CVS, Walgreen’s

A good week at CVS:

1 Garnier Fructis Shampoo @ 2.99
1 Garnier Fructis Conditioner @ 2.99
1 Venus Embrace Razor (finally!) @ 9.99
1 Johnson’s Buddies EZ Grip Soap @ .99

= 16.96 original total

Coupon: .99 off Johnson’s buddies soap
CVS ECB’s: $5 off purchase
CVS: 5/15 store coupon

= $5.97 OOP; earned $6 ECB (razor) + $4 ECB (shampoo’s)

I don’t generally patronize Walgreen’s unless the deals are really good. This week wasn’t bad:

1 Yes to carrots Body Butter @ 12.99
1 Garnier Fructis Hair product @ 3.99

= 16.98

Easy Saver Rebate will reimburse $9.99 on the body butter and 3.99 on the hair product, bringing the overall cost to $3.00.

I Lied

Contrary to my previous post, I did end up shopping at CVS this week. It turned out that some Extra Bucks I had on hand were about to expire, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.

The deals really weren’t that great, but here’s what I picked up:

Trip #1

1 personal hygiene product: $3.69
1 box CVS brand tissue: $1.15

=$4.84

—$3 ECB
—$1 hygiene product coupon

Out of pocket total = $.84

Trip #2

1 3-pack Colgate 360 Toothbrushes: $6.99 ($2 ECB back)
1 2-pack Aquafresh Advanced: $4.99

=$11.98

—$2 Aquafresh advanced coupon
—$2/10 CVS coupon
—$4 ECB

+tax

—$2 in ECB back

Out of pocket total = $2.34

OVERALL OUT OF POCKET = $3.18

Free Cheese

Cheese enthusiasts should visit the Kraft website for a $9 mail-in rebate on LiveActive cheese.

Paid to Shop

CVS deals continue to be lucrative. 

This week:

4 Palmolive Dish Detergent (13 oz.) = $1.49 w/ card; $1 ECB 
1 Garnier Fructis Conditioner (13 oz.) = $2.99; $2.00 ECB
1 Oral-B Toothbrush (non-sale item, but I needed it)
_______________________________________

TOTAL = $11.94

—CVS $2/10
—Palmolive .40
—CVS $4 ECB
_______________________________________

TOTAL out of pocket = $5.90 after tax
_______________________________________

CVS ECB’s earned = $6.00
_______________________________________

ACTUAL TOTAL = —.10
_______________________________________

Free Addictions

In perusing the content of this site, one might come away with the impression that I am a free sample addict.

To an extent, this is correct. However, I am extremely discriminating about the deals for which I register. If the coupon or sample refers to an item in my personal-use rotation (be it daily, weekly, or even monthly) it goes into the queue. But you will not find me—a non soda-drinker with a professed allergy to certain fellow mammals—signing up for Pepsi coupons and free mint-flavored dog treats. Yes, I could break down and imbibe a sugary cola or two, but why indulge in a beverage that a) I dislike, b) offers no health benefits and c) diminishes my budget? Why should I make accommodations for items I neither use nor need, just to rationalise the fact that they came cheap or free?  

The same applies to recent deals on Glade flameless candles. Last month, a major retailer offered free refills and miscellaneous coupons on plug-ins. Unless you already use these items, it isn’t a good freebie. In order to use those refills, one must first buy a candle. It’s an additional expense. If you like the product, you must shop for other deals on refills to avoid paying full price when the freebies run out. Not to mention the fact that you have added another item to your rotation and shopping list.      

That is not frugal.  

It helps to approach each free sample offer with certain evaluative questions. Examine the quality of the deal. Do you use this item regularly? Does it require additional, long-term purchases? Do you really need it? And if you enjoy it but find that it isn’t necessary, do you have the willpower to use it up and walk away?

Freebie Update (re: 39dollarexperiment)

Two additional packets have arrived since my first blog about this project. Colgate-Palmolive’s missive is puzzling: They sent apologies for not having a coupon/free sample program but enclosed 13 coupons for various brand-name items. On a personal note, I spotted only two coupons fit for immediate use: Colgate toothpaste ($1.00)and toothbrush (.75). These were stacked with store coupons in a recent CVS BOGO purchase.    

I also heard from Shick–makers of the best razor for women–who sent me, a female with a very unambiguously feminine name, $4.00 in coupons for the men’s Quattro razor and disposables. Hmm. Hopefully, the blade design and loading mechanism is interchangeable for both types of razors, because I do intend to use these coupons. To me, certain types of sharp objects need not be gender-specific.    

When It Pays to Ask

If the concept of the 39 dollar experiment is new to you, go have a look see. I was pretty amazed at all of the freebies and coupons that companies will supply just for the asking. Since a) it is hard to believe and b) I use many of the same products on a daily basis, I decided to attempt a copycat of sorts. But since I had neither the time nor desire to spend $39 worth of stamps and write 100 letters, the target list was trimmed down considerably…

On Wednesday, December 12th, I mailed letters to seven companies whose products I use regularly, enclosing compliments (in earnest) for their quality items along with my request for coupons and samples.

Total cost:

7 x .41 first class stamps = $2.87
7 envelopes x a few pennies each (let’s say 5 cents) = .35
7 letters printed on 8.5 x 11 paper x a few more pennies for printer ink (make it 10 cents) = .70

TOTAL = $3.92

A few days ago the replies starting rolling in. As of today, I have received the following:

1. Stash Tea: 11 free tea samples and a catalog (approx $ = 2.20)
2. S.C. Johnson: One free Skintimate coupon (approx $ = 3.00) and $14.00 worth of coupons for various products (approx $ = 14.00)
3. Johnson & Johnston/McNeil PPC: Coupons for feminine hygiene products (approx $ = 3.00)

TOTAL (as of 12/23/07): $22.20

The truly surprising element (well, almost as much as the dollar value itself) about this venture has been the letters accompanying each response. Two out of three were personalized, expressing appreciation for my comments/compliments. Both included genuine pen-and-ink signatures from customer service managers. Some of these are major corporations with a national reach; I anticipated canned replies all around.

The originator of the $39 experiment waited about four months for replies before calling it quits. Since barely 2 weeks have elapsed, I’m still on the alert for sweet deals arriving by mail.

If anyone is reading, have a Merry Christmas!

Walgreens

I’ve netted the following in the past 24 hours:

1 Pear’s body wash 
3 25.4oz Pantene Pro-V conditioner and shampoos
3 8×10 photos

Total = 6.80 (including tax)

The body wash was was on sale for 1.00. I took advantage of yesterday’s free print offer from Walgreens photo. As the limit was one per customer, you might wonder how I snagged three: some family members got involved, and chose to give me their pictures. The shampoos were 3/$20 with $10 in register rebates. Add a $5/$20 coupon and I ended up spending $5.00 for shampoo, $1.00 for the body wash.   

A deal is a deal…sometimes.

There are 12 days left to take advantage of this coupon from 3M: $3.00 off two Post-It products.

Some individuals are truly maxing out on the deal, both snagging free Post-Its and rolling the overage on other items at Target and Wal-Mart. They combine them with the new sale items and coupons that appear each subsequent week, thereby netting impressive quantities of merchandise for only a few dollars. Cashiers at their local stores sound wonderful: forcing the coupons, applying the overage, and not batting an eye when the same customer returns the following day with similar items and newly-printed coupons.

Too good to be true? I decided to try for myself. Armed with two of the aforementioned coupons, I headed out to the nearest shopping center which, ironically, houses both Target and Wal-Mart on opposite ends.

Now. Other than Post-Its I had only one needed item to buy, therefore I had no intention of replicating the types of purchases detailed on other blogs. After all, one of the motivations of voluntary simplicity is the elimination of clutter. Limiting one’s purchases to necessities. Stuff like that. And four packs of Glade Plug In’s and a vat of Purell don’t quite fit the bill. I don’t use these items. While I’m not in dire need of Post-It’s, these do come in handy often enough that they will be used eventually. It’s a guilt-free item.

At Target, I found two Post-Its ($1.40 each) and a much-needed hair product priced at $1.50. The cashier’s tentative smile and pleasant response to my “How are you?” evaporated as the scanner kept rejecting the Post-It coupon. She tried several times, tapping several buttons, entering codes, switching modes on the register screen. And every time, the register emitted a plaintive beep. She called a manager. After the fifth try, it went through. I paid up, apologized for the hassle and received my bag with a stiff nod from the cashier.

Three dollars off my $2.80 Post-Its with .20 overage on the hair product brought the total down to $1.30. All in all, not bad…if you don’t mind taking the time to piss off employees and the other people waiting in line.

How did the coupon fare at Wal-Mart? Sadly, scoring an even better deal wasn’t to be. Two Post-It’s for .99 cents each and a .97 cent pack of handiwipes would have eliminated the need to reach for my purse. But when I handed the coupon to the cashier, she turned it over, examined the fine print, did everything short of sniffing the printer ink before asking where it came from.

“Did you get this on the internet?” she queried.

“Yes,” I said.

Apparently Wal-mart does not accept internet coupons. At least, this is what I was told. However, I know that others have used the same coupon at their Wal-Marts with nary a problem. Perhaps it’s just this one store. Who knows.  

CVS will accept the coupon, but their Post-It prices and selections are pretty grim. Unless you can combine the deal with their EB/EC coupons, it probably isn’t worth your while. I used the coupon in tandem with the free tissues deal last week and paid about $4.00 total. I had intended to use the $1/rebate form inside each Post-It pack, but they had expired months ago. Oh well.