Have you ever seen the little red box inside your local CVS Drugstore? Well, I had never paid much attention until yesterday – in fact, I am not sure I had ever seen it! And, come to find out, not all of our local stores have them. If you have one, don’t overlook it! You just stick your ExtraCare Card (bar code up) under the machine which scans the card and prints out coupons. I got three coupons and one was for $5 off a $40 purchase!
I just happened to be in the store for a coupon/sale combo on Preference Hair Color by L’oreal (Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!). It was on sale for $6.88 per box and I used $2/1 coupon in last Sundays paper and then used the $5/$40 purchase! I got haircolor for a year way less than one visit to a salon would have cost!
Another great deal at CVS: Renpure Organics Shampoo and Conditioner – ”Try Me Free” hangtag. This is normally prices at $6.99 and is on sale this week for $4.99. But, with the rebate it is free! Just be sure to save the receipt to send in for the rebate!
I was privileged to participate in the group writing project sponsored by Daniel Scocco at Daily Blog Tips. The topic was 2009 in Review and there were 90 participants. My post “My Top 40 Frugal Living Tips for 2009” was published in the General category. Other categories include: Blogging and Social Media, Business and Marketing, Cooking and Parenting, Lifestyle, Writing and Education and Technology and the Internet. If you are interested there are some good articles worth the reading from many different perspectives.
Frugal living is not new to our family but now has new meaning! 2008 saw our family move from the “secure” life in Alabama (job with a monthly paycheck) to the exciting life in west Texas to start a vineyard (no paycheck at all !). In the past, I had tended toward frugality, reasons including living within our means and being a good steward. But using most of our savings to start our vineyard and then watching the rest disappear just living, I have had to take an advanced course in frugal living. As 2009 draws to a close, I began thinking of just how we have been able to live on so little. As I thought about this, I began to put my thoughts into words and hence the following list. These separate actions may seem insignificant, but their cumulative effect over time has added up to big savings.
- Tithe to your local church – Remember that God is source of all we have and can do. And He uses our all experiences to bring us to a greater knowledge of Him.
- Write all expenditures down in a budget book - Know where all your money is going.
- Stop impuse buying – Give yourself a week to think about a purchase and the necessity of it.
- Stay out of the stores as much as possible - What you don’t see won’t hurt you!
- Determine “needs” vs “wants” – Keeping up with the neighbors is an endless task in our society costing you not only money but needless anxiety.
- Compare prices – Look for the best buy. Check different stores as well as brands.
- Buy used – Shop yard sales, thrift stores, Craigslist, eBay
- If buying new, shop sales – Certain times of the year are more “sales” oriented than others so wait for these if possible.
- Make your credit card work for you – capitalize on the “cash back” aspect many card have when used to purchase particular items. Example: 5% cash back offered for gasoline purchases for the first $150/month.
- Use coupons – Coupons are a tool for you to use to save but also for the seller to hook you on a fad.
- Combine coupons with sales to maximize savings.
- Utilize store “rewards” programs – Example: Walgreens - Register Rewards or CVS - Extra Care Card and Extra Care Bucks.
- Drive older cars – If it still works and is reliable, keep it!
- Combine trips to save gasoline.
- Walk or bike instead of driving
- Adjust your thermostat so as to save energy.
- Turn off room lights when leaving a room.
- Turn off ceiling fans when leaving a room.
- Do not window shop in front of the refrigerator – Determine what you want to remove ahead of time to avoid unnecessary time spent with the fridge door open.
- Wash your clothes when they are dirty – This may be after one wearing, but then again, maybe not until several wearings.
- Hang your clothes out to dry – Save energy and get that fresh, line-dry smell in the summer. In the winter, use a drying rack inside to help humidify your house, which is healthier and feels warmer!
- Make your own laundry detergent - Homemade laundry detergent is easy and economical.
- Use cloth diapers instead of disposable – They are both economical and “green”.
- If applicable, nurse your baby – Nursing is definitely more economical than formula, healthy for the baby and helps you lose “baby weight”.
- Plant a vegetable garden – Space is not an issue as even small areas can produce large amounts. Incorporate vegies into your flower beds. Read books pertaining to gardening to learn more.
- Freeze or can your own vegetables. This is both economical and rewarding.
- Plan your meals - Monthly menu plans work great. Here is a free downloadable menu planner in either the weekly, 2-week, or monthly formats.
- Make a master grocery list of staple items – Go through your pantry and make a list of each item you stock and routinely use. Once you have your list, make an Excel worksheet of it. Then when you shop monthly, print off a copy, check your pantry, mark what you need, add items based on your menu and you are ready to go!
- Shop for groceries once a month – This sounds overwhelming, but with a master list it becomes easy. ***Planning meals combined with monthly shopping from a master list cut my grocery bill by over 60%.
- Drink more water and less soda – Save not only money but also empty calories and decrease sugar intake.
- Make-it-yourself
- Fix-it-yourself
- Do-it-yourself
- Cut your own hair – at least your husband’s and sons’. Having 1 husband (of 25 yrs) and 7 sons, at $5 per haircut every 2 months, I figure that I have saved over $3,000!
- Eat out less – if you do eat out, use Restaurant.com Gift Certificates
 .
- Fix your lunch and carry it with you – This option is healthier and you are able to control the ingredient, calorie and fat content of your food.
- Don’t eat out at all - Homemade meals are healthier as well as more economical.
- Use the local library – Depending on the size of your local library, they will have many current books and videos/DVDs and are able to order ones they do not have on the shelf.
- Discontinue cable – Stop watching television. Read books together (from the library) and make more quality family time together.
- Discontinue cell phones – This is not a popular option in our society. I found that for 1/2 the price of two cell phones and dial-up internet, we can have a landline, high speed internet and still maintain a trac phone for emergency use.
Frugal living tends to become a way of life in order to be a good steward. The necessity of it may depend upon your circumstances but it has become for me a fun challenge. Frugal living should not be confused with miserly living. We are living frugally for a purpose and a common family goal.
As a final word, as my husband says, “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without!”
We went to pick up our second oldest son from the airport last night and combined it with some shopping.
It turned out to be a great shopping trip and I was able to score some real deals.
The first stop was Walgreens:
My first transaction total was $4.24 and the second was $0.13. The grand total for all you see pictured was $4.37. The total before coupons was $27.42. I saved $23.05!
Next I hit Target:
I realize looking at the picture, we look like junk food junkies! But, the cake mixes were less expensive than making a homemade cake and with so many birthdays… And… with holiday baking coming up, well, I needed some marshmellows!
The total for 12 cake mixes and 6 bags of marshmellows was $9.08. Actually, I only paid $4.08 out of pocket since I used a $5 Target gift card which was almost free from a cereal deal a few months back!
The total before coupons was $24.18. I saved $15.10!
Needless to say, I was pumped on the way home - our son is here for a visit and I got some great deals!
We will be celebrating an early Thanksgiving while he is here. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for!
CVS has a store loyalty program called the Extra Care Card. You can sign up for, immediately receive and begin using your card at your local CVS store. Be sure to give your email address as they will periodically email store coupons (ie. $4 off your next $20 purchase – $4/$20).
Extra Care Bucks (ECB’s) are CVS rewards that are used as cash in the store. ECB’s print out at the end of a transaction from a catalina machine adjacent to the register.
Many times there are items advertised as “Free After ECBs“. When you purchase these items, a “coupon” (ECB), prints at the end of the transaction for the purchase amount of that item. When first starting, these are not technically “free” as you have initially paid out of pocket (OOP). The trick is to “roll” your ECBs by then turning around and using them to pay for the next transaction. By rolling your ECB’s and using manufacturer’s coupons, you will really end up getting many items free.
Point to remember:
- Have the cashier scan your Extra Care Card before you start to check out.
- With your Extra Care Card, you will earn 2% cash back on each in store and online purchase. This cummulative 2% is converted to ECB’s every 3 months.
- With your Extra Care Card, you will receive miscellaneous store coupons at the end of your transaction after ECB’s have printed.
- You earn 1 ECB for every 2 prescriptions purchased in the store or online.
- One manufacturer’s coupon and one CVS store coupon can be stacked per item. Thus you can have twice the number of coupons as the number of items in a transaction (no fillers needed).
- ECB’s are equivalent to cash rather than a coupon, further reducing the concern for the coupon-to-item ratio.
- Many items which generate ECB’s have a limit on the number that may be purchased while receiving ECB’s. Once that limit is reached, no additional ECB’s will be generated (in that nor other stores for the limited item).
- ECB’s do have an expiration date. Normally, it is four weeks from the date they are generated. Keep your printed ECB’s organized to make sure you use the earliest expiring first. Sometimes, a store manager will accept expired ECB’s. Ask first! It is a loyalty program, they want your business.
- ECB’s are not transferrable. They can only be redeemed with the personal Extra Care Card with which they were generated.
I try to minimize the amount I spend out of pocket (OOP). To do this, when I make a store visit, I plan multiple transactions (or scenarios) trying to use ECB’s earned earlier to pay for the next transaction which will earn the same amount or more ECB’s.
“Money Makers” occur when you combine a manufacturer’s coupon with a “Free After ECB’s” item. You are not really “making money” as in being paid cash by the store, but you spend less out of pocket money (or fewer ECB’s) than you earn in new ECB’s.
At checkout, I have found the following order works very well:
- Ast the cashier to scan your Extra Care Card.
- Have all your items rung up.
- Present any CVS $4/$20 store coupons. Your total could drop below $20 after all your other coupons.
- Present any CVS store coupons.
- Present any manufacturer’s coupons.
- And finally, use your ECB’s (oldest first).
If you are paying with ECB’s totalling more than the transaction total, they can manually reduce it to what your total is (you will lose the reduced amount) or you can add another item to make up the difference. I use my calcluator to keep up with my total.
Build your confidence by starting with simple, one or two item transactions. Then, move on to more complicated, multi-transaction scenarios. My goal is not only to roll ECB’s, but to grow them creating overage to pay for other items needed!
 Walgreen does not have a store loyalty card. Their system revolves around Register Rewards producing deals. Register Rewards (RR) are printed out at the end of a transaction by what is called a catalina machine adjacent to the cash register. Sometimes, Walgreens advertizes products “free after register rewards”. This means the RR you receive are worth the cost of the item. To further enhance savings, you could combine a Register Rewards deal with a manufacturer’s coupon. Walgreens also offers their own store coupons (in flyers and newspaper inserts). These can then be further stacked with the manufacturer’s coupon and Register Rewards to maximize savings.
Points to remember:
- RR are earned once per deal per transaction. For example: If Dial Body Wash is yielding a $3RR one week, each bottle must be purchased in a separate transaction to receive the $3RR. If you bought 2 bottles in one transaction, you would only receive a $3RR (not two $3RR).
- A RR will not regenerate the same RR. You can use the Dial $3RR to buy more Dial Body Wash in a subsequent transaction, but will not receive RR’s for the second transaction
- RR may be ”rolled“. Let’s say Ajax Dishwashing Liquid yields a $2RR.
If you may use the Dial $3RR to purchase Ajax Dishwashing Liquid, you will receive the Ajax $2RR.
In a subqsequent transaction, you can switch and use the Ajax $2RR to purchase more Dial and get another Dial $3RR.
Repeatedly alternating between at least two items that yield RR is a great way to minimize your out of pocket (OOP) expense.
- Walgreens treats RR like manufacturer’s coupons. The total number of coupons must not exceed the total number of items purchased in each transaction. Therefore, “fillers” are sometimes needed if you are using multiple coupons along with Register Rewards. Fillers are inexpensive items used to increase the number of items purchased. I look through the clearance shelf and sale flyer to find items that I know we need, use or just for a special treat.
- RR have an expiration date. Normally, they expire two weeks from the date generated. Sometimes, a store manager may approve using the RR to purchase Walgreens gift cards – which do not expire. A question never asked is always “No”, but make sure you are always friendly and courteous.
- RR are transferable. If I know that I am not going to shop before they expire, I give them away – usually to my daughter-in-law. I don’t but I guess you could trade them with your friends.
“Money-makers” are created by stacking coupons with a RR deal. Your coupons for an individual item may be worth more than the actual cost of the item. The store will not pay you the difference, but you generate “overage“. That overage can then be used on other items purchased in that same transaction, all the while receiving RR.
Often, you can leave Walgreens with as much or more in RR as when you walked in, while spending very little money out of pocket (tax is usually unavoidable).
At my local Walgreens stores, I have found it is best at check-out to tell the cashier I have coupons and let them ring up all the items. I then present the Walgreens coupons first, followed by manufacturer’s coupons, and finally my Register Rewards. If I use the Walgreens last, they are usually not accepted to generate “money-makers”. Most cashiers are not able to manually push a coupon through. If your coupon beeps and will not go through it is often easier to have that item removed.
- You may do a single deal transaction.
- You may do the deal transaction multiple times, paying out of pocket each time and save the RR collected to use later.
- You may roll your RR between at least two different RR producing deals.
I started with simple, one or two item transactions and built my confidence. Then I moved on to more complicated scenarios. In my opinion, the third option of rolling your RR is the best as it minimizes your out of pocket expense.
As I began looking at expenditures in my budget book, I realized that I was spending a lot of money on non-food items. Especially items like toothpaste, shampoo, soap, razors… This realization is how I became involved in couponing and playing the “drugstore game”. I will be devoting the next few posts to overviews of CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid.
I believe you will be amazed at how many items you are currently buying at full price, that can be bought for a fraction of the cost if not obtained free!
To begin, I would like to encourage you to pick one drugstore and learn the system of that store. Start off with simple transactions to build your confidence. Then, when you are comfortable, move to more complicated scenarios.
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Grab My Dime! 
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About Me 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has been challenging to say the least. I have had the opportunity to take a crash course in frugal living and become a real farm girl - complete with milk cow and chickens. I have learned the importance of health from the inside out, "traditional" cooking and cod liver oil!
I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have. |
