worth the trip- useless product bonanza.

13 10 2010

the entire back page of the rite aid flier this week is stuffed full of single check rebate freebies, none of which i actually want. my chapstick peanut (yes, i have a peanut shaped jar on my coffee table filled with chapstick) is overflowing, and fuck if i know what a nasa-dock is. i’m ripping off the offending back page, and tossing aside like a cheap whore. in my mind the only things worth pursuing are:

1. better than free gain dish detergent. $.89 with a $1/1 coupon in last weekend’s paper. $.11 in pocket, no waiting for rebates, no +anythings.

2. because my udders are always getting chapped in the winter time, i might pick up the udderly smooth lotion for $1- free after $1 +UP.

3. according to iheartriteaid.com there is a $2/1 coupon floating around for playtex tampons. combined with a $2/2 video values coupon, and a $2 +UP reward… blah blah blah… free. except that i can’t find the coupon. what i can find are 2 $1.50/1 coupon that will work almost as well. $1 for 2 boxes of tampons= not too shabby.

4. on my quest for free makeup, i’m also going to check up on the 40% off maybelline. apparently there’s a $2/1 on the video values site (along with a coupon for something called “fast results herpes” that i chose not to click on), as well as some $3/2 coupons that i grabbed off a tearpad at the ulta last week that might add up to freeness… or at least super cheapness (which is also acceptable).

cvs is ultrabunk this week in a way that is almost hilarious (except for the part where it’s tragic). sure, there’s some free toothpaste, but i’m gonna pass on the blood sugar monitors and crap soda. really, the only notable thing at cvs right now is something so outrageously awful, that i can’t even believe that it exists. ladies & gentlemen, i present to you the icraig tower stereo system. now, i don’t know dick about stereo equipment, but i’m pretty sure this is a flaming piece of $99 shit (despite being advertised as a “red hot deal”.

shaws was marginally better with some good deals on things that i like.

1. green giant boxed veggies. i like to keep these in the freezer for when i feel like i’m dying, but i haven’t been to the grocery store in 3 weeks. sort of “in case of emergency break glass” vegetables. $1 each with a $1/3 coupon from like 4 newspapers, they’re only $.66 each. although the real winner is the $.60/3 coupon at smartsource right now. doubled to $1.20, the veggies are a mere $.60 each. a $.50/1 printable doubled= FREE. thanks for the tip anastasiav! i can’t believe i paid $.60! what an ass!

2. i actually missed out on the cheap ass dragone ricotta cheese this week thanks to some local shelf cleaners (it was gone by saturday morning!), but perhaps they’ve restocked by now. on sale for BOGO, with $.55/1 printables from coupons.com, i’m guessing you can grab yours for around a dollar. ricotta freezes really well, so stock up!

3. fage yogurt is on sale for $1.29. shit is generally like $1.89 or more (for a single yogurt!), which is ludicrous, but it’s the only yogurt that i like. also, you can grab a $.50/1 from their website (one print per computer- boo!) and double that to get at least one of your yogurts for $.29.

4. what is it about the back pages this week? BUNK SHAW’S– BUNK!. apparently if you buy 5 of the kraft or shaws products on the back page, you get a $5 catalina for your next shopping trip. it could be a good deal, except that i don’t actually want any of this bullshit. 5 jars of shitty peanut butter for $3.85 is probably your best deal, although you can also get 5 boxes of capri sun for $5. the only thing i would actually want is the kraft shredded cheese, ($1.40 a bag if you buy 5  at $2.50/each and use those $1/2 from the 9/26 smartsource) and i don’t have any room in my fridge after the $2 sargento bonanza a couple weeks ago.

target is a minefield of halloween candy and baby crap this week. decent deal on $2 fiber one bars, and this sweet ass submarine shaped shower caddy… but really nothing. NOTHING!

some final bits and pieces… hot bonus coupon for 40% off your entire purchase of paints, pastels, pencils and markers at michael’s in addition to their regular 40% off any one item coupon. $10 t-shirts until the 14th at threadless, 20% off any one item at ulta, and my boyfriend informs me that $59.99 for a 1 TB external hard drive at staples is a hot deal (is it? i’ll never know).

overall, it’s a whole lotta nothing this week. i may just skip this bitch all together.





corrections/retractions/apologies

21 03 2010

one of my very favorite frugal blogs (and local no less), the portland penny pincher, has a little thing she calls frugal fuck-ups. ok, actually she demurely calls them frugal f-ups, but we know what she’s talking about. basically, it’s any attempt at saving money gone horribly wrong. a while ago, i informed her that the next time i had a really serious couponing cock-up, i would be giving her a little shout out. well, today is the day.

so several days ago, i had a big ole boner about the $.96 zyrtec deal. i had it all plotted out. i would go to the 2 peninsula rite aids (both sketchy as hell) on alternating days, completing my mission, and spreading things out enough so that the rite aid cashiers don’t think i’m making crystal meth or something.

day 1. grabbed the wrong zyrtec coupon (the $2 instead of the $4 for the liquid gels), and i actually needed the pills that night so i had to go through with it. $18.99 minus $3/$15 and $2/1 zyrtec coupon. $13.99 OOP.

*got sick in here somewhere and didn’t make it to rite aid again until thursday*

day 2. had all the coupons this time, just in case. good thing. terrifying west end rite aid didn’t have any of the 25 count liquid gels. gave myself a quarter sized blister walking a mile across town to get there, and refused to leave empty handed. $18.99 minus $3/$15 and $2/1 zyrtec coupon. $13.99 OOP.

day 3. back to my neighborhood rite aid with the drunks (well, the familiar drunks). finally, they have the 25 count liquid gels, and i have the right coupons. sort of. as it turn out, the $2/1 from the rite aid video values site is for the 40 count only. damn. also, i’m hungry so i buy a too expensive granola bar (fullbar) $2.39, and a bottled water $.99. $3.38 for the snack plus $18.99 for the pills, and minus $4/1 zyrtec coupon and a $5/20 from the rite aid video values site. $13.39 OOP.

day 4. it’s saturday, and somehow find my way to the gorham rite aid, hoping to find more liquid gels. bunk. it is cleaner and with less people buying malt liquor, but they only have the 40 and 70 count liquid gels left. i dig out a $2/1 zyrtec coupon that i got from somewhere, knowing that the $18.99 price will be gone tomorrow. oh, and somewhere there’s some cadbury mini eggs in there. fuck. $18.99 minus $3/$15 and $2/1 zyrtec coupon, plus $.88 for the candy. $14.87 OOP.

total: $56.24 minus $25 J&J SCR, and $20 zyrtec allergy rewards= $11.24.

um… not exactly $.96.

still better than the $50 a month i was paying when it was a prescription…. but i really need to pay more attention next time! check minus, room for improvement.





boner for rite aid.

17 10 2009

Earns Rite Aid

RITE AID DEALS FOR 10/18/09

oh rite aid. with your sexy sexy deals that just keep on coming like a wild fire. this week has a boatload of SCR deals, although it’s mostly pharmaceuticals, and i’m just not into it. too many things that can take up room in my medicine cabinet and then expire before i have a chance to use them. 

however, there are a number of low price options that are worth loading up on:

1. eos lip balm (my chapstick addiction)- $1.99 with $1.99 SCR

2. halls cough drops- 2 bags @ $1/ea. with $1/2 from the 9-27 smart source= $1 for 2 bags, or $.50/ea.

3. 6 oz. lubriderm lotion- $2.99 /ea. with $2/1 from the 10-11 redplum= $.99

4. quench body lotion- 2 for $9 matched with my sweet bogo and $3/1 coupons from this month’s marie claire- 2 for $1.50 or $.75/ea.

5. zone bars 5/$5- 4 for $4 plus the 2 bogo coupons that i got from signing up for the zone vip club. $2 for 4 or $.50/ea.

6. quilted northern 12-pack- $6.49 combined with $2/1 video values coupon, and the $1/1 printable from here= $3.50 for $12 rolls. not so bad. 

7. 5/$5 sobe lifewater- 1 @ $1 with the $.25 coupon from video values, and this printable for another $.25= 1 for $.50.

all 7 items (retail value $25.47) for $8.49 (after SCR). if i was really smart, i would find myself a $5/$25 and get the whole situation for $3.49 after SCR.