Welcome! We’re now in week 3 of the ten week couponing course. Go here to learn more about the free couponing course. Also, make sure to brush up on the week 2 assignment.
This week we’re going to get over $64 in items at Walgreens for less than $5 using the premise of coupon match-ups. We’ve talked about this before, but let’s refresh:
What are Coupon Match Ups?
Week 3 is all about starting the more complex process of matching up coupons or “coupon match-ups”. Coupon match-ups are when you pair up different types of coupons and use them together.
There are two main types of coupons:
- manufacturer’s coupons
- store coupons
Manufacturer’s coupons are the coupons that come in the Sunday newspapers, or perhaps in a magazine you are reading, or inside the box of a product you buy. They are made by the manufacturer of the product and say so on the coupon.
Store coupons are coupons that a particular store puts out. Walgreens and CVS have weekly fliers with weekly deals and coupons you can use for that week.
One of the keys to saving big money and getting hundreds in free toiletries and household items every month is in matching up manufacturer’s coupons with store deals. When you learn how to do this, you can start getting amazing amounts of freebies each week! This is what we will be doing this week – doing coupon match ups at CVS to get free items and even make money on items!
At this point in the coupon course we are still not cutting any coupons, so these are all easy to print off the internet coupons for this week. However, I want you to start saving the Sunday papers you received every week and put them in a box or drawer as I explained in the Introduction. We will start using them next week!
Walgreens uses a system called Register Rewards, which are similar to ECBs at CVS. Register Rewards print out when you make your purchases and the cashier gives them to you when you get your receipt. You can use them on your next transaction as if they were cash. However, if you use a register reward to buy something, you do NOT get change back.
The biggest difference between a register reward and an ECB is that a register reward cannot be used for the same product – or the same brand. So, let’s say you do a deal where get $2 in Register Rewards for buying Nivea lotion. You cannot then use that same Register Reward to buy more Nivea. Instead, you’d have to use it to buy another product. It can be confusing, but we’ll start simple this week.
Also make sure to stock up on printable coupons below!
At Walgreens this week you can get the following things FREE (and a couple for only $1 dollar!):
Week 3 Assignment
1. Blink Tears $7.99
Get $7.99 Register Rewards
Use $1.50 coupon here
OR Use $2 coupon from 1/31 Sunday paper (if you have it)
Final price = FREE plus $2 moneymaker
2. Zicam Cold Sore Gel Swabs 10 ct. $10
Get $7 Register Rewards
Use the $3 peelie on the box
Final price = FREE
3. Joint Juice $10
Get $10 Register Rewards
Use buy one get one free coupon here
Final price 2 free
4. Vitamin Schick Lip Care .14 oz $1.99
Get $1.99 Register Rewards
Final price FREE
5. Soft & Beautiful Relaxer Kit or Texturizer $4.99
Get $4 Register Rewards
Final price $.99
6. Accu Chek Aviva or Compact Plus Blood Glucose monitor $14.99
Get $14.99 mail in rebate on box
Get $5 Instant value coupon from Walgreens in-store coupon book (exp 1/31)
Final price FREE plus moneymaker
7. Scalpicin medicated wipes $5.99
Get $5.99 Register Rewards
Use $1 coupon here
Final price FREE plus $1 moneymaker
8. Buy 2 or more of the following Advil or Thermacare products and get $5 Register Rewards
Thermacare Arthritis 12HR Neck/Shoulder 3ct $7.99 or Thermacare Heat Wrap Back L/XL 2ct $5.99
Use $3 coupon here
or Use $1 Thermacare coupon from 1/31 Sunday paper
or Use $3 Thermacare coupon here (must register)
Advil Liqui-Gels 40ct$4.49, Advil PM Caplets 20ct $4.49, Advil PM Liqui-Gels 16ct $4.49, Advil Caplets 50ct $4.49, Advil Gel Caplets $4.49 or Advil Pain Relief Tabs 50ct $4.49
Use $1 Advil coupon here
Use $2 Advil PM coupon here
Final price as low as $1!
Steps on How to Get the Items:
1. At home, print out all the printable coupons you need.
2. At the store, make your purchases and hand the cashier your printable coupons. If you buy all these items, you will spend out about $49 + taxes after the printable coupons you give the cashier plus taxes.
NOTE: If you would rather not spend all that out of pocket, then you should split up the purchases above into multiple transactions.
Here’s how:
First buy items 1 and 2, then use those register rewards to buy the next few items on the list! Then if you’re up for it do a third transaction for the remaining items!
3. The cashier will ring you up and will give you $42 in Register Rewards.
4. Go home and send in the mail-in rebates to get another $15 back!
That’s it!
After making your purchases, makes sure to ail in any necessary mail-in rebates based on which items you purchased and wait to receive those checks back! Congratulations! If you want to see more deals this week to try your hand at some other combinations, make sure to check out the full list that Budget Saving Mom compiled at Saving Money Plan.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Wouldnt it be better if you bought some of the free items, get the register rewards, and then going back and making more transactions? I do have one question, could you put how much you would be spending out of pocket next to the final price, instead of it just saying free.
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Claire Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Hey jennifer – yes I encourage people to do multiple transactions!
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Thank you so much for class # 3…… I’am learning so much and enjoying the savings… Thanks again. Shirley
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Can all of this be done in one transaction and still get all of the register rewards, or must it be done one transaction at a time?
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Claire Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Tina – please do it in multiple transactions if it doesn’t sound too confusing!
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That’s a lot of money OOP for beginners .
I’d do the Blink deals
roll into the Zicam Deal
Roll that into the Scalpacin and Thermacare deal( single transaction)
Then roll it back into the Blink and Soft and Beautiful deals .
and End up with 12 in register rewards for next week
PoorMom´s last blog ..Helicopter Mom and the Mamabears.com Giveaway
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Claire Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 10:12 pm
That’s great Poor Mom!
I want everyone to do it in multiple but I’m worried that’s too complicated!
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Thank you for the classes. Having a great time and learning a lot. I look forward to each class every time I finish one. My husband told me I was like a child with a new toy.
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Claire Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:37 am
I know – couponing can get pretty addictive!
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I couldn’t find the Scalpicin when I clicked on the “print” link. Looked through all of the printable coupons several times.
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I was able to use the blink coupon with a box that had a buy one get one free attached. So, I paid 7.99, used 2.00 coupon and walked away with 2 boxes of Blink and 8.00 RR! Cool! Thanks for the tips!
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Claire Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 12:34 am
I was able to get the double-box too! What an amazing deal. A money-maker on two boxes!
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Our Walgreens is about 12 miles away. I would like to do one trip for my purchases/savings. Are the RR valid immediately after checkout (that I could go back and use them same day) or do the RR’s become valid opn the follwing visit/day?
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I’m new at coupons so we’ll start getting the Sun. paper this week. I usually don’t shop at Wal-greens or CVS but have signed up for CVS sales sheet and will sign up for Wal-greens. Thanks for the lessons. Linda
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Claire Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
yay Linda!
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