This has been one crazy day. But I did score some items very cheap. As I have mentioned before about the kids, I did have mine and ended up buying some extra unneeded things just to keep them happy.
There are three stores that I shop at. I know you are thinking it is crazy to drive around and use your gas. But it is not that bad because I go to Walgreens, Winn Dixie, and CVS. Plus I will tell you how to get your money back on gas later in this blog.
Walgreens: This is great place to shop. There are weekly ads and also a booklet in the store with their store coupons. You can stack these with manufacturer coupons (MF) on items that are already on sale. Plus, if you purchase indicated items with register rewards (RR) you get paid for shopping. You can use these RR on your next purchase. It prints on a register receipt and looks similar to a coupon. Also, these do expire so make sure you use them as soon as you can. Don't throw away this opportunity. The best way to explain this is to give an example. This actually happened with me. I bought a new razor for my husband. It was 9.89 with a $5 RR. I also had a $4 off coupon from the Sunday paper, so I only paid $4.89 for the razor. I then purchased Tide Liquid detergent that was on sale for $5.99, used a MF coupon for .35 and the RR for $5 and only paid .64. Pretty great deal if I should say so myself. You do not have to fill out any paperwork to receive this benefit and there are no cards to carry.
CVS: Basically, the same concept as Walgreens. The difference being you do have to sign up to reap the benefits. My advice to you is to go into the store and fill out the paperwork there. You can start using the card immediately. After getting your card, go and scan it at the coupon center to receive some in store coupons. Oh and scan it twice. That is the max it will let you scan. Shop for items with Extra Care Bucks (ECB) to use on your next purchase. This prints at the bottom of the receipt in a bar code. You also get a summary of everything on the receipt of past purchases or ECB totals. And yes, I have a great example. I purchased toilet paper and received $5 in ECBs. I then bought my husband's shampoo that so happened to be on sale 2 for $4.99. So I used my ECBs and paid for sale tax only. I call that free and an awesome score.
The best tip when using either of these stores is to make sure you separate your transactions. I purchase my items with RR or ECBs first and then use those RRs or ECBs on the next transaction. And the next tip is to plan ahead. It is better to go in knowing how to use these benefits to their fullest potential.
And last and certainly not least, Winn Dixie. Yes I know that Winn Dixie costs a little bit more, but, and this is a very big but, I want to shop at a store that is willing to pay me back for shopping with them. And if you do not already know, it is with fuel perks. Love those fuel perks. You have to fill out paperwork here too. If you have a Winn Dixie Rewards Card already, check and make sure there is a fuel perk on the card (it is yellow at the bottom right side of the card). If you do not have that, go and sign up again to make sure you have the correct card. I cannot really explain how the fuel perks thing works except to say, you get a discount per gallon up to 20 gallons for every $50 you spend. You can get additional fuel perks on certain items in the store. So, here I go again with another scenario. I am a show me kind of person and the best way for me to learn is to do it myself. The Shell stations in town accept the Winn Dixie Card. Swipe the card first and it automatically indicates your discounted price per gallon. Then swipe your method of payment. Quick tip: it does not work as debit card purchase. So run it as a credit card. You also have to get all twenty gallons at one time. (Thanks Wendy for all of this info). I paid $2.15 per gallon instead of the $3.85 regular price. Winn Dixie also has a book inside the store with store coupons. As you walk in, it is on the right on a table by the registers. Keep in mind you have to cut these yourself. Cashiers will not do it for you. So pack those scissors in that binder.
So that is how I roll. Additional information for you: all of these places have Apps for your smartphone. You can view your weekly ads and actually make a grocery list by it. Love this as I am such an electronic geek. Plus, it is beyond convenient. Also check out their websites as you can do the same thing there and it updates your phone. Lastly, there is an App that you can scan all your cards, even Library cards. No more digging around in your purse. It is called key ring. I actually had a little problem with the scan part so I manually input my information. It worked at Winn Dixie, but I have not tried it at CVS yet.
I bet you noticed I did not mention Wal-Mart. The truth is I only go in there if I absolutely have to. Wal-Mart does not offer any incentives for me shopping there. They match competitors advertisements and take manufacturer coupons. To me, it is too much of a hassle to bring in my weekly ads and match up each item. I have bought things such as air filters and thats because they had the best price.
So all of this being said, please note that this works for me. It may not be ideal for you and you may even have some suggestions. These are sincerely welcome. Please post in the comment section and I will be happy to blog it.
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