Hi everyone
I'm sure that some of you have been judged by society for being a couponer and/or frugalist. To me, it seems that most people look down on those who try to save a dollar or few. I just don't understand why some people act like this. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in a different country with a totally different lifestyle. In South Africa most people live simple lifestyles and not everyone tries to keep up with the Joneses (and NO we are not poor people. I know that tv gives people the misinformation about 3rd world countries). People are just much more content with what they have.
So let's start with couponing
Couponers are poor or struggling financially
In most cases this is not true. The majority of couponers just know that you don't have to pay full price for almost anything. Companies issue coupons to get you to try their products (especially new products). So why pay full price, when you can save quite a bit of money on your grocery bill. Money that can be used for something else.
Couponers are hoarders
I can't speak for everyone but in most cases this is not true. Many who have big stockpiles, have it for a reason. I for one, do not like to run out of anything or have to run to the store for just one item. Many have big families that they have to plan for, special occasions that they're stocking up for or just plain prepared for an emergency (job layoff, recession, natural disaster etc). So, please don't judge people with large stockpiles. They have it for a good reason.
Also, many couponers are extremely generous. Look at Sluggy who holds giveaways on a regular basis. It's not something she has to do. She could easily just keep those items for herself or sell it and make extra money for her family. Instead, she pays postage OOP (I know it's not cheap) to make someone else feel special. My hat's off to Sluggy
Many people must wonder why I keep buying more and more of a certain item or items that my family doesn't need. Those close to me know that I'm a big giver. I never talk about my giving. I come from a well respected church family (not going to go into detail) and my parents have always drilled it into us to give, give, give and to never ever talk about our giving, because it's a personal matter between us and God. We don't give to get a pat on the back. Also, I'm extremely private so I don't share many things. It's just the way I was raised).
I'm not a shelf clearer (that TLC show definitely gave most people the wrong impression about couponers. I hate that damn show). If there's a good sale somewhere, I buy enough to last us a long time (because it save us money long term).
You probably don't have much money if you don't drive a fancy or latest model car
We live in the Motor City. My DH is a mechanic. We both know that buying a brand new car is pure foolishness, since that car starts depreciating the minute you drive it off the lot. Why waste good money on something that continues to depreciate over time. We're better off investing that extra cash, than buying a new car. Most people have flashy, luxury vehicles to show off with. In many cases, they have to take out a loan to pay for those fancy cars.
Which brings me to the other foolish car point. A leased car. I have never, ever heard of leased vehicles until I moved to the US. This is even worse that buying a new vehicle. You are throwing away money on something that you won't even own at the end of the day.
What is wrong with buying a nice little used vehicle? That's what we do. We've never leased a vehicle. I've had my car for 9 years now and we didn't even pay much for it. It's a 2005 model and still going strong. Now, I do have the added benefit of having my own personal mechanic (DH). So when we purchase a used vehicle, he can easily tell if it's worth the money or not. My car hasn't had much problems over the years. I recently had an alternator problem, that was fixed in no time.
Can we afford a new vehicle? Absolutely. We are financially independent. We are not trying to impress anyone with what we have. We love our used vehicles. They are in great condition inside & out. Would I like a new car? Yes. But I also know it would be dumb to get rid of a perfectly good vehicle just because I want something else. It's not a need, so I can wait.
Look at my big fancy house. You probably can't afford it.
Why would anyone want to buy more house than they can afford? If you can't afford to pay cash for that house or have a huge down payment, then you're gonna end up with a hefty mortgage. Then there's property taxes. Not to mention high heating/cooling costs. Why pay so much more, when a simple, smaller house will do. Look at Europeans. They live in small, simple homes. We have the same concept in SA. People are happy with having simpler, smaller things. There's less to maintain and you definitely don't have to work until you fall over, to pay for it all.
You must be poor if you don't wear fancy duds
Let me start off by saying that I'm a bit of a fashionista. No shame in my game. Again, it's how I was raised. DH says he feels like a farmer whenever he's in SA, because everyone's always well dressed. It's a way of life, so I make no excuses.
However, he prefers to dress simply here. I too, have some items (not fancy) that are old and worn, but I still love them, so I wear them. I have 2 pairs of jeans that are so worn, they're gonna get holes soon (that I love to wear). So people judge you based on your appearance. There's nothing wrong with simple styles, if that's your choice. Nobody works for your money or pays for your clothes. So wear what makes you feel good.
I remember when I went for my immigration interview in SA years ago. DH had flown to SA to attend it with me. While at the consulate, a man in a very nice suit and big case/briefcases (he was either a lawyer or CPA. I know this because I worked for a prestigious accounting firm back then and knew that there's only 2 kinds of people who used those cases) started talking to DH. He took a look at the Rolex (not fake) on DH's arm and asked DH what he did for a living (my Farm boy wasn't dressed fancily enough by SA standards...lol). You should have seen the look on his face when DH told him that he's a mechanic. It was priceless....lol. So yeah, you should never judge a book by it's cover.
Now, I'm not saying everyone should just be cheapskates and hoard all their money. Absolutely not. If you have they money and can afford a bigger house, a brand new fancy car etc, then go for it.
We choose to live below our means. There are certain things that we splurge on. We can afford to because we are frugal.
We have all our needs met and more (I seldom buy store brand) thanks to couponing. I also had bad experiences (food poisoning) from Meijer store brands, so I absolutely avoid their stuff. We save thousands per year and live very well, all because I take the time to plan and clip coupons. Y'all know I don't just coupon for groceries. I can't see myself NOT using coupons. It would feel like throwing away money, if I had to pay full price for anything. DH does the same with big ticket items. We search for the best deals on things we need.
To quote Nene Leakes of RHOA "I don't keep up with the Joneses. I AM the Joneses" (I'm not saying we are the Joneses. Just sharing some food for thought). So instead of trying to impress others with what you have and living way above your means, how about being the Joneses instead. It will surely give you peace of mind in the event that any kind of disaster should strike.
or as Dave Ramsey says "Live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.
Don't worry about others judging you for being frugal. Just know that most of those people can't even afford half the things that they 'own'.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
How much detergent is too much?
Here we go again. Another day, another hassle free (snark) WAGS trip. I had a bunch of $7 RRs that I wanted to get rid of, so I decided to pick up a few things. Made my list, clipped my qs and off to the store I went.
Got everything on my shopping list and headed to the register to do 2 transactions.
Trans 1
2 x Swiffer wet cloths $9.98
1 x Gain detergent 4.99
1 x Cascade gel 4.99
1 x Tide detergent 4.99
1 x Tide pods 4.99
4 x Pringles 5.00
Less
$2/15 DQ (2.00)
Cascade DQ (3.00)
Tide DQ (2.00)
Tide q (2.00)
Gain DQ (2.00)
2 x $7 RR (14.00)
Tax 1.69
OOP $11.63
Earned 6200 points ($3 WYB 3 Swiffer/Cascade) + I had a q for 10x everyday points + $4 RR (Tide) = $10.00
I already knew that this was crap, but until I got a chance to study my receipt I wasn't saying anything. The register also allocated the qs incorrectly, cause I had a $3 Tide Man q (not Cascade), but since the correct amounts deducted I wasn't too worried about it.
And yeah, we need more Cascade like I need a hole in the head, but I wanted to earn that $3 points. In fact, I just opened a new bottle from my stockpile yesterday - exactly 6 months after opening previous bottle. So I only use 2 bottles for year and I still have more than 10 bottles stockpiled.
Trans 2
2 x Papermate pencils $0.98
1 x Gillette razor 9.99
1 x Gillette cartridges 11.99
2 x Colgate t/p 5.98
Less
Colgate DQ (4.00)
Less 2 x $7 RR (14.00)
Tax 1.74
OOP $12.68
Earned $12 (12800 points, almost $13) $10 Gillette + 10X everyday points
Before paying, I showed the cashier my $10 Gillette DQ on my phone. I now know that the manager can override the DQs. They hemmed and hawed over the DQ, because neither of us could see the participating products on our phones. I eventually told them that I'll just pay cash and contact CS. This location is always busy and once again, there was a line behind me.
So I get home and studied my receipts and noticed that I was missing several other points. I had a $5 WYS $25 Q (this is why I didn't pay with points, cause you don't earn back points. Same with the Gillette deal), $10 Gillette, $1 Pringles and $2 Swiffer that didn't deduct. I also never received the $2 Colgate RR. That's $20!!
So I go online and do Live Chat (I think I'm now a Pro at Live Chat...lol) CS was very helpful and said she can only add $25 points per day. I told her, no problem and that they only owe me $20. However, she said she already added $25 and to have a good day. Yes, I'll take the $5 as compensation for my time wasted....lol
So to recap
OOP spent : $24.31
Plus RR spent $28.00
Total Spent : $52.31
Earned $19 + $25 points + $4 RR = $48.00
Will submit for a $10 WAGS rebate (PG products from the first transaction). So total earnings = $58, which makes this a $5.69 Profit!
All that aggravation got me $90.44 worth of products for free, so I'm one happy mama :)
I just wonder why WAGS doesn't fix their system (digital qs), instead of having to compensate thousands of customers every week. Makes no sense to me.
Got everything on my shopping list and headed to the register to do 2 transactions.
Trans 1
2 x Swiffer wet cloths $9.98
1 x Gain detergent 4.99
1 x Cascade gel 4.99
1 x Tide detergent 4.99
1 x Tide pods 4.99
4 x Pringles 5.00
Less
$2/15 DQ (2.00)
Cascade DQ (3.00)
Tide DQ (2.00)
Tide q (2.00)
Gain DQ (2.00)
2 x $7 RR (14.00)
Tax 1.69
OOP $11.63
Earned 6200 points ($3 WYB 3 Swiffer/Cascade) + I had a q for 10x everyday points + $4 RR (Tide) = $10.00
I already knew that this was crap, but until I got a chance to study my receipt I wasn't saying anything. The register also allocated the qs incorrectly, cause I had a $3 Tide Man q (not Cascade), but since the correct amounts deducted I wasn't too worried about it.
And yeah, we need more Cascade like I need a hole in the head, but I wanted to earn that $3 points. In fact, I just opened a new bottle from my stockpile yesterday - exactly 6 months after opening previous bottle. So I only use 2 bottles for year and I still have more than 10 bottles stockpiled.
Trans 2
2 x Papermate pencils $0.98
1 x Gillette razor 9.99
1 x Gillette cartridges 11.99
2 x Colgate t/p 5.98
Less
Colgate DQ (4.00)
Less 2 x $7 RR (14.00)
Tax 1.74
OOP $12.68
Earned $12 (12800 points, almost $13) $10 Gillette + 10X everyday points
Before paying, I showed the cashier my $10 Gillette DQ on my phone. I now know that the manager can override the DQs. They hemmed and hawed over the DQ, because neither of us could see the participating products on our phones. I eventually told them that I'll just pay cash and contact CS. This location is always busy and once again, there was a line behind me.
So I get home and studied my receipts and noticed that I was missing several other points. I had a $5 WYS $25 Q (this is why I didn't pay with points, cause you don't earn back points. Same with the Gillette deal), $10 Gillette, $1 Pringles and $2 Swiffer that didn't deduct. I also never received the $2 Colgate RR. That's $20!!
So I go online and do Live Chat (I think I'm now a Pro at Live Chat...lol) CS was very helpful and said she can only add $25 points per day. I told her, no problem and that they only owe me $20. However, she said she already added $25 and to have a good day. Yes, I'll take the $5 as compensation for my time wasted....lol
So to recap
OOP spent : $24.31
Plus RR spent $28.00
Total Spent : $52.31
Earned $19 + $25 points + $4 RR = $48.00
Will submit for a $10 WAGS rebate (PG products from the first transaction). So total earnings = $58, which makes this a $5.69 Profit!
All that aggravation got me $90.44 worth of products for free, so I'm one happy mama :)
I just wonder why WAGS doesn't fix their system (digital qs), instead of having to compensate thousands of customers every week. Makes no sense to me.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Quick WAGS trip & Moneymaker Kleenex heads up
I really wasn't planning on going shopping today. My plan was to just stay home and work today. Best laid plans....that's all I'm saying. I read that the 85ct Kleenex is ringing up at 25c at WAGS. With the 50c Ibotta rebate (limit 5), this will be a 25c MM per box. So I made a quick shopping list and headed to my store. Of course my store didn't have any. I'm thinking this size is probably being discontinued, cause my store didn't even have shelf space for it. I know that the last time (several years ago) Kleenex changed their packaging, my WAGS was selling the 200ct boxes for 30c each. Of course I bought almost everything...lol. I'd be a fool to have left a lot behind. I think I picked up around 30 boxes then. So anyhoo, if you can find these items at WAGs, then it will be MM tissues for you.
Here's what my trip looked like. I used all digital qs today.
1 x Purex detergent $1.98
1 x Almay lip gloss $6.99
1 x Revlon lip gloss $6.99
1 x Rimmel eyeshadow palette $5.09
2 x Crest mouthwash $5.98
1 x Oral B t/b $2.99
2 x 8ct Dial Soap $7.00
3 x Kleenex 50ct $3.00
Less Purex q (1.00)
Less Revlon q (3.00)
Less Rimmel IVC (WAGS store booklet) (2.00)
Less Rimmel q (3.50)
Less Crest q (4.00)
Less Oral b q (1.00)
Less Dial q (2.00)
Tax 2.40
Less BR points (20.00)
OOP $5.92
Earned $14 RR ($7 Revlon/Almay, $7 Crest/Oral B) and $1 Ibotta Kleenex
Son of a gun! I just knew something was wrong when I saw the total but knew there's nothing the cashier could do. So I grabbed my items and receipt and headed to my car. I saw that my $3 Almay DQ never deducted. I especially bought the Kleenex so I could redeem $20 in points. Otherwise I would only have been able to use $10 points. When I got home, I did live chat and within 2 minutes had $3 points added to my account.
Then the Kleenex didn't all qualify for the Ibotta rebate. What the Sam Hill is happening here? The boxes all look the same, but when I checked receipt, I noticed they have different UPCs? Ugh. So only 2 qualified for the rebate. Not a train smash. We can always use Kleenex
I'm in love with that Rimmel eyeshadow. I can't believe it was a small MM. Even if I use the $3 IPQ (coupons dot com) on it, I'll only pay 9c for it. My nieces are gonna love this!
I was happy to see the Dial soap on sale. I was down to my last bar. I do use bodywash, but at night I prefer milder scents, so I either use bar soap or Aromatherapy b/w (when I need sleep).
How much detergent is too much? All I'm saying is "we don't need any more detergent". I have a really nice stockpile, but at this price I couldn't resist. Also, winter will be here soon. I'm not always in the mood to chase deals when it's cold or we've had bad snowstorms. So having most things stockpiled will come in handy during the cold months.
I'll go back to WAGS to do this deal again, minus the detergent (I don't have any qs). I need to figure out a filler item that will either earn points or have a high value q. I also need to get my butt to CVS.
For those who aren't too familiar with WAGS coupons. You can stack a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon (found in the booklet next to the ads). Don't let a cashier tell you otherwise. All coupons in the booklet are store coupons.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Busy shopping week
This week the stores sure delivered on good sale items. I've been to Meijer every other day since Sunday. Why, because they have a great sale on Kleenex tissues and wipes and they also offered a 25c Kleenex q that could be used multiple times. Combine that with the Ibotta rebates and I scored super cheap Kleenex. Boy am I glad about this, because I was down to 2 boxes in my stockpile. I usually keep at least 20-30 boxes stockpiled (yes, I'm that nut...lol), because I like to have an open box in various rooms in the house and also a box in each of our vehicles (we don't always drive the same vehicle every time and mama hates running out of anything). Whenever there's a large Kleenex stockpile, DH would joke and say "honey we need more Kleenex", every time I went grocery shopping...lol. So here's what my shopping looked like this week.
Trans 1 (Sunday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Less tissues MP q (1.25)
Less wipes MP q (1.25)
Tax 0.60
OOP $10.60
Earned $5.00 Ibotta (50c for each item)
Trans 2 (Tuesday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Tax 0.75
OOP $13.25
Earned $5 Ibotta (50c for each item)
What on earth?! None of my qs deducted from DH's account. This was the day I forgot my phone at home, so I couldn't check his account. I prefer to use Wet Ones, but I bought the Kleenex wipes cause it was on sale and is a nice size to stick in my purse for road trips.
When I got home to check DH's Mperks account, I saw another $5 off anything q (whoo-hoo. I'll take free money any day) and noticed that I didn't clip the Kleenex qs on his account. No problemo. I'll just use it on my next trip.
Trans 3 (Thursday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Less tissues MP q (1.25)
Less wipes MP q (1.25)
Less MP q (5.00)
Tax 0.60
OOP $5.60
Earned $5.20 Ibotta (50c for each item and 20c any item)
So to recap
15 Kleenex tissues
15 Kleenex wipes
Total OOP $29.45
Earned from Ibotta ($15.20)
Total cost for 30 items = $14.25
I'm waiting to see if Ibotta will reset before the sale ends and make another run to Meijer for just tissues.
They also have 8pk Juicy Juice boxes for $1.37 this week. I bought 12 packs, so I can easily get my Vitamin C when I'm out and about.
On to WAGS. I don't have to remind y'all that my WAGS trips weren't without incident...lol. I actually kind of expect things to go wrong at their stores...lol
Trans 1 (Tuesday)
2 A&H detergent $3.98
1 x A&H pods 1.99
1 x Black Forest gummies 1.99
2 x Colgate t/p 5.98
3 x Pantene shampoo 11.97
Less 4/20 DQ (4.00)
Less RR from last week (7.00)
Less AH IPQ (1.00)
Less Colgate IPQ (1.00)
Tax 1.21
OOP $9.09 Paid with a GC
Earned $9 BR points ($5 Pantene, $4 Colgate) and $1.99 RR
Earned $0.50 Ibotta (Gummies) These are a MM this week and they are sooooo good! For health reasons I can't eat much sugar, but these suckers won't let me put the bag down...lol
Now, the first mistake was mine. I thought that the $4/20 q was an earn $4 bonus WYS $20. That's why I paid with my gc. I also made sure my pre-tax total was over $25, cause I had a $5 bonus WYS $25. So I figured I could double dip on the bonuses. Except, the $4/20 lowered my total to under $25, so no bonus for me.
Now, my 2 A&H DQs didn't deduct. Grrr. I was really not in the mood to waste time with CS over $2, so I let it go.
Trans 2 (Thursday)
6 x Pantene shampoo $23.94
2 x Garnier shampoo 7.00
1 x BF gummies 1.99
Less 2 x Pantene qs (10.00)
Less Garnier DQ (4.00)
Tax 1.86
OOP $17 (paid with gc) + 3.79 cash = $20.79
Earned $22 BR points ($10 Pantene, $7 WYS $25 on beauty, $5 Beauty) + $1.99 RR
Once I saw my high total I immediately knew something was wrong. Then I remembered that I didn't give the cashier my $7 RR. Ugh. Once they total your order, they can't add qs (stupid WAGS rules) and there was a long line behind me, so I couldn't ask her to void the transaction and rering cause that would need a manager's approval. I also didn't know if my DQs would deduct again or just not be available. Thankfully I still had some gcs left, so my OOP wasn't too much.
So this was actually a small MM transaction. The $7 RR is good for another week, so I can use it next week.
I need to contact CS, because I didn't earn $5 Bonus for spending $25. Ugh. WAGS must think their customers have nothing better to do than contact CS all the time.
Trans 3 Thursday (this was much smoother)
1 x BF Gummies $1.99
2 x A&H detergent 3.96
1 x A&H pods 1.99
Less A&H DQs (3.00)
Less BR points (5.00)
Tax 0.30
OOP $0.29
Earned $1.99 RR (Gummies)
Whaddya know! My DQs actually worked this time. I'm beginning to wonder if it's my store. Last time the DQs didn't work at my local store either. Then when I tried it at this location, all the DQs worked slick as snot. Very strange. I think I'll just try this store in future. There are lots of drugstores in my area, so no worries about driving out of the way.
Earlier this week, WAGS had a deal on desktop calendars for $1.99. So I ordered 6. Paid $10 in points and $2.72 with a gc. These babies are on their way to my family abroad as Christmas gifts. The only kicker is that shipping cost $36! But yay for free gifts!! When they're done with the calendars, they can just cut off the photo parts and place it in a photo album. 2 Gifts in one. Happy mama :)
Between BR points & RRs, I have over $100 to spend at WAGs. Just another reason why I can't stay out of that store.
Rite Aid
Big Thank You to Sluggy for sharing the Arnicare deal
1 x Arnicare Roll on $11.69 (10% wellness discount)
1 x Arnicare leg cramps $10.34 (10% wellness discount)
1 x Crest t/p 3.00
1 x Oral b t/b 3.00
Less 2 Arnicare peelies (6.00)
Less Crest DQ (1.00)
Less Oral B DQ (1.00)
Less BC (11.07)
Tax 1.68
OOP $10.64
Earned $14 BC ($10 Arnicare $2 Crest, $2 Oral B) and $6 Ibotta
I could've saved the Crest for another day and have a lower OOP, but that would mean another trip to the store.
And darn, I forgot to pick up more A&H detergent. I still have digital qs for both RA & CVS and 1 IPQ. I might go back tomorrow. It's not a need, but for 99c or free, I'll take it :)
Trans 1 (Sunday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Less tissues MP q (1.25)
Less wipes MP q (1.25)
Tax 0.60
OOP $10.60
Earned $5.00 Ibotta (50c for each item)
Trans 2 (Tuesday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Tax 0.75
OOP $13.25
Earned $5 Ibotta (50c for each item)
What on earth?! None of my qs deducted from DH's account. This was the day I forgot my phone at home, so I couldn't check his account. I prefer to use Wet Ones, but I bought the Kleenex wipes cause it was on sale and is a nice size to stick in my purse for road trips.
When I got home to check DH's Mperks account, I saw another $5 off anything q (whoo-hoo. I'll take free money any day) and noticed that I didn't clip the Kleenex qs on his account. No problemo. I'll just use it on my next trip.
Trans 3 (Thursday)
5 x Kleenex tissues $6.25
5 x Kleenex wipes 6.25
Less tissues MP q (1.25)
Less wipes MP q (1.25)
Less MP q (5.00)
Tax 0.60
OOP $5.60
Earned $5.20 Ibotta (50c for each item and 20c any item)
So to recap
15 Kleenex tissues
15 Kleenex wipes
Total OOP $29.45
Earned from Ibotta ($15.20)
Total cost for 30 items = $14.25
I'm waiting to see if Ibotta will reset before the sale ends and make another run to Meijer for just tissues.
They also have 8pk Juicy Juice boxes for $1.37 this week. I bought 12 packs, so I can easily get my Vitamin C when I'm out and about.
On to WAGS. I don't have to remind y'all that my WAGS trips weren't without incident...lol. I actually kind of expect things to go wrong at their stores...lol
Trans 1 (Tuesday)
2 A&H detergent $3.98
1 x A&H pods 1.99
1 x Black Forest gummies 1.99
2 x Colgate t/p 5.98
3 x Pantene shampoo 11.97
Less 4/20 DQ (4.00)
Less RR from last week (7.00)
Less AH IPQ (1.00)
Less Colgate IPQ (1.00)
Tax 1.21
OOP $9.09 Paid with a GC
Earned $9 BR points ($5 Pantene, $4 Colgate) and $1.99 RR
Earned $0.50 Ibotta (Gummies) These are a MM this week and they are sooooo good! For health reasons I can't eat much sugar, but these suckers won't let me put the bag down...lol
Now, the first mistake was mine. I thought that the $4/20 q was an earn $4 bonus WYS $20. That's why I paid with my gc. I also made sure my pre-tax total was over $25, cause I had a $5 bonus WYS $25. So I figured I could double dip on the bonuses. Except, the $4/20 lowered my total to under $25, so no bonus for me.
Now, my 2 A&H DQs didn't deduct. Grrr. I was really not in the mood to waste time with CS over $2, so I let it go.
Trans 2 (Thursday)
6 x Pantene shampoo $23.94
2 x Garnier shampoo 7.00
1 x BF gummies 1.99
Less 2 x Pantene qs (10.00)
Less Garnier DQ (4.00)
Tax 1.86
OOP $17 (paid with gc) + 3.79 cash = $20.79
Earned $22 BR points ($10 Pantene, $7 WYS $25 on beauty, $5 Beauty) + $1.99 RR
Once I saw my high total I immediately knew something was wrong. Then I remembered that I didn't give the cashier my $7 RR. Ugh. Once they total your order, they can't add qs (stupid WAGS rules) and there was a long line behind me, so I couldn't ask her to void the transaction and rering cause that would need a manager's approval. I also didn't know if my DQs would deduct again or just not be available. Thankfully I still had some gcs left, so my OOP wasn't too much.
So this was actually a small MM transaction. The $7 RR is good for another week, so I can use it next week.
I need to contact CS, because I didn't earn $5 Bonus for spending $25. Ugh. WAGS must think their customers have nothing better to do than contact CS all the time.
Trans 3 Thursday (this was much smoother)
1 x BF Gummies $1.99
2 x A&H detergent 3.96
1 x A&H pods 1.99
Less A&H DQs (3.00)
Less BR points (5.00)
Tax 0.30
OOP $0.29
Earned $1.99 RR (Gummies)
Whaddya know! My DQs actually worked this time. I'm beginning to wonder if it's my store. Last time the DQs didn't work at my local store either. Then when I tried it at this location, all the DQs worked slick as snot. Very strange. I think I'll just try this store in future. There are lots of drugstores in my area, so no worries about driving out of the way.
Earlier this week, WAGS had a deal on desktop calendars for $1.99. So I ordered 6. Paid $10 in points and $2.72 with a gc. These babies are on their way to my family abroad as Christmas gifts. The only kicker is that shipping cost $36! But yay for free gifts!! When they're done with the calendars, they can just cut off the photo parts and place it in a photo album. 2 Gifts in one. Happy mama :)
Between BR points & RRs, I have over $100 to spend at WAGs. Just another reason why I can't stay out of that store.
Rite Aid
Big Thank You to Sluggy for sharing the Arnicare deal
1 x Arnicare Roll on $11.69 (10% wellness discount)
1 x Arnicare leg cramps $10.34 (10% wellness discount)
1 x Crest t/p 3.00
1 x Oral b t/b 3.00
Less 2 Arnicare peelies (6.00)
Less Crest DQ (1.00)
Less Oral B DQ (1.00)
Less BC (11.07)
Tax 1.68
OOP $10.64
Earned $14 BC ($10 Arnicare $2 Crest, $2 Oral B) and $6 Ibotta
I could've saved the Crest for another day and have a lower OOP, but that would mean another trip to the store.
And darn, I forgot to pick up more A&H detergent. I still have digital qs for both RA & CVS and 1 IPQ. I might go back tomorrow. It's not a need, but for 99c or free, I'll take it :)
Thursday, August 8, 2019
My Moneymaker clothes shopping
Hi everyone
I know I haven't posted much about my clothing purchases this year. That's cause I haven't really bought much for ourselves (except for my big WHBM splurge with my Christmas gcs).
A few weeks ago Ann Taylor Loft had a huge clearance sale. Their clearance items were an extra 70% off, which made their jeans $4.94 each (before tax. My tax was covered by Rakuten). Since I mainly live in jeans & sweats during the cold months, I decided to just buy 3 pairs. Of course I had to pay $8.95 shipping (ouch), but I didn't mind too much, since the jeans were dirt cheap.
So I immediately went to my closet and pulled 3 pairs of old jeans to sell. I usually clear out the closets every few months, but I decided that since I had to pay OOP for the jeans, I will make up for the expense by selling my old ones.
Then I purchased a blouse on sale at WHBM. Blouse cost $10.06 after tax and my discounts. I get free shipping from them, so that was good.
A week or 2 ago, I stopped at Kohls to redeem my $5 Yes 2 You Reward (Y2Y). I didn't make a special trip to the store. There was a Kohls in the area I was running errands, so I stopped by to redeem my q. After much searching through the clearance rails, I spotted this shirt. I rarely wear shirts and I've never worn this brand, but the price was right and they match my jeans nicely. This baby cost me a whopping 85c after reward. You can see that it was $6 (90% off retail price) and I used my $5 Y2Y and 20% off q. So 85c after tax. Yes, please....lol Then I pulled 2 tops from my closet and listed those.
To date, I've sold one top and a pair of jeans and make a nice profit of $22.64 after fees.
So here's what 3 new jeans and 2 shirts cost me
Total OOP : $34.68
Total earned to date : (22.64)
Total cost to me : $12.04
Total regular retail : $379.84 (excl tax)
BUT
The other 3 items still need to sell, so I'll actually be making a profit on my purchases. This is why I love buying clothes at Rock Bottom prices. I usually end up selling it for way more than I paid for it, once I'm done using it.
This is how I do most of our clothes shopping. I'm not going to wear all 3 pairs of jeans when it gets cold. I'll use 2 pairs and save the other for when one wears out.
I know I haven't posted much about my clothing purchases this year. That's cause I haven't really bought much for ourselves (except for my big WHBM splurge with my Christmas gcs).
A few weeks ago Ann Taylor Loft had a huge clearance sale. Their clearance items were an extra 70% off, which made their jeans $4.94 each (before tax. My tax was covered by Rakuten). Since I mainly live in jeans & sweats during the cold months, I decided to just buy 3 pairs. Of course I had to pay $8.95 shipping (ouch), but I didn't mind too much, since the jeans were dirt cheap.
So I immediately went to my closet and pulled 3 pairs of old jeans to sell. I usually clear out the closets every few months, but I decided that since I had to pay OOP for the jeans, I will make up for the expense by selling my old ones.
Then I purchased a blouse on sale at WHBM. Blouse cost $10.06 after tax and my discounts. I get free shipping from them, so that was good.
A week or 2 ago, I stopped at Kohls to redeem my $5 Yes 2 You Reward (Y2Y). I didn't make a special trip to the store. There was a Kohls in the area I was running errands, so I stopped by to redeem my q. After much searching through the clearance rails, I spotted this shirt. I rarely wear shirts and I've never worn this brand, but the price was right and they match my jeans nicely. This baby cost me a whopping 85c after reward. You can see that it was $6 (90% off retail price) and I used my $5 Y2Y and 20% off q. So 85c after tax. Yes, please....lol Then I pulled 2 tops from my closet and listed those.
To date, I've sold one top and a pair of jeans and make a nice profit of $22.64 after fees.
So here's what 3 new jeans and 2 shirts cost me
Total OOP : $34.68
Total earned to date : (22.64)
Total cost to me : $12.04
Total regular retail : $379.84 (excl tax)
BUT
The other 3 items still need to sell, so I'll actually be making a profit on my purchases. This is why I love buying clothes at Rock Bottom prices. I usually end up selling it for way more than I paid for it, once I'm done using it.
This is how I do most of our clothes shopping. I'm not going to wear all 3 pairs of jeans when it gets cold. I'll use 2 pairs and save the other for when one wears out.
Friday, August 2, 2019
This week's WAGs and CVS tripping
This was a fun shopping week at the drugstores. I had plans to hit all 3, but as you can see from the title, RA is missing. I had this grand plan to do the Spend $40 get $20 BC at RA, but noticed that the Tide qs said Limit 1 like coupon per person. Ugh.
It doesn't end there though. I could work around that deal and switch up with Tide with Pantene and other items. However, our newspapers didn't have all the q inserts this past weekend. This is the 2nd time I've noticed this. The main newspaper had only the PG inserts and the other newspaper had the SS (we don't get RMN in the paper). So I picked up a newspaper at WAGs that had all the SS inserts. Then my DTs were both sold out of papers. So I hit Meijer and got the paper with the PG insert. The next day I got the RMN & PG inserts in the mail, but this PG insert didn't have any Tide qs (whereas the one I purchased did). Grrr. Now can you understand my frustration. The newspapers now cost $3 around here and they want to play stupid games like this. Oh well, I still managed to score good deals with my digital qs.
WAGS (I shopped on different days)
Trans 1
3 x Crest t/p $8.97
2 x Colgate t/p 7.98
1 x Newspaper 2.50 (I'm surprised by the price, cause it's $3 at Meijer)
Less $4/2 Crest DQ (4.00)
Less Colgate IP (1.00)
Less Colgate DQ (1.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 1.02
OOP $4.47
Earned $7 RR (Crest) and $5 BR (Colgate)
So I spent $14.47 and earned $12. Not too bad since $2.50 was for the paper, so everything else would basically be free.
Trans 2
1 x Tide $4.99
1 x Tide pods $4.99
Less Tide DQ (2.00)
Less Tide pods DQ (2.00)
Less BR Points (5.00)
Tax 0.60
OOP $1.58
Earned $4 BR (Tide).
Trans 3
4 x Crest t/p 11.96
1 x Tide 4.99
1 x Tide pods 4.99
Less Tide q (2.00)
Less Tide pods q (2.00)
Less Crest DQ (1.00)
Less Crest DQ (2.00
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 1.32
OOP $6.26
Earned $7 RR (Crest) and $4 BR (Tide)
Now this is where the crapola hit the fan! When I saw the high OOP cost, I knew something was wrong. I checked the register and saw that the 2 low value Crest qs deducted, instead of my $8/4 DQ. I don't know why WAGS has this dumb rule. I especially bought 4 Crest (only needed 3 to trigger RR) so I could use the high value Q. I knew that the cashier couldn't do anything about it, so I paid and left.
When I got home, I did live chat with CS and explained what happened. The CS rep was very nice and after checking the qs on my account, told me that they'd fix the problem and refund with me BR points. I was happy and thanked him. When I checked my BR points, I saw that CS has issued me $11 points, instead of just the $8 that didn't deduct. So they refunded me for all the Crest qs, instead of just the $8 one. Nothing I could do about it, so score for me.
So to recap
I spent $6.26 oop + $10 BR = $16.26
Earned $7 RR + $4 BR + $11 BR = $22
MM!! Yay for me!...lol
The $8/4 Crest is still available, so I might go back to the store and do the Crest deal again. I have lots of BR points that I'm happy to turn into RRs.
I also received a $20 WAGs gc for a WAGS PG rebate I did about a month ago. I'm saving that and my other gc for when they offer bonus BR points, because you can't use points to pay (you won't earn any rewards then). I know, I know, it's complicated....lol
Prior to my 3rd transaction, I stopped at CVS. I was out for work yesterday morning, so I just stopped at this CVS (not my regular store) on my way. I was surprised to see they still had stock on razors, because I know everyone and their mother was doing the Schick & Kotex deals this week...lol
2 x Kotex $8.00
3 x Schick Razors $17.65
1 x Oral b t/b pack $5.29
Less Kotex q (4.00)
Less 2 Schick DQ (8.00)
Less Schick IP (4.00)
Less Oral b q (1.000
Less EBs (11.50)
Tax 1.70
OOP $2.46
Earned $11 EBs ($5 Schick, $2 Kotex, $4 Oral b)
I don't know why my razor price is so weird. It's on sale for $5.99 this week, but 2 of my prices show as $5.89 and one at $5.87. I really can't explain that one, but I'll take it...lol
CVS always makes my day!
It doesn't end there though. I could work around that deal and switch up with Tide with Pantene and other items. However, our newspapers didn't have all the q inserts this past weekend. This is the 2nd time I've noticed this. The main newspaper had only the PG inserts and the other newspaper had the SS (we don't get RMN in the paper). So I picked up a newspaper at WAGs that had all the SS inserts. Then my DTs were both sold out of papers. So I hit Meijer and got the paper with the PG insert. The next day I got the RMN & PG inserts in the mail, but this PG insert didn't have any Tide qs (whereas the one I purchased did). Grrr. Now can you understand my frustration. The newspapers now cost $3 around here and they want to play stupid games like this. Oh well, I still managed to score good deals with my digital qs.
WAGS (I shopped on different days)
Trans 1
3 x Crest t/p $8.97
2 x Colgate t/p 7.98
1 x Newspaper 2.50 (I'm surprised by the price, cause it's $3 at Meijer)
Less $4/2 Crest DQ (4.00)
Less Colgate IP (1.00)
Less Colgate DQ (1.00)
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 1.02
OOP $4.47
Earned $7 RR (Crest) and $5 BR (Colgate)
So I spent $14.47 and earned $12. Not too bad since $2.50 was for the paper, so everything else would basically be free.
Trans 2
1 x Tide $4.99
1 x Tide pods $4.99
Less Tide DQ (2.00)
Less Tide pods DQ (2.00)
Less BR Points (5.00)
Tax 0.60
OOP $1.58
Earned $4 BR (Tide).
Trans 3
4 x Crest t/p 11.96
1 x Tide 4.99
1 x Tide pods 4.99
Less Tide q (2.00)
Less Tide pods q (2.00)
Less Crest DQ (1.00)
Less Crest DQ (2.00
Less BR Points (10.00)
Tax 1.32
OOP $6.26
Earned $7 RR (Crest) and $4 BR (Tide)
Now this is where the crapola hit the fan! When I saw the high OOP cost, I knew something was wrong. I checked the register and saw that the 2 low value Crest qs deducted, instead of my $8/4 DQ. I don't know why WAGS has this dumb rule. I especially bought 4 Crest (only needed 3 to trigger RR) so I could use the high value Q. I knew that the cashier couldn't do anything about it, so I paid and left.
When I got home, I did live chat with CS and explained what happened. The CS rep was very nice and after checking the qs on my account, told me that they'd fix the problem and refund with me BR points. I was happy and thanked him. When I checked my BR points, I saw that CS has issued me $11 points, instead of just the $8 that didn't deduct. So they refunded me for all the Crest qs, instead of just the $8 one. Nothing I could do about it, so score for me.
So to recap
I spent $6.26 oop + $10 BR = $16.26
Earned $7 RR + $4 BR + $11 BR = $22
MM!! Yay for me!...lol
The $8/4 Crest is still available, so I might go back to the store and do the Crest deal again. I have lots of BR points that I'm happy to turn into RRs.
I also received a $20 WAGs gc for a WAGS PG rebate I did about a month ago. I'm saving that and my other gc for when they offer bonus BR points, because you can't use points to pay (you won't earn any rewards then). I know, I know, it's complicated....lol
Prior to my 3rd transaction, I stopped at CVS. I was out for work yesterday morning, so I just stopped at this CVS (not my regular store) on my way. I was surprised to see they still had stock on razors, because I know everyone and their mother was doing the Schick & Kotex deals this week...lol
2 x Kotex $8.00
3 x Schick Razors $17.65
1 x Oral b t/b pack $5.29
Less Kotex q (4.00)
Less 2 Schick DQ (8.00)
Less Schick IP (4.00)
Less Oral b q (1.000
Less EBs (11.50)
Tax 1.70
OOP $2.46
Earned $11 EBs ($5 Schick, $2 Kotex, $4 Oral b)
I don't know why my razor price is so weird. It's on sale for $5.99 this week, but 2 of my prices show as $5.89 and one at $5.87. I really can't explain that one, but I'll take it...lol
CVS always makes my day!
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