Chief Family Officer: The Drugstore Game: My Walgreens plans for the week + An illustration of why I buy things I don't need - DrugStore Plus
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(to visit the original article click here)- $1/1 Children's Tylenol from Walgreens Children's Activity Book (will deduct $2) - $6 7 + $2 RRPay: 50 38 cents + tax Receive: $6 RR for Dove and $3 RR for Children's Tylenol It's important to remember that you must have at least as many items as manufacturer coupons, and that Register Rewards are considered manu coupons. Note that the Walgreens store coupons (here, from the activity book and the ad) do not count as manu coupons. The Disney activity pads serve as "fillers" to get my total up to $8 9 before tax, and to give me enough items to use two RRs. As a bonus, they'll make nice little filler gifts in birthday presents, or maybe I'll just send them on via AnySoldier.Transaction #2: 1 Dove Men+Care body wash $5.99 1 Super Poligrip $2 1 Kleenex 89 cents - $1.50 Dove Men+Care printable coupon - $1/1 Poligrip from 1/3 RP - $6 RR (for Salpicin last week)Pay: 38 cents + tax Receive: $6 RR for Dove + $2 RR for Poligrip In this transaction, the Kleenex serves as a filler to get my total above $6 and allow me to use an RR. Note that you cannot "roll" an RR into the same transaction - so I'll have to be careful to use the $6 RR from the Salpicin deal last week and not the $6 RR I get from the first transaction, or the new $6 RR won't print. The Super Poligrip is also a filler of sorts - I have no use for it, but it's a moneymaker, so I walk away from the deal having spent a total of 88 76 cents plus tax out of pocket and $17 in RR instead of $15 RR. But, here's an alternative transaction I'm considering:Alternate Transaction #2: 1 Dove Men+Care body wash $5.99 3 Kleenex 89 cents each 1 Disney Activity Pad 33 cents with in-ad coupon - $1.50 Dove Men+Care printable coupon - 50 cents/3 Kleenex from 1/3 SS - $6 RR (for Salpicin last week)Pay: 99 cents + taxReceive: $6 RR for Dove I get more things I need in this transaction, but spend 49 cents more out of pocket and receive $2 less in RRs. If I greatly needed tissue, I'd be more inclined to do this deal. It's a good illustration of the balancing act in buying what you really need versus playing the game to stretch your dollars as far as they will go. An example of that is to do the original Transaction #2, and then do a third transaction: 3 Kleenex 89 cents each with in-ad coupon 1 Disney Activity Pad 33 cents with in-ad coupon - 50 cents/3 Kleenex from 1/3 SS - $2 RR (Poligrip)Pay: 50 cents + tax If I did the three transactions (but not alternate transaction #2), then I would pay $1.38 1.26 + tax out of pocket, have $15 in RR for the next week, and come home with 2 bottles of body wash, 2 Tylenol, 3 activity pads, 4 boxes of Kleenex, and one Poligrip. If I did just transaction #1 and alternate transaction #2, I would pay $1.49 1.37 + tax, have $15 in RR for the next week, and come home with 2 bottles of body wash, 2 Tylenol, 3 activity pads, and three boxes of Kleenex. In other words, I'd spent 11 cents more and have one fewer box of Kleenex (I'm not counting the Poligrip since I have no use for it). I realize that all of this math and maneuvering can make your head spin, but it's the perfect illustration of how buying things you don't need saves you money in The DrugStore Game. It doesn't always seem like common sense, but the math works out. (I think. I've proven my fallibility with math time and time again so let me know if something doesn't add up.) You can find a full round up of the week's deals at Moms by Heart, and a preview of the ad at I Heart Wags.

