopping" today! (That's what I call it.)
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Good luck! I also want to point out that this is probably the best free therapy you could get for your Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) because while you still may have problems with the arithmetic, you have to use a method (formula) to do this. That means using your brain with logic. Way To Go! :warrior:
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
I fouled myself last Sunday and could have paid less out of pocket if I had more practice, but even at that didn't do too bad. I did pretty good yesterday at Walgreens, though. I came home with 4 Special K items, 4 Dove deodorants, 2 bottles of krill oil, some mac & cheese, equal, and a snickers bar for about $15 OOP and still have a $10 RR. :)
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
upallnight I planned before........or I'd be insane by now, lemme tell ya, but not this way. This is letting register rewards and cpns pay for most of the bill.

With the 1st transaction, I'll be using 8.00 worth of RR to help me pay the total. The 2nd transaction will be the big bite out of pocket. Both of these transactions are loaded with RR that I will use to pay for the long list of items in transaction3. AND I'll have 11.00 to help me for next week. This is shooting for the most RR for the least out of pocket amt possible so that you can stretch what you're buying out to even way more stuff increasing the savings.

I've done this a few times on a much teenier scale. (I'm chicken) Because I couldn't figure out the trick to how setting up the transactions a certain way pays off. I'll probably have to use 2 carts for what I'm buying this morning........which means I'll have to be careful....and I'll probably still be nervous at checkout because I've not tried this huge a scale before. I came close with the grands school supplies but that was NOT planned out, it just happened to work out that way. But that was what got my attention about doing it this way.

I'm getting ready to pull cpns for it as soon as I get some coffee down me. Going out early was not an option as I went to bed at 4am due to being hyped up after finishing the plan, got back up at 9am. And easy child promised her husband she'd let him sleep late. But like I said, none of this stuff is a necessity, so if they don't have this or that it will be ok. Except if they don't have the ones I need for the RR, but I tried to pick things that I use that are normally in stock on sundays regardless of the sale for those. Transaction 3 is just stuff I'm getting with RR for free, so really doesn't matter at all......I can use whatever RR are left for next week or toilet paper. lol

CVS and Rite Aide I'm doing the same way. Much smaller scale though as they really didn't have much of what I wanted, so most of their rewards will carry over for next week.
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
One thing that throws me at Walgreens is having to have one item for each coupon or RR. I can't use two $5 RR on one $10 item, I have to grab a filler.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Yeah, the fillers can drive you crazy. Right now it's not so bad as I can pick up garden seeds they have clearanced for .15 ea........and I'll be using them on the first transaction, pretty sure I won't need any more for the other two.

I like rite aide and cvs because they don't require fillers, you just have to cover the tx. Took me a while to absorb they did not work the same as walgreens. Then I was kicking myself for all the deals I passed up thinking they did. ugh
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Lot of comparisons, too, since Walgreens and CVS will often have the same things on sale and you have to do all the math with all possible coupons to see which is the better deal. Like right now I'm eyeballing the twin pack of Clear Care, which CVS has on sale + ECB and I have a coupon, BUT Walgreens has a $5 off coupon which I can stack with my $3 coupon, but I don't know their starting price.

ETA: If you have Parade magazine in your paper, there's coupons in there today.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
The comparisons is what takes so darn long. ugh If they'd all just have different items on sale it would be so much easier. lol

I'll check out the parade, I'm glad you said something because I don't always look at it although I should, thanks :)
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
OMG OMG OMG!!!!

I pulled it off and then some, thanks to easy child keeping me straight. I was paid to take all that out of the store! 100 percent savings minus tax. Woot!!!!!!!

I am sooooooooo celebrating with a nap. :rofl:
 
Top