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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Blockbuster Free 1-Night Codes for this Week

We love our Blockbuster freebies.  This one is good through 4/5, rent one and get the second dvd free for the first night.

Use code GN13B5 when checking out at the kiosk.

Here are some new releases that may be available:




Enjoy!

Good deal on a new cleaning product from Scrubbing Bubbles

Here's a new shower/bath cleaning product you may have seen in the store or in magazines.  I just picked one up at Walgreens on sale for $7.99, and you will earn $2 in register rewards.  If you print and use this $5 coupon during this week's sale, you can get a great deal.





Get coupon HERE.




Shop smart,

Walgreens for Beginners

Here are some tips on getting started in the savings game at Walgreens (sometimes referred to as WAGS).

The benefits of beginning a regular shopping routine at the drugstore are many, including:

  • being able to afford higher end products (like skin care, make up and hair care); 
  • stocking up on medications your family may need
  • never running out of necessities like toothpaste, deodorant, shaving & bath products
  • having extras on hand for company
  • excess to give away
Get started with just a few dollars by learning to read the weekly ads and in-store flyers.  You have to learn how to combine sales with coupons and earn Walgreens' own Register Rewards (more about that later).
I always suggest getting Sunday newspapers for ads and coupons, in fact, I purchase extras every week when the local paper goes on sale for half price on Tuesdays, so I usually have six copies of each coupon weekly.  There are other ways to get coupons via internet sites and purchasing on ebay, so do what is easiest for you.

I used to think that the prices in this store were way too high, so I never paid attention, until I learned the tricks through trial and error and now, I'm a firm believer and a regular customer.  Like most stores, you'll find "loss leaders" (items on sale below cost) on the front page in order to get your attention, but you have to dig further to find the treasures—things you can get for free, or nearly free.

Register Rewards are the Goal
Here is an example.  Each of these items is marked down about half at $1.99, which is the out-of-pocket cost to you (OOP), minus any coupons you may have.  Suppose, like me, you have a manufacturer coupon (the word coupon is sometimes represented by 'Q') for 75 cents off the toothpaste, which would bring your OOP down to $1.24
When you check out, during the printing of your receipt, the register will also print any Register Rewards (RR's) that you earned with your purchases.  In this photo below, the value is $2, although for the scenario above it would be valued at $1.  Your final cost after sale, coupon and RR is only 24 cents for the toothpaste since the store, in essence, has given you back the $1 RR to spend next time.  

Here are some things you need to know about Register Rewards:

  • They're good for 2 weeks from the date printed, unless otherwise specified, so use them a.s.a.p.  
  • Although it sounds like cash, they are actually rung up as store coupons for the amount stated.  
  • You cannot use the RR's to purchase the exact same product because the manufacturer's name usually appears in small print on the paper.

Rolling Over the Rewards
All this means is trying to invest your rewards by earning additional RR's every week or every other week.  When studying the weekly ad, look for the one, two or three items that you can get by combining coupons with RR's to earn more for the next time.

Store Coupons
These are found in two places; (1) in the weekly ad there are usually about a dozen coupons that can be clipped; and (2) in-store flyers that come out monthly.  Store coupons can be stacked (used in conjunction with) manufacturer's coupons.  Sometimes, the combination of those can get you free products.  

This is an example of a product coupon put out buy the store.  If you had a manufacturer coupon for the same item, you can use both.  The sale price on the Revlon lashes is $5.99, and in the weekly ad it says, "99 cents after in-store coupon."  The coupon is found inside this small booklet located near the front door of the store, the same place where the weekly ads are stored.

Getting the Most, Paying the Least
My philosophy has become that of buying products I might need, even if I do not need them today.  I pay attention to the best deals which in some cases, actually earn me money called overage.  It's possible to come out ahead sometimes anywhere from a penny to a few dollars.  Let me explain.

In the toothpaste scenario above, if I had a coupon for $1 off the toothpaste, I would have made a penny on the transaction.  In another scenario, if the RR's given back were for the entire amount of the product, as often is, I could still use my 75 cents off coupon at the checkout, virtually coming out ahead by 75 cents.

In another scenario this week, look at the Dulcolax product pictured here from the ad:

Ten dollars might seem high, you can probably find it elsewhere a bit cheaper, but with the RR's offered, it is like getting it free.  Now I happen to have a $3 off coupon in my coupon box which I can use when I buy this, making my OOP expense only $7.  I will still get the full $10 in RR's no matter what I end up paying for it, which I will use to pay for my next transaction at Walgreens, and that is what is considered overage—it's like getting paid to use or try products.

Coupon Quotas
Although there are no specific quotas on the number of coupons per transaction, it is a Walgreens policy that you cannot have more coupons than items.  Sometimes you need to add a couple of very low cost items to balance out your great deals.  I often choose a dozen eggs when they are on sale for 99 cents, a single roll of toilet paper which is about 50 cents, a pencil, gum or other small items.

When making larger transactions with a lot of coupons, it helps to give the coupons in this order for maximum benefit, so that no coupon is rejected:

  • manufacturer Q's
  • store Q's
  • RR's
  • Cash or credit payment

If a cashier rejects any coupon or has a problem with your transaction, be nice to them, but stand up for yourself, too.  Ask for help from a manager or else ask them to remove the item in question since you would not be buying it unless you can use the coupon(s).

Hope this helps to get you started.  Stay tuned for my post on CVS for the Beginner and we'll get you saving big bucks in no time.

Shop smart!
Saturday, March 27, 2010

A New Flyer Spotted at Publix

Get yourself several of these flyers:



It contains both store coupons and manufacturer coupons.  When one of these products goes on sale, it's great to have coupons to stack for bigger savings.  Store coupons usually say STORE or RETAILER instead of MANUFACTURER in the upper left-hand corner, like this:

I've seen a $1 off coupon that can be stacked with this one, but I'm holding out for a more valuable one in order to try the new product.  I'll let you know when I find it.

Shop smart!
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Blockbuster Free One Night Rental Codes

Take advantage of this special from Blockbuster Express:
Use code GN13B4 valid through 3/29 to Rent One Get One Free
Some new releases:





















RESTAURANT.COM at 80% Off

Big savings at Restaurant.com where you can get a $25 certificate for $2.













See details and restaurants HERE and use the discount code when you check out.

Printable Coupons & Rebate

Save up to $9 on these SC Johnson products; these go on sale often.  Go HERE  for printable coupons.


If you haven't sent away for the associated rebate (up to three $5 rebates available until 7/2010) see details here on the pdf rebate form.  For every three products on the list that you purchase, a $5 rebate is available.  Love it when the rebate checks come in the mail!

afc-rebate-form.pdf
Shop smart!

Back with new site, new name

Welcome to the new blog site simply called, "I Love a Bargain."  I had some trouble with the site host which I still cannot understand, and lost my previous url address, so please, bear with me as I rebuild and try to outdo my previous efforts.

My focus is always to save you money in groceries, home goods and entertainment.  Sign up as a follower to get up-to-date bargain information.

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience of this past week as I received inquiries from some of you who couldn't locate my site.

Here's to new beginnings!
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