Ali's Coupon Adventures

Alrighty, I have decided to definitely make this a weekly post because I really do just enjoy seeing the true difference in what I'm saving my family. People tend to think that Walmart is the cheapest place to shop, no matter what. Hopefully this will make you rethink that a little bit! Don't get me wrong, there are times when you can score GREAT deals and even freebies at Walmart, but generally speaking...you can almost always find better deals at your local supermarket/grocery store with their in-store promotions and sales. Here are some examples of products that we are getting at a great price by matching sales with coupons: (to see last week's "Price Check" click HERE)

Ken's Salad Dressing - $2.24 at Walmart. Use the $1/1 from the inserts to make it $1.24. At Albertsons last week this dressing was on sale for $1.99 (already cheaper than Walmart) and by using the same $1/1 coupon, plus a doubler that was available, we got them FREE! Yup. FREE. I "bought" six bottles of various kinds for FREE! The same six bottles at Walmart would have cost me $7.44. I saved $7.44 or 100%!

Halls Cough Drops - $1.56 at Walmart. Use the $.50/1 from the inserts to make them $1.06. Last week Albertsons had them on sale for $1.00 (already $.56 cheaper than Walmart). Use the same $.50/1 coupon and a doubler to get them for FREE. Yup. FREE. :) I "bought" six packages for FREE, saving $6.36 over what the same six would have cost me at Walmart. I saved $6.36 or 100%!

For this week's Albertsons matchups, click HERE.

Pepsi product 12pks - $3.50 at Walmart. This week at Walgreens they are part of a promo where when you spend $20, you get a $10RR back, essentially giving you a 50% discount! There are other items you can buy. The 12pks were already on sale for $3.00 ($.50 cheaper than Walmart) but when I bought them as part of the promo, I essentially got them for $1.50/ea! NO COUPONS NEEDED. Just a better price. I bought 5 (I will probably be going back for more if they have any left, as my husband drinks these like water.) for $7.50. The same 5 at Walmart would have cost me $17.50. I saved $10.00 or 57%! And that's without coupons!

DayQuil/NyQuil liquid - on rollback for $4.94 at Walmart. Use the $2/1 coupon from the inserts to get them for $2.94. Not bad! (Also, use the "FREE Puffs with purchase of any two Vick's products) However, at Walgreens this week they are part of a promo where when you spend $20 in participating DayQuil and NyQuil products, you get a $10RR back. Again, that is essentially a 50% discount before any coupons! The participating DayQuil/NyQuil products (the liquid was included, as was other varieties, such as capsules, etc) were on sale for $5.00 (a penny more than at Walmart). When you factor in the $10RR, which is like a 50% savings, that makes them basically $2.50 (already $.49 cheaper than Walmart) Use the same $2/1 coupon to get these for only $.50! Yes. $.50 for a medicine that normally costs $4.94 at Walmart. (And you can see in the photo that even the Equate brand liquid (that looks to be smaller in size) is still $4.00, and you can't use coupons on it, so you're saving $3.50 by getting the name brand at Wags. Crazy, huh?) So, I bought eight of varying DayQuil/NyQuil products for $4.00 (the same as ONE of the store brand), plus got four FREE Puffs tissues (which I would have gotten at Walmart, too). The same eight at Walmart would have cost me $23.52.  I saved $19.52 or 83% on the cost of the medicine, and got four FREE Puffs tissues which saved me another $3.98 or 100%! And now I have enough of this medicine to (hopefully) get my husband and I through the rest of the year until it goes on sale again next winter! (It doesn't expire until 2012)

Jergen's lotion - on rollback for $5. Use the $3/2 coupon from the inserts to get them for $3.50/ea when you buy two. At Walgreens this week they are part of a promotion where when you buy two bottles, you get a $5 RR back. They are on sale for 2/$12 or $6.00/ea (a dollar more than Walmart), however, when you factor in the $5 RR, it is like getting them 2/$7 or $3.50 ea. Now, use the same $3/2 coupon and that makes them $2.00 ea! Now, generally, you can get lotion MUCH cheaper than this and this is NOT a stock-up price. I have tons of lotion I got for FREE or dirt cheap ($.25) in my closet, but my husband has tried every kind I bring home and he just prefers this lotion. So, I am HAPPY to stock-up at $2.00 per bottle compared to the $5 I usually pay, especially because in the almost-year I've been couponing, I've NEVER seen this lotion go on this good of a sale. That said, I have bought 10 bottles so far (and plan to get more) for $20. The same 10 bottles at Walmart would have cost me $35 with rollback and coupon! I saved $15 or 43%!

For the current Walgreens matchups, click HERE.

Alright, so on just the above listed items I saved my family $58.32 by matching sales with coupons over what I would have paid just shopping at Walmart (even with the same coupons)!

How do I get all of those coupons?? Read all about why I get multiple newspaper subscriptions HERE. Are you ready to start learning how to save your family a ton of money by matching coupons with sales? YOU can do it, too...I PROMISE! Click HERE to get started.