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Using BOGOF Coupons Wisely

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Question: If a $4 item is buy one get one free (BOGOF) at both a drugstore (i.e. CVS) and a grocery store (i.e. Publix) and you have a BOGOF coupon and a $1 off coupon, then where do you use the coupons to get the best deal?

A.      The drugstore

B.      The grocery store

C.      Same deal at both the drugstore and the grocery store

What do you think? Are the deals the same? Because both stores have the same product on sale, does that mean that both deals are equal?

If you went to the drugstore and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $4, and the second rings up $0 (free). You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $4 item and the $1 off coupon on the free item. You can use the second coupon because you purchased two items. Since you can use a manufacturer coupon on each item purchased, you can use both coupons for this transaction. You would need an additional item in this transaction to absorb the $1 overage since stores will not give you money back. The result of shopping at the drugstore would be gaining $1 in overage: $4 item – $4 BOGOF coupon + $0 item – $1 coupon.

If you went to the grocery store and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $2, and the second rings up $2. You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $2 item and the $1 off coupon on the other $2 item. Since most grocery stores’ BOGOF deals do not require you to purchase both items, the stores charge half of the price for the first item and half of the price for the second item. The $4 items that are BOGOF rings up $2 for the first item and $2 for the second item. You can then use a manufacturer coupon for each item purchased. The result of shopping at the grocery store would be spending $1: $2 item -$2 BOGOF coupon + $2 item – $1 coupon.

As you can see from this sample scenario, the answer to the question is definitely A. The drugstore since the result is gaining $1 in overage. Though the deals look the same, the answer lies in how the store handles the sales. Knowing the stores’ coupon and sales policies will help you use your coupons wisely, maximize your savings, and stretch your dollars.

CVS: My 94% Savings

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Today I am going to share my CVS adventure from this week. These sales and deals are available through the end of today. However, I had been holding some very valuable coupons that I was able to use to my advantage this week. If you were to take my list to CVS this afternoon, you probably will not see the same amount of savings. You would still save, but remember, I’ve been playing the drugstore game for a couple of years. I will be sharing all my tips and tricks with you, but I recommend starting small. My list is not starting small. But I hope that when you see the possible savings, you will get excited about purchasing items without paying full price.

Before working on any deals this week, I knew I needed to shop at CVS. I had $2 in Extra Bucks (store credit) that was to expire on Tuesday. Since I do not make a habit of throwing away money, I was looking for a way to spend that $2 for what I needed. I found a number of items to purchase, and I broke it up into 3 transactions. In the up-coming weeks, I will explain the “rules” to the CVS game, but for today, I will just share the transactions and savings.

TRANSACTION #1:

  • 2 Oral-B Cross Action Power Toothbrushes

(DEAL: $3 Extra Bucks when you purchase 1 Cross Action Power Toothbrush at $6 each) Limit 2

(EXPLANATION: Purchase 2 for $12 and get back $6 in Extra Bucks (store credit))

(COUPONS:   1 – Buy One Get One Free Oral-B Cross Action Power Toothbrush (from the 1/30 Proctor and Gamble insert in the newspaper)

1 – $3 off Oral-B battery toothbrush (from the 2/27 Proctor and Gamble insert in the newspaper)

(BREAKDOWN: $12 – $6 – $3 = $3 + $6 EB)

 

  • 2 Extra Strength Excedrin and 2 Tension Headache Excedrin products

(DEAL: $10 Extra Bucks when you purchase $20 any Excedrin starting at $4.79) Limit 1

(EXPLANATION: Purchase 4 at $5.89 each for $23.56 and get back $10 in Extra Bucks)

(COUPONS:    2 – free bottles of Extra Strength Excedrin up to $5.99 (registered on-line for coupon to be mailed. I used two computers to get 2 coupons. Not sure when I requested these coupons. I’ve been saving them for a great deal.)

2 – free bottles of Tension Headache Excedrin up to $5.99 (registered on-line for coupon to be mailed. I used two computers to get 2 coupons. Not sure when I requested these coupons. I’ve been saving them for a great deal.)

(BREAKDOWN: $23.56 – $11.78 – $11.78 = $0 + $10 EB)

SUBTOTAL: $3 – $2 in Extra Bucks (EB) from previous week (due to expire) = $1

TAX: $2.13 (Yeah, paid more in tax than the subtotal.)

TOTAL: $3.13 which I paid on a CVS gift card. I then received $6 EB (toothbrushes) and $10 EB (Excedrin).

 

TRANSACTION #2:

  • 2 Crest Pro-Health toothpastes

(DEAL: $3.29 EB when you buy Crest Pro-Health Toothpaste, 4.2 oz., at $3.29 each) Limit 2

(EXPLANATION: Purchase toothpaste for $6.58 and get an EB for $6.58)

(COUPONS:     $1 off Crest Pro-Health in the Proctor and Gamble 1/30 insert

$1 off Crest toothpaste 4 oz. or larger in the Proctor and Gamble 2/27 insert

(BREAKDOWN: $6.58 – 1 – 1 = $4.58 + $6.58 EB)

 

  • RevitaLens Multi-purpose Solution (for contacts)

(DEAL: $5.99 EB when you buy RevitaLens, 4 oz. at $5.99 each) Limit 1

(EXPLANATION: Purchase the solution for $5.99 and get a $5.99 EB)

(COUPONS:       None)

(BREAKDOWN: $5.99 + $5.99 EB)

SUBTOTAL: $10.57 – $10 EB from transaction #1 = $0.57

TAX: $0.75

TOTAL: $1.32 which I paid on a CVS gift card. I then received $6.58 EB (toothpastes) and $5.99 EB (contact solution).

 

TRANSACTION #3:

  • Bounce Dryer Ball refill

(DEAL: Bounce Dryer Ball refill on sale $3.99 each)

(EXPLANATION: Buy one for $3.99)

(COUPONS: $.50 off from newspaper)

(BREAKDOWN: $3.99 – $.50 = $3.49 + I will also submit a Bounce rebate for $5.)

 

  • 3 Herbal Essences Hair Care

(DEAL: $2 EB when you buy any 2 Herbal Essences Hair Care products. I also used a rain check from a previous deal which was $2 EB when you purchase any Herbal Essences Hair Care product at $2.99 each – Limit 3)

(EXPLANATION: Purchase 3 Herbal Essence Hair products at $2.99 each = $8.97 and receive $2 EB from current deal and $6 EB from rain check.

(COUPONS: 3 – $1 off coupons from coupon booklet received in the mail)

(BREAKDOWN: $8.97 – 1 – 1 – 1 = $5.97 + $2 EB + $6 EB)

SUBTOTAL: $9.46 – $6.58 EB from transaction #2 = $2.88

TAX: $.78

TOTAL: $3.66 which I paid on a CVS gift card. I then received $2 EB, $2 EB, and $4 EB (The cashier forgot that I purchased 3 from the rain check, so she gave me 2 separate EB coupons ($2 and $4) rather than combining them together into one $6.)

 

CVS Savings on February 28, 2011

RECAP: I purchased $69.97 worth of products, paid $8.11 ($4.45 + $3.66 tax) with gift card, and saved $65.52 (determined from subtotal – $69.97 –$ 4.45 = $65.52) which is a savings of 94%.  Plus, I will get $5 from the Bounce rebate and have $19.99 Extra Bucks to spend before March 31 on what my family needs. Therefore, I made $9.88 ($19.99 EB remaining – $8.11 spent – $2 EB started with) today by purchasing 2 toothbrushes, 2 toothpastes, 4 Excedrin, 1 contact solution, 1 dryer bar, and 3 shampoos!

Learning the drugstore game took me a good 6 months to a year. However, the time spent learning has been worth it, especially when I see the savings stack up week after week!

Money Saving Tips

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Saving money in the long run may require spending money at the onset. For example, I took my car to the mechanic for routine maintenance. The car needed an oil change and tire rotation. Since I get free tire rotation where I bought the tires, I paid for the oil change and drove to Discount Tire.

When the tires were rotated, the Discount Tire technician found my new front tires were worn down. The recommendation was to apply the credits from our warranty on the existing tires to purchase two new tires.  With the credits, I would owe $130 for two new tires, which is about the price of one.

Though I could have driven with the existing tires, I would have worn them out in about a year and had to purchase two new tires at full price, costing around $260. My husband and I chose to pay the $130 now to save $230 in the long run. My husband then took the car for a front-end alignment which should correct the wear on the tires.

I love to save my family money. Whether it is finding deals on items, events, memberships, or insurance policies, I desire to get the most out of each dollar spent.

Did you know you could get free toothpaste at CVS this week? Yes, in the CVS sales flyer (Feb. 13-19), All Colgate Sensitive 6 oz. or Total Advanced 5.8 oz. tubes are on sale for $3.79. After purchasing the toothpaste with your CVS card, your receipt will print with a $3.79 Extra Bucks (which is store credit) at the end. You could then use the $3.79 Extra Bucks for anything you need at CVS.

The scenario above would be getting the toothpaste minus tax for free. Since I currently have two coupons for Colgate Total in the amounts of $1.00 and $.75, I would use the coupons and get two tubes (limit of 2 per the advertisement). I would checkout with $3.79 (one tube) + $3.79 (2nd tube) = subtotal: $7.58. Then I would use my two coupons: subtotal $7.58 -$1.00 (coupon)-$.75 (coupon) = total $5.83 + tax. I would pay around $6.20 and receive a store coupon on the end of my receipt for $7.58 ($3.79 for each tube). I would have made $1.38 in store credit and have 2 tubes of toothpaste.

The cabinet under our bathroom sink houses the 30+ tubes of Colgate toothpaste I have acquired by playing the drugstore game. Stay tuned each Saturday as I share more  money saving tips.