One of my big goals for this year is scaling down/cutting back on items in the house which either don't serve us well or are not truly necessary- With the one notable exception of fun kitchen gadgets-- which I do use-- there is not too much around here I would be sad to give away. I was thrilled to have over 50 lbs of food to donate at christmastime, and 10 bags of toiletries & household items. I was even more happy to give away bags of my daughter's old toys and clothes, and since she got loads more for the holidays(her birthday being right near christmas), she never even noticed them being gone.
I used to work CVS and Walgreens deals every week and get tons of free stuff. The problem is, I put a lot of energy and time into figuring out my deals, only to end up with one or two things I actually needed or wanted.
Anybody out there working the drug store deals and feeling like you are getting anything worthwhile? Every once in a while I see a deal I really like but since I don't keep up with register rewards or extra care bucks anymore I feel like the out-of-pocket expense will be too high. How do you keep rolling those "free money" type rewards without filling your house up with a bunch of unwanted items?
I'd love to hear the discussion on this. I think it's great that you were able to donate so much. I once heard a friend use all her toiletries & extra items that she stocked up on at CVS to trade with a woman on Craiglist for baby boy clothes! It was a great swap and served both families wonderfully.
ReplyDeletehey Meli,
ReplyDeleteI started Couponing and "cvsing" last spring with your help.
Now I think I am pretty good at it, and it has been a HUGE blessing to my family and our budget. I have also taken the time to guide as many of my friends this direction.
I was also able to give lots of food and lots to toileteries this year. I even give my garbage men bunch of stuff.
Anyway...to answer your question.
I tried Walgreens and it stressed me out, the coupon policy is confusing,the shelf are always bare due to the no limit, and the RR expire WAY to fast. So I stopped. I just dont like Walgreens...period.
I LOVE LOVE my CVS! First we drink abour 4-6 gallons of milk a week. I stopped buying organic milk last year, I just could not afford it and found that my favorite milk is TGLee, well that is the milk that CVS carries. Even when not on sale the milk is $2.00 less than at Publix, for the same brand. So I make a few milk runs to CVS a week. During those runs I'll try to make quick deals work but I dont sweat it.
I have learned to stop stressing over it. When I first started CVSing, I would try to do as many deals as possible. Now I am well stock on pretty much everything. I have also learned that it is ok to skip a week and just get my milk.
I was able to get loads of gift for my kids this year with my ECBS and coupons. I got them pillowpets, zhu-zhu pets (12 of them!), and even Toy Story 3.
This week is pretty good. I found a nice money maker on the Revlon deal. My store had tons of Revlon 75% off and they still gave me the $7 ECB for 2 shadows at $1.25 ea.
I also picked up some mouthwash, laundry detergent and excedrin.
As I said before I am very greatful for all your help and guidance at the beginning.
Thank you
Anoushka
I find it isn't really worth it for my personal life either. I do check to every week to see if it's worthwhile, but find it frustrating if I have ECB's/rewards left over and the next week's ad is has nothing. I used to buy stuff to resell at our store, but now we pretty much only get bottled water and razors when they are on sale, since we found a new wholesaler for our store.
ReplyDeleteI did the Walgreens thing for a while but there came a point where the hassle factor outweighed the thrill of getting bargains. I'm taking a break from it now.
ReplyDelete